by Scott Lorenz | Agents, Author Advice, Blog, Book Marketing, Book Publishing, Literary Agent, Marketing a Book
By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Communications
Landing an agent for many authors is the most sought after goal. Why? It’s been long considered the fastest and most profitable path to publishing success. If that is your goal then you’ll want to check out these tips, techniques and resources to help you land the quality literary agent you are seeking.
Where to begin?
Get up to speed with the latest information with books and resources on the topic. According to Jeff Herman, book agent and author of Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, authors should assess potential agents on the following points before sealing a deal:
1. The list of books the agent has sold to publishers, including the publishers’ and authors’ names.
2. The agent’s reputation online.
3. Why s/he likes your book and how s/he plans to market your book, with reference to a timeline and how much you’ll potentially earn.
Time to Get a Literary Agent
Note that real agents do not:
1. Charge upfront fees
2. Offer to edit for a fee
3. Sell adjunct services to their clients
4. Submit books to vanity or non-advance paying publishers
The critical step in the process is to research agents before you submit to them. Avoid agents who charge fees other than the standard 15 percent commission they receive on everything you get paid (your advance and royalties).
Narrow Your Search
Publishers Marketplace is one of the best places to research literary agents. Buy a subscription for $25 and access a wealth of information about publishing. With hundreds of agents hosting web pages, Publishers Marketplace is arguably the largest and most comprehensive repository to find info on top literary agencies. In fact, Publishers Marketplace claims to have “more e-mail and other contact information on more agents than any other source, updated daily.”
Member authors can create their own Publishers Marketplace web page and indicate they are seeking an agent, which advertises you to agent and publishers.
An added bonus to PublishersMarketplace.com is the deals database, which includes the actual dollar figure of the advances paid to authors for many books. The daily updates provide essential information and searches reveal editors’ buying patterns and more. The site also hosts a contact database that tracks editors on the move. Find out more here: https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/
Other resources to consider include:
1. Manuscript Wish List visit: https://mswishlist.com/
2. AgentQuery.com
3. QueryTracker.net
4. WritersMarket.com
Social media is also a powerful tool to locate agents. Search social media for associations of agents— there are plenty. Michael Larsen, literary agent, suggests authors check out the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR) https://aalitagents.org/ as an outlet for finding quality agents. According to Larsen, “The 450 agents in AAR are the best source of experienced, reputable agents. Members are required to follow the AAR’s code of ethics.”
Another resource for finding agents is simply the acknowledgments section in books similar to what you envision your own book to be. Read the acknowledgments and collect the names of those agents mentioned and contact them directly.
Don’t be shy— Have a presence.
Share your personal brand with the world, both online and in person. It’s wise to create professional social media accounts, an online work portfolio or blog. According to Michael Larsen, “Let agents find you- be visible online and off, get published and give talks, publicize your work and yourself. When you’re visible enough, agents will find you.” This strategy worked for Andy Weir, author of The Martian. After selling 35,000 ebooks for $.99 and topping Amazon’s Sci-Fi Bestseller List, an agent contacted Weir and he was soon represented by Random House for a book deal. On top of that FOX contacted him for the film rights of his novel. The rest is history.
A popular networking strategy is to attend writers’ conferences. Particularly for first-time authors, there’s no better way to get to an agent than at a conference. Agents typically won’t sign authors on the spot, but accept their advice and remember that networking is pivotal to a successful career. According to Chip MacGregor, literary agent and author of Ask the Agent, “I love writers’ conferences. Don’t go thinking you’re going to land an agent; just plan to meet people and learn a lot.” Where are the best conferences? Here’s a list I’ve compiled of upcoming writer’s conferences.
Make It Perfect. Practice Proper Etiquette
“Nothing detracts from good writing like bad editing,” says Debra Englander an experienced non-fiction editor and writer. “Submit your best work. Have it copy edited and proofread by a professional. Don’t ruin a potential relationship with an agent because of mistakes.” Englander served as editorial director at John Wiley Publishing for nearly 17 years and was on the receiving end of thousands of pitches from agents and authors. She currently works with authors on creating winning book proposals and editing manuscripts.
Also, research an agent before you submit to them and check the agent’s guidelines before packaging and submitting your work. Before you commit to an agent, settle any unfinished business with others still considering your work. Just make it clear that you have an offer that requires an immediate decision.
If you think you’re ready to be placed with an agent, consider the direction your writing career is headed. According to Chuck Sambuchino, author of the Guide to Literary Agents, “Most agents say they’re looking to represent careers, not books.”
The Bottom Line: Agents can land you the deal you could never obtain yourself. But the pursuit of an agent can take months and years. If you still want an agent, then study up and do it now!
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
by Scott Lorenz | Blog, Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Publicity, Book Publishing, Books to Movies, Get a Hollywood Movie Producer Interested in Your Books, Hollywood, Promoting a Book
By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Communications Book Marketing
If you want to sell your book to Hollywood, it’ll help to think like Hollywood producers and directors. Since everybody is so busy these days, you’ll have to boil down your book to a quick pitch that answers the question: What is your book about?
Your logline should SELL the story, not tell the story.
Think about it, do you have a one-sentence summation of your book to tell others? Do you have the main elements of the story composed together? If not, you need a logline.
A logline is a one or two sentence description that boils down the essential dramatic narrative in as succinct a manner as possible, says James Burbidge on Raindance.org
According to John Robert Marlow, author of Make Your Story a Movie: Adapting Your Book or Idea for Hollywood, “If you want to turn your book into a movie then understand that the people who represent and purchase books and screenplays are incredibly busy. They need a way to decide which stories are worth a closer look, and which are not—without actually taking the time to read those stories. This is where the logline comes into play.”
Hollywood Logline, Sell Your Book to Hollywood
Here’s an example of a good logline for a book from the author resource website WildSound.ca.
“The Last Thing She Did” is a romantic comedy in which a ditsy writer struggles to overcome her reliance on a dead friend’s advice in order to meet a deadline.
According to Michelle Mclean, Romance and Nonfiction author, the elements of your logline should consist of Characters, Conflict, Distinction, Setting, and Action.
“A logline is a brief description of the plot of your story, which involves an emotional hook and a twist of irony. A logline organizes a story in the briefest form possible while retaining the strongest emotional effect,” said Jen Grisanti, author of Story Line: Finding Gold in Your Life Story.
“A good use for the logline is the pitch. This handy, dandy quick summary of your story is very useful in persuading agents, editors, and even your dentist that you’ve hit on a ‘wow’ premise that simply MUST be written. Better yet, if it’s already written, then it MUST be read,” said David Macinnis Gill, author and teacher.
“The logline is just as important as a creative tool as it is as a vehicle to spark an interest of others,” said Noam Kroll of Indiewire, an award-winning Los Angeles based filmmaker, and founder of the boutique production company Creative Rebellion.
“You do not need to condense your entire book into one sentence, but you do need to give enough information that the agent/editor/ curious acquaintance you are addressing gets the gist of your book, and is interested enough to want more,” said Michelle Mclean.
One author’s logline gained the interest of several producers and production companies as well as a major agent. “Sometimes the logline comes to me in the middle of writing a book and other times it’s the last thing I do. Whenever inspiration strikes, I capture the words immediately,” says Tricia Stewart Shiu author of the Moa Series, a Young Adult Science Fiction Fantasy. “Writing a logline is, essentially, communicating with gut instincts the core essence of a story. When you’re done, it should ring like a bell,” adds Shiu.
“Another use for a logline is you. A novel is a big thing. It’s difficult to hold the whole story in your mind, especially when you’ve finished a first draft and are still giddy from the flow of creative juices. Writing a logline helps you define—for yourself—the essential elements of the plot. It will also let you know immediately if major components of the plot are missing. This prevents episodic plots that are a string of (interesting and exciting) events that lack a complete story spine,” added David Macinnis Gill.
While writing your logline make sure it is brief. According to Wildsound.ca, brevity is an absolute necessity of creating a good logline, as well as choosing your focus carefully. It is important to choose the focus of your logline because it is the selling point of your book. You need to draw the readers in with action, the plot twists and turns, anything that will grab their attention and interest for more.
Your logline can also be brought to life by an actor through Wildsound.ca who’ll post it to their YouTube Channel, which draws thousands of viewers daily. They claim that agents and producers check the site for new content. It’s worth a look. https://www.wildsound.ca/
The Bottom Line: Creating a logline is an integral part of being able to convey to others what your book is about in a quick concise manner. Master this whether your book is going to Hollywood or not.
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
by Scott Lorenz | Author Advice, Author Spotlight, Blog, Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Spotlight, Interviews
By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Communications Book Marketing
Did you know that Andy Weir author of The Martian first published a series of blog posts, then an ebook? Yes, it’s true. Before The Martian became a Hollywood legend it had humble beginnings… on a blog. Here’s the backstory of this self-published author.
Author Andy Weir wrote The Martian in 2011 and it’s now one of the most popular movies of the day. It is a story about fearless astronaut Mark Watney, played by actor Matt Damon, who overcomes several challenges after being left behind by his team on Mars.
How did Weir get the inspiration to write a bestselling novel and Sci-Fi blockbuster extravaganza? With rejection of course…
“I was sitting around thinking about how to do a human mission to Mars, not for a story but just for the heck of it. I started thinking about how I would do it and all the things that could go wrong, and I realized it would make a great story. So, I made up a protagonist and subjected him to all of it,” said Weir in an interview with SmithsonianMag.com.
“I had tried before to write novels and submitted them to agents, but no one was interested,” said Weir.
Weir grew up with parents who were electronics engineer and a particle physicist and became interested in science, technology, and of course Sci-Fi classics including Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clark, Robert Heinlein, and let’s not forget Dr. Who, according to an article by Micah White on Biography.com.
Weir was a computer programmer at AOL, but when they merged with Netscape he was let go and with his severance package went on to fulfill a dream of his to write fiction.
In 2009 Weir began writing The Martian as a hobby and posted chapters on his website for interested readers. He gained a few thousand followers, many of whom were scientists that provided technical accuracy of the story. From there, The Martian was completed and posted on his website as a free e-book.
“If it wasn’t for the Internet, the story wouldn’t have been possible at all because I wouldn’t have had any medium to tell stories. I wasn’t even trying to break into the industry anymore, I was doing it as a labor of love,” said Weir in his SmithsonianMag.com interview.
“Chemists actually pointed out some problems in early drafts,” said Weir in an interview with Businessinsider.com. With that he was able to go back and correct some of the chemistry that was crucial for Watney’s survival.
This self-publishing author followed his true passion without any additional help from an agent or marketing team and continued to write even though he received many rejection letters.
“I was afraid it was going to read like a Wikipedia article if I didn’t make it really interesting,” said Weir during a discussion of The Martian at the recent Human MARS Summit in Washington D.C.
In September 2012, the book became available on Amazon for $0.99, selling 35,000 copies and moving it up to the top of Amazon’s Sci-Fi Bestseller List. After topping the Bestseller List on Amazon, an agent contacted Weir and he was soon represented by Random House for a book deal. On top of that Fox contacted him for the film rights of his novel.
Within days of each other both deals closed, and the computer programmer had gone from a self-published author to published author (selling nearly 1 million copies) to the creator of Hollywood’s 2015 blockbuster.
Even NASA loved the publicity from The Martian with the following tweets:
- NASA astronaut and #TheMartian movie actress hope to inspire the next generation of astronauts on our #journeytomars
- Watching #TheMartian? See how our Deep Space Habitat compares to one in the film: go.nasa.gov/1iUaBKi
“It was such a sudden launch into the big leagues that I literally had a difficult time believing it,” said Weir in an interview on his site. “I was actually warned it could all be an elaborate scam. So, I guess that was my first reaction: ‘Is this really happening?’”
Persistence is key in the self-publishing book business. Almost every writer goes through the struggle, some having an agent, some not. The idea behind The Martian is that similar to Mark Watney, Andy Weir did the best he could with the limited resources that he had, no agent, no marketing team and no publisher. He, like Watney, took the creative spark he harnessed and prevailed in his struggle to find success.
The Bottom Line: There’s a wealth of brilliant self-published authors striving to succeed. For some authors big success awaits. The difference is often getting just a little exposure. If the New York Times and other publications who routinely dismiss self-published authors would take a look at the fine work created by these talented people, The Martian will indeed leave an indelible imprint on the self-publishing landscape. To the NY Times: See what you are missing!
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
by Scott Lorenz | Blog, Book Cover Designers, Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Publishing, Writing a Book
A Good Book Cover Can Help Sell a Book- A Bad Cover Can Kill a Book
By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Communications Book Marketing
Being a book publicist and book marketing guy, I often weigh in on book cover designs. Sometimes it’s in the nick of time sometimes it’s too late to make a change. Here’s the situation, authors, please – do not underestimate the importance of a book cover’s design. Not only do potential book buyers judge a book by its cover but so do members of the media. Many reporters receive dozens of books every day! Do you really think they read the book flap and your pitch? Ha!
Here are some important items to consider when making decisions on book cover design:
Use a subhead to create more description. If you have a 10-word title, you have not properly named the book in the first place.
Check with Google on the words that are most searched on your topic. To do this, type in the word that best describes your book in the search box and then see what the next most important or popular words are in that list. That ranking is very relevant marketing- wise so try to use those words in your title or subtitle. Consider using the genre in the subtitle too because that’s what people are searching on.
Visit bookstores and look at the covers of all types of books. What catches your eye? Look at the book face and look at the spines. Which ones are readable and why?
Will it play on Amazon? Go to Amazon.com, BN.com, Good Reads, Smashwords and search for competitive books in your space. Notice the book covers that catch your eye and the ones that do not. If your cover does not show up well in an Amazon thumbnail, then you are going to lose sales.
Contrast. Don’t let your graphic designer get started without keeping contrast in mind. The reason black ink works so well on white paper is because it produces the best contrast possible. Yellow ink on green paper in a small font simply does not work.
How does your book look in black and white? Not every publication will be printing it in color.
Font size. Many designers are young with great eyesight. But your buyer may not be able to read the tiny font some designers insist upon using. Be practical.
The spine. Can you read it from five feet away? If not, neither can browsers in a bookstore.
Blurbs. Keep them relevant and short. Consider including a mention on the cover of a foreword written by a famous person or author. “Foreword by J.K. Rowling” or “Foreword by Oprah Winfrey” or “Foreword by Best Selling Author Brian Tracy.”
Do not overlook creating content on the back inside flaps because consumers pick up a book after looking at the spine, front cover and back and then open the book to find the price or more information.
Print your cover out on a laser printer. Don’t just review your cover on a computer screen which will make it look considerably better. Print it out actual size and make a determination using that printed version.
Pictures are worth 1000 words. Use photos and illustrations to describe what would take too long to explain.
When choosing a book design ask yourself how the cover will look on your website home page. Branding is important so you’ll want to use the same design elements on your website that you do on your book cover.
Show your cover designs to as many people in your target group of potential readers. Get their reactions and opinions. It costs you nothing and you’ll likely find out something you did not realize before.
Here are 33 book cover designers and services to consider for your next cover:
1. 99 Designs – https://99designs.com/
Having been faced with the task of helping out authors in the cover design process many times, a recent experience led me to one service that really did a terrific job. 99designs.com uses graphic designers from around the world who compete for your business by actually designing the book cover on speculation, ie no charge. I commissioned a cover for an author using 99designs after the author was not happy with the creations from his own designer. I mentioned several design elements such as the title, subtitle, what the book was about etc.
Figuring more is better, we got 65 different cover designs in 5 days! The most difficult part was narrowing down the selection to 8 then having friends, family, co-workers vote on their favorites from all corners of the world all online. They also added their comments, insight and logic behind liking or disliking a cover design right under the image of that cover. They voted over several days and the comments were able to be read by our team, also scattered all over North America. The cost was about $700. Currently 99designs book covers range in price from $299 to their top-of-the-line platinum package at $1,199. This was an excellent process that delivered a NY Times bestseller quality cover that I highly recommend.
2. Foster Covers – https://fostercovers.com/
George Foster of Foster Covers is a book cover designer who has earned more than 300 awards and created covers for 134 bestsellers. His work has appeared on over 1,000 books.
3. Fiverr – https://www.fiverr.com/
Fiverr gives you many options for just $5. These are fast and obviously cheap, but I’ve seen some pretty nice work. Order from 2 or 3 designers at the same time. Hey, it’s only $5 bucks!
4. Killer Covers – https://killercovers.com/
KillerCovers.com offer various packages for your book cover needs including web pages, Facebook pages etc. They are based in Australia, and I’ve used them and recommended them several times.
5. Book Cover Express – https://bookcoverexpress.com/
Book Cover Express has a competitive flat rate so you can work with your ideal budget.
6. Author Support – https://www.authorsupport.com/
The designers at AuthorSupport.com are a great resource.
7. Book Creatives – https://www.bookcreatives.com/
Book creatives offers book cover design and eBook design for authors.
8. Alexander von Ness – https://www.nessgraphica.com/
Alexander von Ness is a book cover designer with over twenty years of professional experience in graphic design, including over a decade as art director in a branding agency. In the last decade his main area of focus has been book cover design. His website Nessgraphica is among the top trusted sites for book cover design services overall.
9. Damonza – https://damonza.com/
Damonza has over 30 years combined experience in the design and advertising industry.
10. Robin Ludwig Design – https://www.gobookcoverdesign.com/
GoBookCoverDesign.com specializes in providing superior book cover design services utilizing professional equipment and software.
11. Andy Carpenter Design – https://acdbookcoverdesign.com/
Any Carpenter Design is a boutique design firm for self-publishers and small presses.
12. Self-Publishing Lab – https://selfpublishinglab.com/
Self-Publishing Lab has been voted the best website for authors, so be sure to check it out.
13. Lulu – https://www.lulu.com/
Along with publishing services Lulu provides design quality at a competitive price.
14. David Airey – https://www.davidairey.com/books
David Airey is a creative book cover designer.
15. CreateSpace – https://kdp.amazon.com/createspace-transfer
CreateSpace allows you to work with their professional design team to custom-create an affordable, striking cover that broadcasts your book’s key messages with distinct colors, fonts, and one central image. Their price $349 is not bad and several of my clients have use them including one 92-year-old author.
16. BookBaby – https://www.bookbaby.com/book-design/book-cover-design
BookBaby offers a straight-forward approach to finding a budget and designing your book cover. Price ranges from $149 to $279.
17. Guru – https://www.guru.com/
Guru.com is a great website to utilize to find freelance book cover designers from around the world. Very cool.
18. 1106 Design – https://1106design.com/
1106Design.com offers editing, proofreading, cover design, Interior page layout, eBook formatting, Printing and more.
19. Albertine Book Design – https://dotdesign.net/
Albertine Book Design offers complete design and production services for children’s books, tabletop books, cookbooks, textbooks, fiction and non-fiction hard cover and paperbacks.
20. Book Covers for All – https://bookcoversforall.com/
One designer boasting over 18 years of experience with 1000+ books to his credit.
21. Reedsy – https://reedsy.com/design/book-cover-design/
This is very interesting in that the book covers are already designed; you just add the title! There are some very high-quality covers priced at $25 and up. Definitely check this out.
22. Extended Imagery – https://extendedimagery.com/
Carl Graves is a professional book cover designer who has a fire sale on book covers with more than 2,000 book covers on hand. Very high-quality covers that just need your title only $200 per cover. These are really amazing must see covers.
23. Illumination Graphics – https://illuminationgraphics.com/
Illumination Graphics provides affordable and dynamic design for books, both book cover designs and book interior layouts.
24. BookWise Design – https://bookwisedesign.com/
BookWise Design has designed over 1200 book covers and strives to provide the most experienced and helpful book production services.
25. ExpertSubjects – https://www.expertsubjects.com/
Expert Subjects has several cover artists, and you can choose to create a fully customized book cover depending on your budget constraints. They also provide an array of services including typesetting, editing, critique and undertake publishing & distribution too.
26. Canva – https://www.canva.com/create/book-covers/
Canva’s book cover maker makes book covers amazingly simple to design – even for non-designers.
27. The Cover Collection – https://www.thecovercollection.com/
I’ve used them for memes too. Here’s a way to get a high-quality book cover for under $100 using premade book cover designs. Authors receive multiple drafts to choose from and a choice of font options. I’ve checked out their covers and they are top notch.
28. TS95 Studios – https://www.ts95studios.com/
TS95 Studios is a Daily Deviation award-winning artist on DeviantArt.com. He designs e-book and full jacket covers, crafting elaborate realistic scenes from stock photos for fantasy, horror, mystery, and sci-fi novels.
29. Bianca Bordianu Design – https://moonpress.co/
Bianca Bordianu is a professional cover designer who works with bestselling authors, publishing houses and indie authors in all genres. She delivers high quality designs for competitive prices.
30. Lance Buckley – https://www.lancebuckley.com/
Lance Buckley is a book designer with over 10 years of experience. Says Lance, “I’ve worked for 8 years as a Design Specialist at CreateSpace before Amazon consolidated things and axed CreateSpace altogether. For the last 4 years I’ve been designing book covers and interiors for authors. You can view some of my work on my website. I try to keep my pricing as low as possible while still providing a very professional design.”
31. Julia Rohwedder – https://www.lunaryxdesign.com/
Julia Rohwedder is a freelance photo illustrator & designer living in the southwest of Germany. She has been creating digital photo illustration since around 2006. She loves book cover art commissions for Fantasy genres, like Dark Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy.
32. eBook Launch – https://ebooklaunch.com/
Since 2011, eBook launch has designed hundreds of creative books covers for independent authors and publishers in nearly every genre. Check out their book cover portfolio here. https://ebooklaunch.com/custom-book-cover-portfolio/ They also handle book editing, formatting as well.
33. Book Cover Hub – https://bookcoverhub.com/
Book Cover Hub is a professional book cover design agency specializing in custom, market-driven covers for authors and publishers. The company is known for creating visually compelling designs that help books stand out across Amazon, bookstores, and digital platforms.
34. Adobe Express Book Cover Designer – https://www.adobe.com/express/create/cover/book
Adobe Express makes it easy to create a book cover. Start with a free book cover template or create your own custom cover.
35. GetCovers – https://getcovers.com/book-cover-design/
Get an affordable book cover design that represents your genre. GetCovers team offers unlimited number of free revisions for your book cover design.
36. DesignHill – https://www.designhill.com/book-cover-design
Explore their professional book cover designers and work closely with them to design a cover that compels your readers to turn the pages.
37. DesignCrowd – https://www.designcrowd.com/ebookcover-design/
The #1 custom eBook cover design service with 1,329,622 designers. Professional freelance eBook cover designers around the world ready to create you the perfect eBook cover. If you’re not satisfied with the eBook cover designs and don’t get the perfect eBook cover for your business, get your money back.
38. BookCoverZone – https://bookcoverzone.com/
BookCoverZone with its innovative LiveBuild engine is a new way to obtain professionally made book covers in a matter of minutes. All covers are made by professional book cover designers -many of them with international design awards such as the World Gourmand Award. For over 20 years our studio has created covers for a variety of self-published and genre authors throughout the world.
39. The Book Cover Designer – https://thebookcoverdesigner.com/
Covers are one-offs. Once a cover is sold, it’s removed from our catalog and will never be sold again. The Book Cover Designer works with talented designers from all over the world and they don’t accept AI-generated book covers.
40. Moonstruck Cover Design & Photography – https://moonstruckcoverdesign.com/
In business since 2016, Moonstruck covers all genres with a specialty in romance! Their style is often described as vibrant, spunky and sparkly that “Packs a Punch”! Their covers are colorful & twist the common tropes! A great style to catch your readers’ eye!
41. Goonwrite.com – https://goonwrite.com/
GoonWrite.com’s owner James has been designing book covers for 14 years. He has been a freelance graphic designer for the last twenty-five years. You can buy pre-made book covers from this website.
42. Amnet – https://amnetauthorservices.com/cover-design-for-ebook/
eBook design encompasses the process of creating eye-catching and creative images that serve as a “cover” for eBooks. The cover of your eBook will be the first thing a reader notices and it should draw them in and help stoke their interest in the book. Amnet does eBook cover design service for a variety of authors and genres. Simply put, if you are an eBook author, you can greatly benefit from Amnet’s book cover design services.
43. CreativCovers – https://www.creativindiecovers.com/
CreativCovers the book cover designer indie authors come back to — bestselling-quality book cover design that stops the scroll, owns the genre, and sells the click. The same craft you’d get from a Big Five publisher, at a fraction of the price.
44. eBookWritings – https://ebookwritings.com/ebook-cover-design
eBookWritings.com is a renowned book cover design company that is popular for bringing publications from the rear window shelf to the main spotlight. We are a source of assistance to many writers out there who are looking to give a kick to their book cover designs. Our experts are responsible for ensuring that readers connect with your story. Brace yourself to get the massive sales.
45. DIY Book Covers – https://diybookcovers.com/
Dive into DIY Book Covers treasure trove of FREE book design templates and easy-to-follow tutorials, so your book can finally get the attention (and sales) it deserves. No design skills? No problem. Get started today and transform your book from Blah to Wow!
46. 100 Covers – https://100covers.com/
100 Covers began as a budget conscious book cover design service for the typical self-published indie author on a shoestring budget. Our journey since then could be titled, From Discount to DOMINANCE.
47. Whitewolf Publishers – https://whitewolfpublishers.com/book-cover-design
Whitewolf Publishers is a top-tier choice for eBook cover design. Whitewolf Publisher’s team of experienced eBook cover designers have vast experience in creating captivating and professional eBook covers that reflect your story and the essence of your eBook.
48. PosterMyWall – https://www.postermywall.com/index.php/g/book-cover-posters
9,470+ Free Kindle/Book Cover Design Templates. Design an eye-catching book cover for your next best seller in minutes. Personalize, print and publish online.
49. Deranged Doctor Design – https://www.derangeddoctordesign.com/
Working with Deranged Doctor is a little different than what you may be used to when working with a solo cover designer. They are a company, which means there are several people working on each project.
50. Book Cover Hub – https://bookcoverhub.com/ebook-cover-design/
Book Cover Hub is a one-stop shop for all your ebook cover design needs. We offer a wide range of services, from custom cover design to ebook formatting. Our team of experienced designers will work with you to create a cover that is both visually appealing and effective at marketing your book. We use only the highest quality stock images and illustrations, and our designs are always optimized for digital display.
51. Kittl – https://www.kittl.com/create/book-covers
Make your book stand out on the shelf with Kittl book cover designer. You’ve poured your heart and soul into your manuscript – now it’s time to make sure your book will stand out on the shelf with a cover that sells. Save time and money from hiring a graphic designer— simply choose a template, drag and drop design elements, and craft your unique book cover in just minutes.
52. TrifBookDesign – https://trifbookdesign.com/
We all know you should never judge a book by its cover – but that’s what we all do at the beginning. Your book cover is the first thing a reader sees and is the difference between them picking up your book or walking away. No book deserves to be dismissed because it’s poorly presented, so we want to make sure they buy. Trif Book Design specialize in BOOK COVER DESIGN SERVICES with many years of experience and work hard to make sure that your book cover is what will make you stand out.
53. Yummy Book Covers – https://yummybookcovers.com/book-design-services/
Cover design & illustration for every budget. Yummy Book Covers offers premium Canva templates, premade characters, premade character cover design and custom cover design.
54. Premade Book Cover Shop – https://www.premadeebookcovershop.com/
PremadeBookCoverShop.com’s premade book covers are not templates, each cover will be sold only once, then is removed from the site – making it exclusively yours!* Price includes changing out the title, author name, and adding a subtitle and/or phrase. You can even ask for a font style or color change, an overall hue change or an eye color change!
55. BookFly Design – https://www.bookflydesign.com/cover-design
Book Fly Design doesn’t use pre-made templates for our covers; yours will be custom designed in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Their price includes unlimited royalty-free stock images (unless you have specific image requests, which may require additional charges) as well as 3-D images you can use to promote your book. Your final cover will be optimized for web viewing and ready to upload to your e-book publisher(s) of choice.
56. ETSY eBook Cover Design – https://www.etsy.com/market/ebook_cover_design
On Etsy, you can find a wide range of eBook cover design online in US, from one-of-a-kind handcrafted options to vintage treasures ready to be loved again. Our global marketplace is a vibrant community of real people, ranging from makers and independent designers to creative entrepreneurs, connecting over special goods so you can browse the latest ebook cover design listings by Etsy sellers from, not just all corners of US, but also around the world.
57. JD&J eBook Cover Design – https://www.jdandj.com/ebook-cover-design.html
JD&J eBook cover design team is dedicated to making your book cover design a work of art that stands head and shoulders above the other books in the high street shops and in online stores.
58. Creative Paramita – https://creativeparamita.com/
Your cover has one job: sell the story before page one. Paramita creates professional book cover design for authors who want a market-ready look—whether you need a scroll-stopping eBook cover, a full print wrap (front + spine + back), or an exclusive premade cover. If you’re looking for reliable book cover design services with strong typography, genre accuracy, and thumbnail readability, you’re in the right place.
59. Graphic Design Eye – https://graphicdesigneye.com/book-cover-design-service/
A book cover tells a number of aspects about a book. So, the design needs to be perfect. The flawlessness of the design makes the books look impressive and helps to raise the sales. Graphic Design Eye is a leader in providing different types of book cover design service to our global clientele.
60. BookCovers.com – https://bookcovers.com/
BookCovers.com, formerly known as SelfPubBookCovers.com is your premier destination for high-quality, ready-made, and custom book covers designed to bring your stories to life.
61. Comeup – https://comeup.com/en/category/ebook-covers
Hire a freelancer to design a professional eBook cover. Work with freelance designers to create attractive eBook or paperback covers that highlight your content and capture readers’ attention.
62. Noble Verse Publishers – https://nobleversepublishers.press/book-cover-design-services.html
From custom covers, and interior design to illustration tools and more, Noble Verse Publishers’ book cover designers are competent and have mastery over various software. Share your book’s prologue or synopsis and instantly get fascinating ideas for the book cover design today.
63. Alkira Publishing – https://alkirapublishing.com/publishing-services/book-cover-design-and-formatting/
Book cover design and interior formatting is the trickiest part to get right if you’re self-publishing, and it makes sense to have one professional do it all – a one-stop shop! Rose is a fully qualified graphic designer and award-winning book cover creator with eleven years’ experience in book cover design.
64. BookCoverify App (Apple) – https://apps.apple.com/in/app/book-cover-maker-designer/id6502331077
BookCoverify: Your Ultimate Book Cover Design Companion! Are you an author looking to make your book stand out on digital shelves or catch the eye of readers in print? Look no further than BookCoverify, the all-in-one solution for creating stunning, professional book covers with ease. With BookCoverify, you have access to a vast library of editable templates designed for every type of book imaginable. Whether you’re publishing an eBook, an audio book, or a physical copy, our app has you covered. Choose from a variety of genres and styles to find the perfect template for your masterpiece.
65. Book Cover Designer App (Android) – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.socialplatform.postermaker2022
Wishing to design Wattpad covers by your smartphone? Looking for the book cover maker? If it’s your YES, then you are at the right search app page. Book Cover Designer application will help to design eBook covers easily by using your smartphone. Book Cover Maker doesn’t require any special design or editing skills. You just have to select the book’s template or can customize your book cover. The application gives book cover templates by different categories to design the desired book cover.
66. PaperTrue – https://www.papertrue.com/writers/self-publishing-services?tab=bookCoverDesignTab
Get PaperTrue’s skilled book cover designers to create an attractive and unique cover—including the front, back, and spine—that elicits the readers’ curiosity.
67. Cover Kitchen – https://coverkitchen.com/
You’ve put countless hours into crafting your book. Let Cover Kitchen cooks up the unique book cover design it deserves. Their team of award-winning book designers is ready to design the perfect book cover for your unique story. With their help, your readers won’t be able to resist picking your book up off the shelf.
68. UpWork – https://www.upwork.com/services/book-design/book-cover-design
For more than two decades, Upwork has been a pioneer of a better way to work. They’ve enabled businesses and professionals to thrive through major shifts – from migrating to the cloud, capturing the potential of mobile, to creating new value through social media. No matter how needs and skills evolve, their purpose remains the same: To create opportunity in every era of work.
69. Template.net – https://www.template.net/book-covers
Create your own professional book covers with our free customizable and printable templates. Template.net is an AI Production Engine that transforms natural language prompts into production-ready assets. We bridge the gap between AI inference (thinking) and professional execution (doing). Their engine generates fully layered, editable, and branded outputs—including documents, presentations, diagrams, charts, and functional web assets.
70. Rachel Lawston – https://www.rachellawstonillustration.com/
Rachel Lawston is an illustrator, freelance book designer, and children’s author with over 15 years of experience in the publishing industry.
71. Cormar Covers – https://www.cormarcovers.com/
Cormar Cover’s mission is to provide you with an amazing cover that best suits your story. Their goal is to create a cover that represents your book, attracts readers, and is something you’re proud to display.
72. Qamber Designs & Media – https://www.qamberdesignsmedia.com/
Qamber Designs & Media W.L.L. is an authentic design agency dedicated to creating outstanding designs tailored to your needs. We specialize in book branding (book covers, interiors, swag, etc.) in many areas of publishing, including fiction, literature, stationery and so much more.
73. Steven Novak – http://novakillustration.com/bookcovers.html
Steven Novak has worked with everyone from indie authors looking to dip their toes in the market, to publishing houses both small and large.
74. Elderlemon Design – https://www.elderlemondesign.net/cover-gallery
Owned and operated by award-winning author Kealan Patrick Burke, Elderlemon Design provides affordable book cover designs for authors. We cater to print and digital media, and each cover is made to order based on the author/client’s own input. Employing stock art, our own photography, and often hand-drawn elements, we work with you to ensure your finished cover accurately reflects your book’s content in a dynamic, eye-catching way, and at the most competitive rates in the business.
75. Rebecca Frank – https://rebeccafrank.design/
Rebecca Frank is a book cover designer who works primarily in the Urban Fantasy, Romantasy, Paranormal Romance (PNR), and Fantasy genres. Her style is bright, vibrant, and magical, with highly marketable designs that draw readers in. She has worked with a variety of bestselling authors, and books with my covers have been featured on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.
76. For The Muse Design – https://www.forthemusedesign.com/cover-art-gallery.html
For the Muse Design creates affordable designs with the authors vision as the steppingstone to something creative and beautiful. Feel free to browse the site and see what Award-winning designer Elaina Lee has been up to. For the Muse may be just what you’ve been looking for to create the perfect, memorable work of art for your book, website, social media page or anything else you may have need of a designer for.
77. Lisa Amowitz – https://www.lisaamowitz.com/
Lisa is an award-winning author of three fantasy/thrillers for young adults, UNTIL BETH, VISION, and BREAKING GLASS. She is also a cover designer and Professor of Graphic Design at Bronx Community College.
78. Alchemy Book Cover & Design – https://www.alchemybookcovers.com/
Keri Knutson of Alchemy Book Cover & Design has designed over 1,000 published book covers for authors, including many on the New York Times, USA Today, and Kindle bestseller lists. She is passionate about books, and dedicated to designing a cover that will capture the soul of your book and the imaginations of your readers.
You can and should spend a few hours going through all of these web sites. You’ll be glad you did. I know I was enlightened myself in creating this list of book cover designers.
The Bottom line: Get involved early in the entire book publishing design process and get at least several creative concepts for the front cover, back cover, and spine. Don’t let it be the ‘last thing’ you do.
And finally, the most important rule in book publishing and marketing – Know Your Reader! All books have a target reader, and, in all genres, there are varying degrees of readers. Targeting the reader who is most likely to purchase your book is critical. Authors who know the demographics of their readers are equipped to assemble the fonts and graphics best able to grab the reader’s eye and instantly convey the message that “this book is for you.”
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
by Scott Lorenz | Author Advice, Blog, Book Events, Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Publicity
To sell your book or product, you have to do whatever it takes to create a buzz. As a book publicist, I need to stay current with my media connections so that I can pitch their topics when they tie into breaking news. One resource I’ve clued into is the National Publicity Summit.
I attended this event to meet the media once or twice a year for years and have gotten clients booked on Fox News, CNBC, NPR and in a number of national magazines as a result. Since the pandemic it is now a virtual event that is held by ZOOM. It’s still very effective and a good use of time and money.
1. Change your PR mindset. Become a news-junky and learn to tie in current events to your own topic. Get magazines like O, The Oprah Magazine or Woman’s Day, watch shows like Good Morning America. Study how they present their stories and guests and think about how you could fit into their format.
2. Develop one-sheeters to give to the media you meet. These are one-page documents, printed in color and represent your pitch, show ideas and contact information. The Summit staff assist you on creating this ahead of time. At the end of your pitch time, you hand the media person your business card and I recommend stapling this to your one-sheeter.
3. Develop more than one pitch or story idea. I have found that when I’m pitching the media, not every idea will fly. When I come to the Summit armed with a variety of show possibilities, this lets me easily get into a positive conversation with the media. If they don’t like my first idea, I try a backup.
4. Be yourself. Be authentic and have open, frank conversations with the media. The media are looking for real people who will represent their areas of expertise and who their audiences can relate to.
5. Look your best. The media attend the Summit time and again because not only do they get to not only hear pitches, but they also get an idea about how you might look on TV. I know that a lot of Summit attendees get advice from image consultants. Check out my article on my blog “How to Look and Sound Good on ZOOM.”
6. Take the pressure off the immediate “hit” and focus on building a relationship with the media. Think strategically and long-term. You probably have more than one book you’re going to promote in the future. Sure, you want to appear on their show or in their magazine but think about the media as people doing their jobs. How would you build a personal relationship with an important person in your life? Treat the media the same as you would a respected colleague. If you get the media to like you, they will follow your career and continue to work with you as long as you have a good story. As a direct result of the Summit, I can call ABC’s The View and pitch them anytime. That’s priceless.
7. Come to the Summit open to what may happen with your fellow attendees. I’ve gone to these events thinking that I’d just go for specific goals with the media. Because I had put myself ‘out there,’ I’d get into conversations with other attendees as we waited, I’ve gotten new clients, joint venture partners and other strategic alliances. The attendees at this event are the superstar authors of tomorrow.
The Bottom Line: You need the media to get the word out about your book. In the book marketing and book publicity business, I know that you have to connect with the media before they will “buy” what you are pitching. The virtual PR Summit fosters that connection to be made.
I’m such a fan of the National Publicity Summit that I am now an affiliate for it. If you are interested in attending, please check out this link.
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
