This is it. This is the definitive list*. These are the best custom book cover designers for self-published authors.
Here’s why.
Firstly, there are many so-called book cover design services out there. Probably thousands. I’ve certainly had a look at many hundreds. And the overwhelming majority of those service providers are, basically, not very good. They’re not terrible, like I-used-MS-Paint-to-design-my-own-cover bad, but they’re not good, and they’re not actually helping the author sell their book. They’re just providing an image with text for the author to use as a book cover. For the most part, that book cover is not actually doing anything for the book. In fact, based on the covers that I’ve seen in the author groups I’m part of, the many covers I’ve reviewed, and the related sales of all those books, the vast majority of self-published covers are actively harming the potential sales of the book. I’ll get to the reason for that shortly.
Secondly, within that collection of thousands of service providers, there are a small group of really talented book cover designers, who are clearly capable of designing interesting, creative, and clever designs (many of whom are named in other “top cover designer” lists), but they’re not commercially useful designs. It’s a bit like those high-fashion outfits that involve wearing plastic bags or having silver spikes on the knees that appear on the modelling runways. They may receive plaudits from other designers, or appreciative pats on the back from the art community, but for the regular independent author, it just won’t work. Firstly, they’re expensive, and secondly, those designs usually only work for books that are already commercially successful, and are released as limited edition covers, or they’re part of a weird fringe genre that’s not really interested in actual book sales.
Clever, but not appropriate for most self-published authors
Thirdly, there are a group of cover designers or cover design companies that do amazing work, creating incredible book covers that can and do compete with the traditionally published bestsellers, but they’re expensive (a few thousand dollars and up). Usually, they’re worth it. For the most part, these designers are designing the traditionally published bestseller covers. But they may be out of reach financially for most independent authors. You can tell who these designers are by their amazing portfolios and lack of pricing on their websites.
"I’m going to tell you the reason why the vast majority of self-published covers are damaging the potential sales of the book."
This list is short. There are only 5 cover designer options on it. In my opinion, these are the best cover designers for self-published authors because they have the best balance of bestseller quality (meaning they can design book covers that can compete with the major traditionally published bestsellers in the genre) and price (they’re cost-effective).
Before I get to that (this article is like one of those recipes pages that you look for online, that take ages to get to the actual recipe. I hate those), I’m going to tell you the reason why the vast majority of self-published covers are damaging the potential sales of the book.
"If the cover is not of the same standard as those traditionally published book covers, it looks comparatively amateur, which makes the potential reader assume it is comparatively amateur (regardless of how compelling the content is) and why should they spend their money on an “amateur” book?"
When I started Damonza around 12 years ago, there weren’t that many specialist cover design companies around. Of those that were, the overall quality of the designers was pretty good. Many independent authors either designed their covers themselves (not good) or had one of the few specialist cover designers do it for them (better). But there was generally an obvious home-made vs. professionally designed cover difference. And that difference translated to obvious sales differences as well.
However, since that time, thousands of cheap “professional” cover design firms have set up shop. Although they’re usually (not always) better than the home-made covers, the substandard quality of the cover is often not obvious to the author who’s close to the project. But it is obvious to the potential reader of that book.
Here’s the thing. The author is trusting the designer to create a cover that represents only their book. But the reader is comparing all the books to each other, and deciding where they’re going to spend their money. And in that group of “all the books” are the traditionally published, big-budget, professionally designed bestseller covers. When the self-published author’s book cover is compared to those covers, the relative difference in quality of the cover design is crucial. How well does it compare? If the cover is not of the same standard as those traditionally published book covers, it looks comparatively amateur, which makes the potential reader assume it is comparatively amateur (regardless of how compelling the content is) and why should they spend their money on an “amateur” book?
"These cheaper 'professional' cover design firms are very good at promoting themselves, and very good at giving the author what they think they want. But that doesn't mean they’re providing the author with a cover that can compete with the traditionally published book covers and actually sell the book."
These cheaper “professional” cover design firms are very good at promoting themselves, and very good at giving the author what they think they want. But that doesn’t mean they’re providing the author with a cover that can compete with the traditionally published book covers and actually sell the book. Very often, even though the author may be spending fortunes on marketing their book, and they believe they have a professional book cover, they’re still not getting enough people to actually buy the book. Even when everything else is done right, an amateur-looking cover, even if designed by a “professional,” will actively harm the sales potential of a book.
Right, back to the actual list. These are the 5 best book cover designers for self-published authors, because they can deliver very high-quality work that can compete with the traditionally published big-budget bestsellers AND they are reasonably priced (not cheap, but not prohibitively expensive. Most importantly, they’re worth it.)
1. Damonza
Obviously I’m going to put ourselves on this list. Not because this is a self-promoting article, but because we have already designed multiple bestselling book covers for self-published and traditionally published authors. We also have a range of pricing, with custom cover designs starting at $395. Here are some examples.
Damon (that’s me) also offers a FREE book cover review service if you’re interested in an honest appraisal of your book cover, and how it compares to other books in its genre.
2. Bookfly Design
James Egan is a creative genius. A super talented designer who works with publishers and independent authors. I’m jealous. He’s created covers for James Patterson, Rachel Caine and others. Custom cover designs start at $649. Here are some examples of his work.
3. Jessica Bell Design
Not only a great designer, but a super-helpful self-publishing consultant. Jessica is also an author who knows the ins-and-outs of the entire self-publishing process. Jessica has designed covers for many bestselling authors as well as hybrid and traditional publishers. Custom cover design starts from $595 (€550). Here are some examples of her cover designs.
4. Ebook Launch
These guys have been around longer than we have, and their work has been consistently solid. Clean and creative, they’re very good with typography (the number one differentiator of a proper professionally designed book cover). More than capable across all genres. Custom cover design prices start from $497. Here are some of their covers.
5. Dissect Designs
Great personal service and a talent for high-quality design, Dissect Designs is a good bet for getting a cover that can compete with traditionally published books. He has a strong portfolio and great testimonials. Custom cover design prices start from $495. Some examples of covers are below.
That’s it. Feel free to contact me with your recommendations for this list. I’ve probably looked at most of them. I’ll gladly check them out, and if the quality is good and the price range is reasonable (and openly available on their website), maybe they’ll appear in the next edition. Still, more important than any list of cover designers is the principle of how crucial it is to find the right designer. 90% of cover designers are not worth any payment, even if they’re relatively inexpensive. How does their design service really compare to the real bestsellers in the genre? How much damage does an inferior cover do to the reputation of your book and, by extension, to your reputation as the author?
A bestseller-quality book cover design will do a lot of the heavy lifting in promoting the book, and ensure that any advertising or promotional spend isn’t wasted on a poorly packaged product. Don’t get sweet-talked by the cheap, highly-promoted, lower-quality services out there. The cover they designed may look good to you, but you don’t need to convince yourself to buy your book.
Get your current book cover reviewed for free here.
*I didn’t include designers that are predominantly focused on premade covers. That’s an article for another day.
