FAQ's / TERMS OF SERVICE
Book Cover Design FAQ's Terms of service
How long will my book cover design take?
The consultation process involves us gathering as much detail about your book and its concept as is possible, this is from the dimensions, page count and printer/publication service being used to the actual theme of the book and your expectations for the design. Once we have all the necessary information from you we will confirm the starting date of the project and plan to have the draft designs ready for you in 5 working days for our Platinum package, 6 working days for our Premier package and 7 working days for our Professional and Essential packages. (Monday-Friday excluding bank holidays). Please note that times will vary if using our expedited service - your designer will give you further details if this is the case.
The Essentials package comes with SEVEN hours of Photoshop work on your book cover design's initial drafts, if your designs require more than this your designer will make you aware prior to the start of the project, any hours over the initial seven will be charged at rate of $25 per hour.
For an additional fee we can have your drafts back with you after Three Business Days from the start date of your project, if needed, please select this option within the questionnaire we'll send to you.
What information should I have before I contact JD&J?
We'll need details such as the physical size of your book (if you're having it printed), who you’re using to publish & print your book, if you want a barcode then we’ll need the book's ISBN code from you too. Try not to worry too much as we will discuss the exact details with you when you get in touch, we'll also send you a PDF brief form which will have all of the info needed in a bit more detail too.
Do you need a deposit & contract?
As with the majority of professional book design services we require a deposit of 30% to secure each project, this is non-refundable. Again, any professional service will issue you with a contract which specifies the terms and conditions, this ensures that all parties are protected.
How many revisions will I get?
We want you to be completely happy with the book cover design we create for you, this is why we offer one round of revisions in our Essentials Package, two rounds of revisions in our Professional Package and Unlimited revisions in both of our Premier and Platinum packages. With our Premier and Platinum packages we will make as many revisions as you’d like up until the book cover design has been completed and delivered to you. With our Essential and Professional packages the fee for additional rounds of revisions is $25 per additional hour (this fee will be added to your final invoice). You can add unlimited revisions on to the Essentials & Professional Package for an additional fee. Please see ‘Use of commissioned art work’ for restrictions upon revisions with commissioned art/designs.
Use of commissioned art work
Where any commissioned art work is created for the book cover, such as exclusive illustrations, paintings, drawings and commissioned Art Work (this is rare but your designer will make you aware of this prior to the project starting) the project will be limited to focusing in on one concept draft with up to two rounds of revisions only, this is due to the cost implications of working with illustrators/painters/artists and keeping the overall cost to a reasonable level for all parties. Currently we do not design book covers for use with embossed print runs (as most publishers will not tend to offer this option for printing your book cover).
Do you use stock imagery?
We will always try to create our own imagery prior to using any stock images, however sometimes it will be the most cost effective way of creating your book cover design. It’s worth remembering that all stock images used (unless specified) will come with a non-exclusive license.
Credit statement
All books where any form of stock imagery has been used within the design must have "Book cover designed by JD&J with stock imagery provided by [Contributor’s Name] © 123RF.com" to conform to licensing agreements.
The Free Barcode - What do I need?
For the barcode we will need your ISBN number from you, once we have this we will get a barcode made for the back of your cover. Some print/publishing services (such as Createspace) will generate an ISBN and place this within the design of your cover for you, in these cases we will create the book cover design to work with the placement of the barcode via this print service.
Can I use my own images \ art work in the cover design?
Yes you can, as long as you ensure that any image, art work or logo that you want in your finished cover is of print quality (at least 300dpi when adjusted to the actual size needed). Due to the nature of copyright you must also have the legal right to use the image, art work or logo too. If you do supply us with an image it should be in CMYK colour, 300dpi and as a JPEG file. We recommend you let us take care of the font used within your design as large selections of fonts are copyrighted as well.
What is CMYK and will it make a difference to my design?
Many book publishers and printers will produce your book using the CMYK colour model (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black), this is where four plates with those colours are used to print your book. The CMYK colour model is smaller than that of RGB (which is used on your computer, tablet, smartphone and many other digital devices), so you may see some colour shift when a design has been printed. In addition, some printers will also require that any design uses a maximum of 240% ink levels, this can also shift the colour further.
What if I don’t know what I want on the cover?
Our consultation process is focused on gathering as much information about your book and (most importantly) the concept of your book. We will package together several different drafts and fine tune them to give you alternative options.
What if I’m not happy with the drafts?
We always do our best to work with the author/publisher to ensure we capture the concept of your work, however, if you’re not completely happy with the first set of drafts we can create another set for you. If by this point you’re still not happy, then
(at no further cost) we can end the project for you, should you wish.
JD&J Design LLC also reserve the right to terminate any project at no further cost to the client.
What is the comprehensive market research completed by JD&J?
Included with all of our packages is the research that we will complete regarding your book cover, this will focus on the latest trends within your genre, the specifics behind your individual design and research of elements to be placed within the cover,
(this is for JD&J Design LLC alone).
How many 3D images/Posters will I get with the package I’ve chosen?
Our Professional, Premier and Platinum packages come with versions of your book in 3D, the file formats will be JPEG and PNG (PNG files come without a background) the Professional package comes with three 3D images, the Premier comes with four and the Platinum comes with five 3D images. Packages which have the banner designs included will have banners designed for use with Twitter, Facebook and a digital image for use with Instagram.
What's included with the Royalty free stock images?
We obtain our chargeable stock images for you from either 123RF or Shutterstock alone, this will be anything from one to four separate images on a standard commercial license so that we can create a design that is unique and based around the individual concept. The initial license for stock imagery used in Printed Books (both front cover and interior if needed) will cover your book for up to half a million sales (either free or charged sales), once you go past this you’ll need to let us know so that we can extend the license for you (at no further cost to yourself). In some cases where the project requires any one-off commissioned art work or imagery, there may be additional charges to the client, your designer will always advise you of any commissioned art work prior.
How long does JD&J keep my files?
Once we’ve created your book cover design and/or any other promotional designs, we will send you the necessary files ready for you to use, this is normally done using a file transfer service (as the files are normally large in size and too big for just one email), after this we will keep your files stored for up to 12 months only.
How do you promote my book to your social media followers?
Once your book design is completed and then uploaded to the publisher there may be a small wait of four to five days prior to going live, once your book is available to buy let us know and we’ll send out a post to our many social network followers (Facebook & Twitter which totals over 12,500 followers currently - this is of course subject to change). In this we’ll include an image of your book and most importantly a link back to where the viewer can buy their copy. This is subject to your chosen package.
(Please note that there are some exceptions to this with regards to books which cover sensitive topics, these may be excluded from promotion via our social media channels).
When and how do you take full payment?
Once you approve the design/s you agree to finalize the project and pay the remaining balance, once the invoice for the balance has been paid we will then send you your high res designs, payment is due within seven (7) days of receipt of the invoice, late payment of balances will be charged at a rate of 1% interest on the balance owed per day until paid, overdue balances of more than 30 days will be forwarded to collections.
We take payment using the security of Paypal as it is trusted by millions of users world-wide, and don’t worry, you do not need to have a Paypal account to make a payment.
What is required for an eBook conversion?
To convert your existing eBook cover into a printed book design we will need the image file as a JPEG at a resolution of 300 dpi or preferably the original Photoshop file, if the resolution is not 300 dpi we may have to resize the file. Where possible we will try and use the same font for the book as long as there is the license to do so, if not then we will match a font to use within the design. We require that you have the copyright to be able to use all artwork in the design and it’s conversion to do so.
Ready Made Book Cover Designs
How does the ‘Ready-made’ service work?
Once we get an order for a ready-made book cover and payment is made, we will remove the design from display on our website (this will be done within 48 hrs and on a first come first serve basis), we will add your details to the cover and then send to you via your email address. Please note, in most Ready Made book covers we use stock imagery, this means that we do not issue the PSD/source files for these designs.
Your Ready Made book cover design comes with the stock imagery non-exclusive license for up to 500,000 sales, once you go past this you will need to get back in touch to extend the license for the stock imagery used within your book cover, this is normally around $80 per image used (but by this time your book cover will have help to make you thousands of dollars), its a small price to pay and the reason why we can keep the premade designs at great prices for every author.
We will need to know who you are publishing your book with so that we can tailor the design for their specific requirements, for printed books we will need to know the confirmed page count, trim size and interior paper color, we will also need the blurb for your back page and ISBN. Any further changes to the design once completed may be chargeable.
Advertising Promotional Designs (Additional Service)
What do I need for my designs?
Where possible we will need the original files given to you by the designer of your book cover, we will use these to create your advertising designs so that they match your book cover. Where this is not possible (and you only have the cover it self) we will create designs to match your book cover design as close as is possible.
How long will my designs take?
Your designer will give you a time frame when booking the service, if you have the original files then the designs should only take several days to complete, if you don't have the original files then it may take five to seven business days to create your chosen designs (again, your designer will make you aware of this).
When will I need to pay?
We do require a deposit to book the project with us, then when your designs have been created, your designer will get in touch to show you the drafts and get your approval, once you are happy with the drafts you will be billed for the remaining balance, once the invoice has been paid your designs will be sent to you.
If you have any further questions please just get in touch with us.
info@jdandj.com
How long will my book cover design take?
The consultation process involves us gathering as much detail about your book and its concept as is possible, this is from the dimensions, page count and printer/publication service being used to the actual theme of the book and your expectations for the design. Once we have all the necessary information from you we will confirm the starting date of the project and plan to have the draft designs ready for you in 5 working days for our Platinum package, 6 working days for our Premier package and 7 working days for our Professional and Essential packages. (Monday-Friday excluding bank holidays). Please note that times will vary if using our expedited service - your designer will give you further details if this is the case.
The Essentials package comes with SEVEN hours of Photoshop work on your book cover design's initial drafts, if your designs require more than this your designer will make you aware prior to the start of the project, any hours over the initial seven will be charged at rate of $25 per hour.
For an additional fee we can have your drafts back with you after Three Business Days from the start date of your project, if needed, please select this option within the questionnaire we'll send to you.
What information should I have before I contact JD&J?
We'll need details such as the physical size of your book (if you're having it printed), who you’re using to publish & print your book, if you want a barcode then we’ll need the book's ISBN code from you too. Try not to worry too much as we will discuss the exact details with you when you get in touch, we'll also send you a PDF brief form which will have all of the info needed in a bit more detail too.
Do you need a deposit & contract?
As with the majority of professional book design services we require a deposit of 30% to secure each project, this is non-refundable. Again, any professional service will issue you with a contract which specifies the terms and conditions, this ensures that all parties are protected.
How many revisions will I get?
We want you to be completely happy with the book cover design we create for you, this is why we offer one round of revisions in our Essentials Package, two rounds of revisions in our Professional Package and Unlimited revisions in both of our Premier and Platinum packages. With our Premier and Platinum packages we will make as many revisions as you’d like up until the book cover design has been completed and delivered to you. With our Essential and Professional packages the fee for additional rounds of revisions is $25 per additional hour (this fee will be added to your final invoice). You can add unlimited revisions on to the Essentials & Professional Package for an additional fee. Please see ‘Use of commissioned art work’ for restrictions upon revisions with commissioned art/designs.
Use of commissioned art work
Where any commissioned art work is created for the book cover, such as exclusive illustrations, paintings, drawings and commissioned Art Work (this is rare but your designer will make you aware of this prior to the project starting) the project will be limited to focusing in on one concept draft with up to two rounds of revisions only, this is due to the cost implications of working with illustrators/painters/artists and keeping the overall cost to a reasonable level for all parties. Currently we do not design book covers for use with embossed print runs (as most publishers will not tend to offer this option for printing your book cover).
Do you use stock imagery?
We will always try to create our own imagery prior to using any stock images, however sometimes it will be the most cost effective way of creating your book cover design. It’s worth remembering that all stock images used (unless specified) will come with a non-exclusive license.
Credit statement
All books where any form of stock imagery has been used within the design must have "Book cover designed by JD&J with stock imagery provided by [Contributor’s Name] © 123RF.com" to conform to licensing agreements.
The Free Barcode - What do I need?
For the barcode we will need your ISBN number from you, once we have this we will get a barcode made for the back of your cover. Some print/publishing services (such as Createspace) will generate an ISBN and place this within the design of your cover for you, in these cases we will create the book cover design to work with the placement of the barcode via this print service.
Can I use my own images \ art work in the cover design?
Yes you can, as long as you ensure that any image, art work or logo that you want in your finished cover is of print quality (at least 300dpi when adjusted to the actual size needed). Due to the nature of copyright you must also have the legal right to use the image, art work or logo too. If you do supply us with an image it should be in CMYK colour, 300dpi and as a JPEG file. We recommend you let us take care of the font used within your design as large selections of fonts are copyrighted as well.
What is CMYK and will it make a difference to my design?
Many book publishers and printers will produce your book using the CMYK colour model (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black), this is where four plates with those colours are used to print your book. The CMYK colour model is smaller than that of RGB (which is used on your computer, tablet, smartphone and many other digital devices), so you may see some colour shift when a design has been printed. In addition, some printers will also require that any design uses a maximum of 240% ink levels, this can also shift the colour further.
What if I don’t know what I want on the cover?
Our consultation process is focused on gathering as much information about your book and (most importantly) the concept of your book. We will package together several different drafts and fine tune them to give you alternative options.
What if I’m not happy with the drafts?
We always do our best to work with the author/publisher to ensure we capture the concept of your work, however, if you’re not completely happy with the first set of drafts we can create another set for you. If by this point you’re still not happy, then
(at no further cost) we can end the project for you, should you wish.
JD&J Design LLC also reserve the right to terminate any project at no further cost to the client.
What is the comprehensive market research completed by JD&J?
Included with all of our packages is the research that we will complete regarding your book cover, this will focus on the latest trends within your genre, the specifics behind your individual design and research of elements to be placed within the cover,
(this is for JD&J Design LLC alone).
How many 3D images/Posters will I get with the package I’ve chosen?
Our Professional, Premier and Platinum packages come with versions of your book in 3D, the file formats will be JPEG and PNG (PNG files come without a background) the Professional package comes with three 3D images, the Premier comes with four and the Platinum comes with five 3D images. Packages which have the banner designs included will have banners designed for use with Twitter, Facebook and a digital image for use with Instagram.
What's included with the Royalty free stock images?
We obtain our chargeable stock images for you from either 123RF or Shutterstock alone, this will be anything from one to four separate images on a standard commercial license so that we can create a design that is unique and based around the individual concept. The initial license for stock imagery used in Printed Books (both front cover and interior if needed) will cover your book for up to half a million sales (either free or charged sales), once you go past this you’ll need to let us know so that we can extend the license for you (at no further cost to yourself). In some cases where the project requires any one-off commissioned art work or imagery, there may be additional charges to the client, your designer will always advise you of any commissioned art work prior.
How long does JD&J keep my files?
Once we’ve created your book cover design and/or any other promotional designs, we will send you the necessary files ready for you to use, this is normally done using a file transfer service (as the files are normally large in size and too big for just one email), after this we will keep your files stored for up to 12 months only.
How do you promote my book to your social media followers?
Once your book design is completed and then uploaded to the publisher there may be a small wait of four to five days prior to going live, once your book is available to buy let us know and we’ll send out a post to our many social network followers (Facebook & Twitter which totals over 12,500 followers currently - this is of course subject to change). In this we’ll include an image of your book and most importantly a link back to where the viewer can buy their copy. This is subject to your chosen package.
(Please note that there are some exceptions to this with regards to books which cover sensitive topics, these may be excluded from promotion via our social media channels).
When and how do you take full payment?
Once you approve the design/s you agree to finalize the project and pay the remaining balance, once the invoice for the balance has been paid we will then send you your high res designs, payment is due within seven (7) days of receipt of the invoice, late payment of balances will be charged at a rate of 1% interest on the balance owed per day until paid, overdue balances of more than 30 days will be forwarded to collections.
We take payment using the security of Paypal as it is trusted by millions of users world-wide, and don’t worry, you do not need to have a Paypal account to make a payment.
What is required for an eBook conversion?
To convert your existing eBook cover into a printed book design we will need the image file as a JPEG at a resolution of 300 dpi or preferably the original Photoshop file, if the resolution is not 300 dpi we may have to resize the file. Where possible we will try and use the same font for the book as long as there is the license to do so, if not then we will match a font to use within the design. We require that you have the copyright to be able to use all artwork in the design and it’s conversion to do so.
Ready Made Book Cover Designs
How does the ‘Ready-made’ service work?
Once we get an order for a ready-made book cover and payment is made, we will remove the design from display on our website (this will be done within 48 hrs and on a first come first serve basis), we will add your details to the cover and then send to you via your email address. Please note, in most Ready Made book covers we use stock imagery, this means that we do not issue the PSD/source files for these designs.
Your Ready Made book cover design comes with the stock imagery non-exclusive license for up to 500,000 sales, once you go past this you will need to get back in touch to extend the license for the stock imagery used within your book cover, this is normally around $80 per image used (but by this time your book cover will have help to make you thousands of dollars), its a small price to pay and the reason why we can keep the premade designs at great prices for every author.
We will need to know who you are publishing your book with so that we can tailor the design for their specific requirements, for printed books we will need to know the confirmed page count, trim size and interior paper color, we will also need the blurb for your back page and ISBN. Any further changes to the design once completed may be chargeable.
Advertising Promotional Designs (Additional Service)
What do I need for my designs?
Where possible we will need the original files given to you by the designer of your book cover, we will use these to create your advertising designs so that they match your book cover. Where this is not possible (and you only have the cover it self) we will create designs to match your book cover design as close as is possible.
How long will my designs take?
Your designer will give you a time frame when booking the service, if you have the original files then the designs should only take several days to complete, if you don't have the original files then it may take five to seven business days to create your chosen designs (again, your designer will make you aware of this).
When will I need to pay?
We do require a deposit to book the project with us, then when your designs have been created, your designer will get in touch to show you the drafts and get your approval, once you are happy with the drafts you will be billed for the remaining balance, once the invoice has been paid your designs will be sent to you.
If you have any further questions please just get in touch with us.
info@jdandj.com
Book Interior Formatting
What type of file will I have for my eBook?
You’ll have both a MOBI (for Kindle) and an EPUB file for most other popular eBook publishers, these files you’ll be able to upload directly to your publisher ready for use. This file will need to have your book cover embedded into it to complete & publish.
What type of file will I have for my printed book?
You’ll have a PDF which will be created for your chosen trim size, this you will then upload along with a separate PDF for your book’s cover (the formatting service you have chosen may not include book cover design too, speak to your designer if you have any questions).
What will you need from me to format my book?
We will need your COMPLETED manuscript, this should be as a Word document and not a PDF, we’ll need details of any specific styles you wish to have the book laid out in, your requirements for the placement of copy, images, diagrams and any other elements to be part of the book’s formatting. We’ll also need any fonts that you would like to use (any fonts must have the correct license to be used within your book).
What are the requirements for graphics?
Any images/graphics that you’d like to add within the book must have the correct license and authorization to be used, be good quality and 300dpi in resolution, line drawings should be in Greyscale and at 600dpi.
Fonts in eBooks
We do not recommend that you try to use alternate fonts within your eBook file, this is because of the settings within the eBook reader itself, the user will be able to change both the size and font (within the selection upon their own reader) which will not allow for specific/alternate fonts to be used.
Fonts in Printed books
Your printed book will be able to use alternate fonts. Any additional fonts used must have the correct commercial license (there may be an additional fee if this is a font we need to purchase upon your specific request).
Is it possible to have a graphic for my section breaks?
Yes, we can use the graphic you provide (depending upon quality & size) or the design we create (there will be an additional fee for designs created by us for your book).
Who do you create formatted books for?
We format books for KDP (formerly Createspace), Kindle and Ingram Spark.
Will the eBook file look the same as the printed?
It is important to understand that eBooks are very different to printed ones, they give a great deal of control with the font style, size and orientation etc. to the reader, this along with the fact that your eBook could be read upon a computer, laptop, tablet or cell phone means that it has to work with many styles, sizes and devices. So, we aim to keep it simple to work with all devices and still look great, as a result it is impossible to make the eBook version look exactly the same as the printed.
What if I have some revisions to my manuscript afterwards?
When we format your book we will send you drafts to review to ensure that you’re happy with the formatted manuscript, any alterations you wish to make at this point will normally be included within the package itself. However, if at a later date you need to change something, there is a flat fee of $25 for all reasonable changes required.
How long will the formatting process take?
We aim to have a draft for your formatted book ready after seven business days, from here we will make any revisions for you (these are normally completed within two to four business days, this is dependent upon the complexity of the revisions), once you have confirmed the design/formatting, we will then create the eBook version of the book, this normally takes ten business days to prepare (this can be slightly longer is the book is more complex).
What type of file will I have for my eBook?
You’ll have both a MOBI (for Kindle) and an EPUB file for most other popular eBook publishers, these files you’ll be able to upload directly to your publisher ready for use. This file will need to have your book cover embedded into it to complete & publish.
What type of file will I have for my printed book?
You’ll have a PDF which will be created for your chosen trim size, this you will then upload along with a separate PDF for your book’s cover (the formatting service you have chosen may not include book cover design too, speak to your designer if you have any questions).
What will you need from me to format my book?
We will need your COMPLETED manuscript, this should be as a Word document and not a PDF, we’ll need details of any specific styles you wish to have the book laid out in, your requirements for the placement of copy, images, diagrams and any other elements to be part of the book’s formatting. We’ll also need any fonts that you would like to use (any fonts must have the correct license to be used within your book).
What are the requirements for graphics?
Any images/graphics that you’d like to add within the book must have the correct license and authorization to be used, be good quality and 300dpi in resolution, line drawings should be in Greyscale and at 600dpi.
Fonts in eBooks
We do not recommend that you try to use alternate fonts within your eBook file, this is because of the settings within the eBook reader itself, the user will be able to change both the size and font (within the selection upon their own reader) which will not allow for specific/alternate fonts to be used.
Fonts in Printed books
Your printed book will be able to use alternate fonts. Any additional fonts used must have the correct commercial license (there may be an additional fee if this is a font we need to purchase upon your specific request).
Is it possible to have a graphic for my section breaks?
Yes, we can use the graphic you provide (depending upon quality & size) or the design we create (there will be an additional fee for designs created by us for your book).
Who do you create formatted books for?
We format books for KDP (formerly Createspace), Kindle and Ingram Spark.
Will the eBook file look the same as the printed?
It is important to understand that eBooks are very different to printed ones, they give a great deal of control with the font style, size and orientation etc. to the reader, this along with the fact that your eBook could be read upon a computer, laptop, tablet or cell phone means that it has to work with many styles, sizes and devices. So, we aim to keep it simple to work with all devices and still look great, as a result it is impossible to make the eBook version look exactly the same as the printed.
What if I have some revisions to my manuscript afterwards?
When we format your book we will send you drafts to review to ensure that you’re happy with the formatted manuscript, any alterations you wish to make at this point will normally be included within the package itself. However, if at a later date you need to change something, there is a flat fee of $25 for all reasonable changes required.
How long will the formatting process take?
We aim to have a draft for your formatted book ready after seven business days, from here we will make any revisions for you (these are normally completed within two to four business days, this is dependent upon the complexity of the revisions), once you have confirmed the design/formatting, we will then create the eBook version of the book, this normally takes ten business days to prepare (this can be slightly longer is the book is more complex).
