I work within many budgets and on various projects, however these are my typical offerings. Book cover design, book layout design, ebook conversions, editorial services, proofreading, book trailers, author websites, publisher branding, printing and more!
General Rates
BASIC
Starting at $750-$1,500 this is the most basic package for book cover design. It includrs 3-6 unique cover concepts, 3 rounds of revisions and preparation of press ready files.
STEP UP
Starting at $3,000+ this is the most common cover and layout package. It includes 3-6 unique cover concepts, text book layout design (no images, up to 200 pages). Up to 3 rounds of revisions of both the cover and layout and preparation of press ready files.
NEXT LEVEL
Starting at $3,500+ this is an ideal package for a hardcover book with full color page layout. It includes 3-6 unique cover concepts, book layout design with extas (graphs, images, charts etc. up to 200 pages), 3 rounds of revisions of both the cover and layout.
SUPERSTAR
Starting at $5,500+, this package is for those ready to go above and beyond. It includes 3-6+ unique cover and layout concepts. Explore various printing/packaging treatments, develop various marketing tools for your book sales, preparation of press ready files.
Add-on items that may be of interest
I offer a variety of additional services that go beyond usual offerings. Take a look and see how we can help you take your book further.
E-Book Conversion: E-book conversion of your book for all major mobile/e-reader formats. Price varies based on page count/layout complexity.
Printing: We use a varied network of printers, both domestically and overseas. We would love to get you a print quote and explore various printing and binding treatments that would benefit your book. Price varies Based on print run
Short-run, Custom Printing: Sometime you require a small print run of 500 or less copies of a book. Maybe it's for a family photo album, a high-end photography book, portfolio, or annual report. Often these types of projects benefit from some specialty printing treatments and binding. For such project, we work with Edition One Books, who specialize in high-end custom printing. Price varies Based on print run.
Book Trailers: Using the design that was developed for your book, we'll work with you to develop a memorable, custom book trailer that can be shared on various social media outlets. We strive for a run time of about 40 to 60 seconds. Starting at $800.
Editorial Services: We collaborate with a network of editors to bring your book to top form. Making sure your book reads well is as important as the design and layout. We can provide both manuscript editing (also called copyediting or line editing, but distinct from developmental editing) and proofreading, and/or pair you with an editor to really overhaul your manuscript and make sure it's ready for its debut. Price varies based on word count.
Author Website: An author website provides an essential meeting place to connect with your audience—a place where readers can meet you as an author and interact with you to whatever extent you wish. We can design and program a site for you that is clean, easy to navigate, informative and engaging, best of all you will be able to add pages to it on your own without any coding experience. Starting at $1500.
Author/Publisher Branding: Our branding service is very much focused on giving your company a professional appeal. That may include developing an elegant logo for your indie publishing venture, or creating essential marketing collateral in the form of business cards, brochures, displays, advertisements and more. Success in the field of publishing is very much dependent on how your brand is portrayed and consistently applied across all of your marketing materials. Starting at $500+
Customized Experience
I would love to talk with you about your specific needs and goals. Every project is different and has many moving parts. My team and I will work with you to define your vision and put it all in an attractive package. Sometimes it's about working with illustrators, photographers or someone who can do some amazing hand-lettering. Or maybe your book needs to have some other special features like QR Codes with videos attached to them which will make it stand apart? Whatever it is, Marcin Migdal can assist you with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below you'll find a list of FAQs. It's a great place to familiarize yourself with various terms and common practices in book publishing.
- How long does the entire design process take?
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Typically we will have a cover concept for you to review 5-7 days before starting the project. After that, we will go back and forth a few times to try to achieve the desired result. Once we have approval on a cover, we will create a sample interior design for your review. This typically takes 5-7 days. Once again, we will go back and forth with you a few times before continuing on to the full layout, which typically takes about 1–3 weeks depending on a number of factors (e.g., design complexity and extent of feedback/changes). Most simple, text-driven books will be a 1- to 2-month process from start to finish.
- How much will the fee be for me to design and print 50-500 copies of my book?
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Our general design rates would apply, so starting at $750 with additional fees depending on the inclusion of certain options and services. To be clear, we are not printers. However, we work with many printers, and while we'll look for a perfect printer for you, most of them won't handle small print runs. The cost of printing is not included in our basic fee structure. It is quoted from one of our trusted printing vendors. If you are looking for a small run, your best bet is using a POD (print on demand) service like Lighting Source, Lulu or Createspace. They will be able to accommodate a small print run, and we are more than capable of getting your files ready for POD printing. Companies like Blurb may also offer options for smaller custom print runs. We do work with Edition One Books, who specialize in high-end custom printing, binding, and small print runs.
- Are there any additional fees that we should expect to encounter throughout the design/layout process?
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Occasionally a project goes beyond our estimated parameters and the need arises to expand the initial budget to cover our additional time. This scenario is rare, as we take necessary precautions to ensure it doesn't happen. It is possible, however, though you would be notified of any additional fees well in advance. Other costs that may be incurred relate to the licensing of images (often photography or illustration) from outside sources such as stock-image agencies or commissioned independent artists. If the need arises for such work in your project, we'll consult with you and present a revised estimate before proceeding.
- Do you provide information about the copyright page/barcode/ISBN number?
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No, we request that it be provided to us. bowkerbarcode.com is a good resource from which to obtain ISBN numbers with barcodes.
- Are your rates industry standard?
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Yes. In most cases, professional book cover design fees start at $1,500. But the general range is $800–$1500 for a book cover, and about the same for a simple text-driven layout design. While there are many companies and freelancers that may offer significantly lower rates, it's usually very apparent in the final product. With nearly 20 years of experience in publishing, we pride ourselves on a thorough knowledge of the publishing industry. We work with many of the top publishing houses and have helped countless indie publishers get the exposure they deserve. Many of our indie clients take advantage of our other services as well, as they find it's convenient and results in a more consistent visual tone for all of their various marketing needs. We'd love to discuss your specific needs and see how we can work together to create something we're all proud of.
- What do these terms mean:
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Throughout the process of designing your book, you will often hear a few of the following terms. If you are uncertain about what they mean, please ask us! We love to shed light on the workings of our industry and craft. Here are a few terms that you may find useful.