While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $99,000 and as low as $16,500, the majority of Book Cover Artist salaries currently range between $27,000 (25th percentile) to $53,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $78,500 annually across the United States.

How much does an illustrator charge for a book cover? How much does it cost to hire an illustrator? A professionally illustrated book cover will cost, on average, between $500-$1,500. A fully illustrated book, as you’d expect, is much more expensive — more like $2,000-$10,000, depending on the scope and complexity of the artwork.

Also, How much do publishers pay for book covers? The most common range seems to be $250-500. Print cover versions can be additional $50-150 (so if ebook cover costs $299, print+ebook would be $349 or $449). Now, $600 for a book cover is expensive. For indies, it’s considered Premium.

What do you call someone who designs book covers?

Graphic Designer is a catch-all term for people who work with graphics. Many graphic designers may design books during their career, but if a graphic designer is more of a generalist, they may not know the finer details of typesetting and book layout.

21 Related Questions and Answers

How do I start my own book cover design?


How to design a book cover in 7 steps

  1. Find inspiration and ideas for your cover. …
  2. Choose your cover design software. …
  3. Find free images or use Shutterstock. …
  4. Decide on your cover’s dimensions. …
  5. Get your typography right. …
  6. Make sure you export the correct files. …
  7. Test your designs.

How much does an illustration cost UK?

According to a range of reputable sites, the average hourly rate for a freelance illustrator in the UK stands at £30.

How do I find an illustrator in the UK?


How to Find an Illustrator

  1. visit websites that are set up specifically for freelancers to contact one another.
  2. join a children’s writing group or forum and ask if anyone knows an illustrator.
  3. look for adverts in publications such as Freelance Market News and other writer’s magazines.

How much royalties do authors get UK?

Traditionally the royalty is a percentage of the recommended retail price (RRP). A typical royalty is 10% of the RRP on hardbacks and 7.5% on paperbacks: so, on a £16.99 hardback the author would receive around £1.70 for each copy sold and on an £8.99 paperback they would receive 67p.

How much did JK Rowling make per book?

J.K. Rowling’s pay for each Harry Potter book sold is not a matter of public record. However, if she receives the industry standard 15% per book, she might have made approximately $1.15 billion, based on the series total revenue of about $7.7 billion. Each new paperback sold at $7 would be mean about $1 for Rowling.

How long does it take to design a book cover?

How long does it take to design a book cover? It usually takes 10-12 working days, but for more complex projects (e.g. illustrations) it may take up to 20 working days.

Do authors choose their book covers?

But speaking in general terms, authors can usually trust their publisher to give them a cover that will result in book sales—which, many people forget, is pretty much the sole purpose of a book cover.

Is designing book covers a job?

Book cover designers play an important role in the production of both fiction and non-fiction books. A professional book cover designer will frequently do the following: Oversee all elements of the design process: This includes graphic design and typesetting. … A book’s genre matters.

How many hours does it take to design a book cover?

How long does it take to design a book cover? It usually takes 10-12 working days, but for more complex projects (e.g. illustrations) it may take up to 20 working days.

What degree do you need to be a book designer?

The majority of designers have only completed a Bachelor’s degree, mentioning that the most valuable training came from having the opportunity to do book design work in-house, where they were trained by very experienced designers; as with this type of work, you absolutely learn by doing.

What makes a book cover stand out?

Introduce your main characters, and simply outline the plot. Then entice the reader with an emotional hook, and allude to the journey the characters will go on – what they stand to achieve or lose. Make sure the blurb conveys the tone of your book; if it’s humorous, readers will think your book is too.

How much does hiring an illustrator cost?

Hourly rates for illustrators range from $25 to $100, and can be higher depending on the area of specialty and artist reputation. Nationwide, the average costs for an illustration project can range from $90 to $465, but larger projects will command higher rates, and every project is different.

How are book illustrators paid?

Book illustrators typically earn between 5% and 10% of each book’s list price. Most books only have one print run, which means the royalties will often run out quite quickly, this is why it is important that the illustrator gets paid an ‘advance against royalties’.

How much do children’s book illustrations cost?

There are a lot of ways to establish pricing within the industry so it’s difficult to give a number, but to cover all possibilities, you can expect to pay for a book anywhere between $1000 to $10.000, according to the number of pages, illustrator’s experience and other special requirements you might have, according to …

How much does it cost to illustrate a children’s book UK?

The Association of Illustrators have previously estimated that it’ll cost between £3,000 and £5,000 GBP for the advance, plus royalties on top (royalties can vary but may typically be between 5% and 12.5%).

How much does an illustrator cost?

Hourly rates for illustrators range from $25 to $100, and can be higher depending on the area of specialty and artist reputation. Nationwide, the average costs for an illustration project can range from $90 to $465, but larger projects will command higher rates, and every project is different.

Is hire an illustrator worth it?

“Hire an Illustrator is a great place to have a portfolio. It’s good value for money and seems to be evolving quickly with lots of new features. It provides a place to release news and gain exposure and is the sole reason I landed one of my biggest jobs to date.

How much do first time authors make UK?

There is a wide disparity between what the survey has found writers earn and what some organizations have defined as a living wage. The survey says that UK writers earn an average of £10,500 annually. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation in the UK defined the 2017 Minimum Income Standard in the UK as £17,900 (US$20,231).

Who is the highest paid author?


Below is a list of the highest-paid authors.

  1. JK Rowling – $1 billion. JK Rowling. …
  2. James Patterson – $800 million. Read also. …
  3. Jim Davis – $800 million. Jim Davis. …
  4. Candy Spelling – $600 million. Read also. …
  5. Paul Coelho – $500 million. …
  6. Stephen King – $500 million. …
  7. John Grisham – $400 million. …
  8. Michael Crichton – $400 million.

What happens to royalties when an author dies?

Your author royalties are legally viewed as intellectual property. Following your death, your royalties continue and are treated the same as any other property, such as your house or your collection of vintage PEZ candy dispensers.

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