Getting Started

A few things to know upfront regarding Book Projects:

How much is a typical layout?

An average book layout (cover and interior) costs $1800, but it varies wildly. Google will tell you that you can expect to pay $800-1500 for a cover design and about the same for an interior. That said, I’ve been know to do projects $800 and some for $10,000. A lot depends on the project details. Creating diagrams, illustrations, or editing photos are not typically a part of this layout cost and will create additional fees.

How do I pay you?

Once a price is decided, typically we agree to half up front and half on delivery. There is an editing fee of $125 for an additional round of edits after the fourth round. An edit round can an infinite amount of individual edits, and missed edits are my responsibility of course. Edits after the fourth round are typically grammar that should’ve been caught by an editor or names that should’ve been included in gratitude. I work with several editors and can recommend one to you. I suggest you see one of them before you come to me.

Should I spare your feelings?

Absolutely not. It’s best to give me as much feed back early on as possible, as changes are harder to make the further down in the design process we are in. For covers, I am willing to do up to three options on the first round, but then we typically hone in on one design to refine it. If you would like additional options early on, we can arrange for that with an additional fee. Once the cover is cemented, those elements are repeated in the layout of the book.

Do you do branding or website development?

Yes absolutely. Having too many designers on a project can be like having too many cooks in the kitchen, especially if they are not communicating with one another. I am trained in all of these things, but can also recommend designers with whom I trust and have a working relationship with.

Do you do marketing or assist in self publishing?

After 8 years of this business, I am astonished at how many people believe that self publishing will work for them. Taking aside the huge cuts individual self publishing outlets will take to print on demand or simply represent your book, for instance, it is far more affordable to promote several similar products simultaneously that lead you back to a web shop with all of those products than it is to market a single product. As such, I am asking self published authors who want marketing services to first seek 4-6 like minded authors which I will develop a distribution imprint and a 6 month marketing plan around. In addition, 2021 may be the year I start my own small press imprint, but to do so I need willing authors to participate. Could this be you?

Do you pitch to publishers?

Great question. Even having an obscure or new small press publisher is better than self publishing. It is highly unlikely, though many imagine, that your self published book will get “picked up” by a major publishing imprint. So yes, I do pitch to publishers and in fact, highly recommend this.

What about ebooks?

I have heard from publishing outlets that ebooks are a huge source of revenue but have not seen any evidence of this myself. I have a strong preference for print books, or ebooks with fixed layouts because both of these are infinitely more digestible to the reader. I will design you an ebook with a reactive layout if this is what you want.

Are you an editor?

No, but I do know several I like quite a lot and would be more than happy to recommend one to you. I highly encourage you to work with an editor before you work with me. If I notice grammar mistakes, I will pause the design process and tell you to seek an editor before we move forward.