One of the frequent reasons we see for utilizing unwelcome options for covers is cost. Trust me, I completely understand. I am disabled and on SSI, so I make $994 a month to live on. That includes housing, transportation, utilities, groceries… literally everything.

I have an artist I use for customs and my bigger series, and she allows me to make payments for as long as I need as I’ve worked with her since I started. However, customs can take a while and sometimes you just don’t have the funds, regardless.

What’s a struggling indie to do? Enter- GetCovers.

GetCovers is the budget arm of Miblart and is a company based in Ukraine. Their prices are as low as $10 for an Ebook cover and $35 for an ebook and print cover pack. How can they be so cheap? Well… cheap is relative!

First, they’re based in Ukraine, so currency conversion makes a difference, as well as cost of living. Second, junior graphic artists start at GetCovers to gain experience and learn how to work with an author’s vision. They are apprentices, and will earn more once they move to the Miblart side. Lastly, they utilize stock photos and elements from bulk subscriptions instead of custom options, so cost per design is negligible.

The caveat is, of course, you’re working with junior artists from another country. There is a bit of a learning curve, but you can absolutely get a stunning cover with a little advance knowledge and prep work. So here, I’ll go through my tips and tricks to get yourself a custom cover you’ll be proud of at a price you won’t cringe at.

1st- Gather your basic book information. You’ll need your title/subtitle, author name, and genre. Along with that, they’ll need to know the book format (paperback/hardcover/ebook), trim size, white/cream paper, and number of formatted pages in your PDF file and where you’re planning on publishing. Have your back cover text available, as well.

2nd- Gather comps. Go to Amazon and look up other book covers in your genre that you like or dislike that are in the top 50/100. Pick one or two, and explain what you like or dislike about each, so you can figure out what elements are common for your genre and selling. This will give the artist an idea of what you’re looking for.

3rd- They will ask you what you’d like to see on the cover. This is not the time to be brief. Include as much detail as you can. Tell them what you want to see, but also what you don’t. Include things down to what types of fonts you’d prefer, colorings, shadings, shadows, etc. Go IN DEPTH. Remember- there may be a slight language barrier, you are never going to over-explain. This is your baby, and will have your name on it.

4th- If possible, go to DepositPhotos yourself. This is where GetCovers sources most of their images and elements from, so if you find a photo or two you’d like to be included in your cover, you can send the link and they will purchase the image for you and use it. This allows you to customize your cover even further, by hand-picking the images and elements you want used. Personally, I buy a bulk package of image credits for DepositPhotos and buy the images myself, so that I can also use them as teasers, but this isn’t strictly necessary.

5th- Be patient. In my experience, the delivery of the cover generally takes the full five day time-frame advertised. You’ll be notified by email when you can log into the dashboard and get your files from a personal Dropbox link they’ve created for you. Once you get that, check it over. Ensure everything looks the way you want it to. Check for typos and spacing errors. Really sit with the image and let yourself think about seeing it on a shelf, in a review, under your name. Do you love it? GREAT! If not?

6th- GetCovers is unique in their guarantee… they offer unlimited revisions until you’re happy with the final product. If you’re not happy with the first draft after sitting with it for a bit, make careful notes about what isn’t quite up to what you expected. Remember, details matter. Was the font not what you wanted? Did you actually give them direction on what types of fonts you wanted? If not, do that. Did the background not match your vision? Explain why it didn’t. Give them your list of changes, and then settle back in to wait. Revisions usually take just as long as the original cover, but again, you’ll get an email letting you know it’s ready.

7th- Once you’re absolutely happy with your cover, you’ll be able to mark the project complete. At this point, it will ask if you’d like to leave a tip for your artist. This is completely optional, but I always toss $5 or so into the pot… I figure if I’m only paying $20-$35 for a cover and they put up with my OCD, they deserve a tip. 🙂

Below are some of my GetCover projects. As you can see, if you’re direct and detailed, you CAN have an awesome cover on a bare-bones budget!