1Payment Methods
I invoice via Wave, my accounting program. You can use credit or debit cards to pay. If absolutely necessary I can invoice via Square or Paypal, but I prefer not to.
2Purchasing Guide (click to open)
After you contact me, we'll discuss your book and your needs. If all works out and we agree to continue, then I'll ask you for more information to complete a brief for your project.
At this stage, it's often helpful for you to give me examples of covers you like, and tell me about the comparables to your book. Comparables are similar books in your genre and other books you think your readers will be reading. I'll also be looking at the bestselling books in your genre to see what the trends are.
Once you approve the brief, I'll get to work. We'll probably go through a few iterations of the project as the design evolves, especially if this is a cover for the first book in a series—I like to devote extra time to establish a coherent overall look.
I'll invoice you when the cover is done. After I receive your payment, I'll send you the final, high-resolution version.
Covers and other graphics using stock images typically take me 1 week/cover depending on what else I'm working on at the time. Please let me know your deadline, so I can arrange my schedule accordingly.
Painting-specific:
I work on one painting at a time, and they can take 2-4 weeks, depending on other work in progres. If you need the painting sooner, I *may* be able to shuffle my schedule around, but I will need to add a rush job premium to the final cost. Please do ask!
With paintings, I'll prepare a contract for us both to sign that covers what I will give you, and what your final cost will be. Once it's signed, I'll get to work.
If you have commissioned a painting, you'll need to approve the sketch before I start in with the painting itself. I usually (but not always) work in black and white first, then add colors after the B&W version is mostly done. Once the colors start to go in, it becomes significantly more difficult to alter shapes and composition in the painting, so I encourage you to think carefully about the B&W version.
For a paintings with people and/or creatures and animals, if you want a specific look for your characters, it's helpful to collect photos of people who look similar or who have similar expressions. You'd be amazed at what different interpretations we might have for facial expressions! One person's "excitement" is another person's "apprehension," and a third person's "wonder."
At this stage, it's often helpful for you to give me examples of covers you like, and tell me about the comparables to your book. Comparables are similar books in your genre and other books you think your readers will be reading. I'll also be looking at the bestselling books in your genre to see what the trends are.
Once you approve the brief, I'll get to work. We'll probably go through a few iterations of the project as the design evolves, especially if this is a cover for the first book in a series—I like to devote extra time to establish a coherent overall look.
I'll invoice you when the cover is done. After I receive your payment, I'll send you the final, high-resolution version.
Covers and other graphics using stock images typically take me 1 week/cover depending on what else I'm working on at the time. Please let me know your deadline, so I can arrange my schedule accordingly.
Painting-specific:
I work on one painting at a time, and they can take 2-4 weeks, depending on other work in progres. If you need the painting sooner, I *may* be able to shuffle my schedule around, but I will need to add a rush job premium to the final cost. Please do ask!
With paintings, I'll prepare a contract for us both to sign that covers what I will give you, and what your final cost will be. Once it's signed, I'll get to work.
If you have commissioned a painting, you'll need to approve the sketch before I start in with the painting itself. I usually (but not always) work in black and white first, then add colors after the B&W version is mostly done. Once the colors start to go in, it becomes significantly more difficult to alter shapes and composition in the painting, so I encourage you to think carefully about the B&W version.
For a paintings with people and/or creatures and animals, if you want a specific look for your characters, it's helpful to collect photos of people who look similar or who have similar expressions. You'd be amazed at what different interpretations we might have for facial expressions! One person's "excitement" is another person's "apprehension," and a third person's "wonder."
3Copyright (click to open)
In U.S. copyright law, generally a freelance artist/designer who accepts a commission is considered the author of the commissioned work unless their contract specifically states that the work is a work for hire. (More information here.)
Graphic design: I assign you copyright for graphic design such as book covers, ads, etc. as part of the price for the work. You are free to do what you like with the finished work, keeping in mind the requirements that the stock suppliers make when they license the images (I can tell you what the requirements are when I purchase the images).
Paintings: I retain the copyright on paintings you commission. I can grant you copyright for a 20% fee in addition to the quoted price. If you choose the option where I retain the copyright, I will not license the painting for another book cover, but I may license it for other uses or I may sell prints. If I retain the copyright, you will still be able to use the image for your website, to promote your book, for giveaways, and for small-scale sales, such as sellingT-shirts with your book cover on them in person at a convention.
I use photographs, stock art, 3D renders and manual drawing and painting in my works. All assets I use are legally purchased so that you do not have to worry about a copyright strike. I will be happy to send you links to the images and assets I purchase for your records.
If you have questions, please do ask!
Graphic design: I assign you copyright for graphic design such as book covers, ads, etc. as part of the price for the work. You are free to do what you like with the finished work, keeping in mind the requirements that the stock suppliers make when they license the images (I can tell you what the requirements are when I purchase the images).
Paintings: I retain the copyright on paintings you commission. I can grant you copyright for a 20% fee in addition to the quoted price. If you choose the option where I retain the copyright, I will not license the painting for another book cover, but I may license it for other uses or I may sell prints. If I retain the copyright, you will still be able to use the image for your website, to promote your book, for giveaways, and for small-scale sales, such as sellingT-shirts with your book cover on them in person at a convention.
I use photographs, stock art, 3D renders and manual drawing and painting in my works. All assets I use are legally purchased so that you do not have to worry about a copyright strike. I will be happy to send you links to the images and assets I purchase for your records.
If you have questions, please do ask!
4As regards AI
Although they're fun to play with, I do not use "AI" art generators in the production of my commercial work. The copyright status of such work is up in the air, given the datasets programs are trained on and whether the courts eventually decide if a generated artwork can be copyrighted. See the "monkey selfie" case where a court ruled that a photograph taken by a macaque could not be copyrighted, even though the human photographer set up the camera.