One of the most important elements to me when I was getting ready to start submitting my debut full-length collection, Head of a Gorgon, for publication was ensuring I had the opportunity to pair it with an artistic concept for the cover that represented the reimagining of Medusa I’d conveyed in its pages.
I also wanted the written content captured uniquely for my award-winning debut chapbook, An Animal I Can’t Name.
This meant commissioning artists for both book covers.
While some publishers provide cover artists to their authors, many don’t or are open to authors selecting preexisting art or collaborating with an artist on original art for a book’s cover, at times providing a stipend to cover all or part of the costs. For those in this latter situation, below is a list of book cover artists whose work spans several styles of art and genres of writing. And outside of my cover artists, all are presently open to being commissioned for book cover projects.
Having worked both times with artists I commissioned specifically to produce original art to go with my text, here are some tips that helped me and might help you as you navigate what might potentially be a new business arrangement for you:
- Have some idea of what you have in mind, even if it’s simply the style of art you’re looking for, as this can help you narrow down the list of artists you reach out to. For example, there’s little point in reaching out to a painter if you want a digital/comic-style illustration. From there, if you do have any ideas for imagery that would work for your book cover — whether specific items (for example, in my case, a reimagined Medusa) or “vibes,” provide examples of things that fall into these categories. This can take the form of general sketches, such as one I provided to Head of a Gorgon’s cover artist, Jackie Liu, or a mood board with images, color palettes, etc., that best represent what you have in mind. You should also consider sharing a digital copy of your book with the artist so they can read it if you’re at a loss for ideas; visual artists like the cover artist for An Animal I Can’t Name, Lisa Sills, are often brilliant at distilling language and translating it into something visually congruent — and compelling.
- Understand the contract terms you’re interested in with respect to the use of the art — and yes, you need a contract. You could be “leasing” the art, “owning” it, or something in between. If you want to use the art for more than just a book cover — say, postcards, bookmarks, etc. — you’ll need more permissions, for example. And if you want exclusivity — as in, only you can use the art for your book and/or other purposes — you’ll need ownership rights for that art, and you must be willing to pay for that.
- Know that cover art can really help sell your book. There’s a reason for the old saying about judging a book by its cover, and while we know metaphorically that we should avoid doing that, when it comes to an actual book, a great cover can catch the eyes of readers who may have never heard of you or read anything in your genre. So if you or your publisher can afford it, it behooves you to consider springing for something unique and fetching to make your book stand apart.
- Working with a cover artist isn’t just about the art. Make sure you think of it as a business partnership, because, well, it is, but beyond that, if you have conflicting approaches/work styles, one or both of you will likely end up disappointed, and the expectations will likely be too different to be compatible. Once you find a few folks in the price range you’ve set and whose art fits the genre and style you have in mind for your book, I encourage you to speak to the person on the phone or via video to get a sense of them as a person and to ask questions about their work style so there are, at the very least, fewer surprises as you begin the collaboration.
- Check references. At a minimum, you should have work samples from any artist you intend to hire. But beyond this, asking fellow authors who’ve worked with the artist you intend to hire can be helpful and instructive as you consider entering the collaboration and beyond. Did the artist produce the art in a timely fashion? Did they complete it to spec? Were they flexible? All these questions are ones someone who’s already worked with the artist before would have some sense of; why reinvent the wheel on it when all the information you might need is right there and available to you? (To this end, I’ve listed below the Twitter handles of authors who recommended specific artists so you can check in with them if you’re interested in the artist they worked with. For those I interacted with personally, you can ask me as well; even though I only hired one, I did some general research on all those folks and can point you in the right direction as far as how to obtain more information on them and the authors they’ve worked with on cover art.)
Important note: This list was, as mentioned above, compiled primarily through an open call. Unless I interacted with them personally as noted in the designated areas of this post, I cannot attest to the professionalism/lack thereof of anyone on this list. You should always research any folks you consider hiring for any service, including producing cover art, to gauge if their business practices, community presence, etc., aligns with your goals and perspectives.
Without further ado, below is a lengthy (80+) list of artists who do commissioned book cover projects. I’ve separated it into three categories since it ended up being so long: 1) folks I’ve interacted with personally as I was searching for a cover artist for Head of a Gorgon; 2) folks others recommended on Twitter, often as a result of having worked with them on their book covers; and 3) folks who responded directly to my Twitter post regarding this very list I was compiling so they could be included on it.
Best of luck to you as you seek out a great artist to work with on your book covers!
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Folks I’ve Interacted With Personally
Sara Balbuena, https://transglobalxart2.webs.com/contact.htm, IG: @sarafinax
Kate Bernaardini, linktr.ee/bell4trixx, IG: @bell4trixx
David Camisa, https://www.david-camisa.com/
Edward Cao, http://www.edwardcao.com/contact
Aleah Dye, https://dyeaz2016.wixsite.com/mysite, @bearsbeetspoet
Jacob Gallegos, IG: @jacobj_gallegos
Jef Logan, jeflogan333.wixsite.com, IG: @jef_logan_artiste
Angelo Maneage, angelomaneagethewebsite.com, @angeelio (Also recommended by @micktheebs)
Laurie Marshall, http://www.seelauriewrite.com/, @lauriemmarshall
Grace Maughmer, gmaughmerillustration.com
Chris Panatier, https://panatier.com/home.html, @chrisjpanatier
Diego Penuela, https://www.diegoillustration.com/, IG: @diegoillustration
Angelika Rasmus, https://angelikarasmus.com/, IG: @angelikarasmus
Folks Others Recommended on Twitter
Barnacle Books, linktr.ee/barnaclebooks, @barnacle_books (Recommended by @AuthorMarkRunte)
Luis Carlos Barragán, https://www.artstation.com/artwork/k4yYq6, (Recommended by @tuckerlieberman)
David Bowman, @dlbowman76 (Recommended by @IvyGri)
Corey Brickley Illustration, linktr.ee/coreybrickley, @CoreyBrickley (Recommended by @ScottJ_Moses)
Stuart Buck, stuartbuck.gumroad.com, @notstuartbuck (Recommended by @lindzmcleod)
Jane Burn, janeburnpoet.wordpress.com, @JaneBurn14 (Recommended by @BLERoom1)
Carrion House, carrionhouse.com, @CarrionHouse (Recommended by @SarahDoeberiner)
Tara Ann Clayton, taralynnclayton.com (Recommended by @hoanthropos)
Yorgos “Lanthimos” Cotronis, @ravenkult (Recommended by @ScottJ_Moses)
Emma, @muhdawn (Recommended by @modernirish)
Wayne Fenlon, ko-fi.com/waynefenlon, @waynefenlon (Recommended by @RebeccaBeans)
Alban Fischer, albanfischerdesign.com, @helloalban (Recommended by @ToddKaneko)
Laylie Frazier, https://www.ukelaylie.com/ (Recommended by @arianathepoet)
Anneabel Gemmel, anneabelgemmel.com, IG: @ag_illustrations (Recommended by @MarinaMularz)
Keet, https://keet.lol/, @makeshiftlove (Recommended by @addiebrook)
Black Kensei, linktr.ee/VLGmedia, @BKenseiSpeaks (Recommended by @Matt_Johnson_D)
Cel La Flaca, https://www.cellaflaca.space/, @Glampyr (Recommended by @tuckerlieberman)
Mark Laliberte, marklaliberte.com (Recommended by @carouselmag)
Jennee Lee, http://www.jeeneeleedesign.com/ (Recommended by @amyEelkins)
Dante Luiz, https://danteluiz.com, @dntlz (Recommended by @IvyGri)
Harshad Marathe, http://harshadmarathe.com, IG: @harshadisfree (Recommended by @IvyGri)
Samantha Mbwana, https://www.smbwanaillustrations.com/ (Recommended by @writtenbyflora)
Euan Monaghan, throughthepages.co.uk, @euanwhosearmy (Recommended by @_garr)
Jessie Mori, Discord: Jessie Mori#2136 (Recommended by @mollygracious)
Jeremy John Parker, jeremyjohnparker.com (Recommended by @earthandstars)
Daniela Rivera, danycomicsarts.com, @Dany_Comics (Recommended by @lindzmcleod)
Mashaal Sajid, https://linktr.ee/MashaalSajid, @AquaCfoamShame (Recommended by @khubsuratkhatun)
Andi Santagata, https://www.andisantagata.com/, @SuitedDevil (Recommended by @tuckerlieberman)
Daniele Serra, danieleserra.com, @multigrade (Recommended by @ScottJ_Moses)
Alex Schneider, https://anovelideaphilly.com, books@anovelideaphilly.com (Recommended by Christina Rosso @anovelideaphl)
Jon Stubbington, jonstubbington.com/my-links/, @jon_stubbington (Recommended by @AuthorMarkRunte)
Craig Terlson, craigterlson.substack.com (Recommended by @cterlson)
Embry Valentino, http://embryvalentino.com (Recommended by @JieCohen)
David Wojo, davidwojo.com, @MrWojoRising (Recommended by @GreenMachine459)
Isip Xin, isipxin.com, @IsipXin (Recommended by @addiebrook)
Mat Yates, mathewyates.com, https://www.etsy.com/shop/mathewyatesart, @m_yates (Recommended by @thewindingroad1)
Folks Who Responded Directly to My Twitter Post
Avery Addison, behance.net/averyaddison1, @Avery_Add
Shay Alexi, https://twitter.com/_shayalexi_/status/1613381509192503299?s=20&t=FNvHKTSUTV-ItmQghN1YVw, @_shayalexi_
Ignatius Valentine Aloysius, ignatiusaloysius.com, @ignatius2u
Ava Anderson, @AvaAnde52723811
Alexandra Blackwell, https://linktr.ee/alexandra_blackwell, @blak_alexandra
Amenda Chris, @MakesByamenda
Erica Collins, instagram.com/erica.gfx, @Erica_GFXX
Destinify Art, https://www.behance.net/DesfinityArt, @Dodger_Artful_
Ebook Launch, https://ebooklaunch.com/custom-book-cover-portfolio/, @ebook_launch
Elsa, @magic_elsaa
Fabled Beast Designs/A. A. Medina, bit.ly/3rappeJ, @UglyByProxy
Jen Stein Hauptmann, jensteinpoetry.wordpress.com, @dexlira
Keely Honeywell, https://keelyhoneywell.myportfolio.com/work, @keelyhoney
Inked, @_inked11
Nia Johnson, instagram.com/nj_nia_john_/, @niathedezigner
Tiana Lambent, linktr.ee/TianaLambent, @TianaLambent
Emily Lane, behance.net/emilylane10, @createwemily
Alicia Lewis, instagram.com/alicia.gfx, @AAlicia_Lewis
tay mabelitini, tinicreativestudio.com, @taymabelitini
Majnate, work samples at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nobel-Publishing/author/B0BC4JNKP7?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true, @majnate
Kathie Matthews, https://linktr.ee/kathiemtthws, @kathiemtthws
Ella Mccaffray, wbsofttech.com, @Ellagfx_d
Paul Miele-Herndon, paulmh.com, @paul_mh_
Julia Nascimento, https://www.nsjulia.com/, @ns_julia_
V.L. Parz, https://h0llowb0dies.carrd.co/ https://twitter.com/h0llowb0dies/status/1605389322726899713, @h0llowb0dies
Joy Qioko, behance.net/joyqioko, @joy_kioko
Nat Raum, https://www.natraum.com/links, @gr8earlofhell
A.R. Shellnut, https://shellnutauthor.wixsite.com/home/cover-design, @arshellnut
Aniyah Smith, https://www.instagram.com/aniyah.gfx/, @Annigfx1
Barbara Smith, linktr.ee/barbarasmith00, @Barbara_Smith00
Laura Stevia, http://instagram.com/gfxlaurastevia, @LauraStevia
Jessica Timson, @timson_jessica
Claire Townsend, https://thingsineversaidtoyou.wordpress.com/, @clairechicita
Azul Vaquero Art, dcortezart.wixsite.com/home/home, @Azul_VaqueroArt
Wesley, @parkerwesley20
Olivia Williams, instagram.com/olivia47944/, @Olivia78826
Sophia Williams, artstation.com/sophiawilliams1, @info_sophiagfx
Tierra Williams, https://www.instagram.com/tierra.gfx/, @Tierra_GFXX
Sophia Yung, https://sophia-yung.com https://expatpress.com/product/bonding-maggie-siebert/, @VAMPYRDANCECLUB
@zainy981, https://www.fiverr.com/zainy981/
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