OUR PROCESS
CUSTOM BOOK COVERS
You took a look and decided that we're a great fit for each other! So exciting. You're probably here for some guidance on what to expect. Let's dive right in.
You probably received an email with a link to this page. After you read all the important information in that email and are interested in moving forward, please share with us a bit more about your project, deadlines, and preferred booking date- anything important to know to make sure we're a good fit!
Also, please take a look at our Terms and Conditions, as it has very important information about our business and how we operate. It's pretty standard but if you have additional questions you might find answers there!
Once we have agreed on a date and we're moving forward, we have three important steps.
To secure your booking, we'd both need to sign a contract so we are on the same page with everything. Please review your contract and let us know if you have any questions at all. The contract is pretty standard.
Once you sign your contract, you can move on to the deposit. We always ask for a 30% non-refundable, non-transferable deposit to secure the slot. The remaining balance is paid once we have the project's final approval.
Once both steps are complete, YOUR BOOKING IS SECURED! So exciting!
And lastly, we will also send a link to a form for you to fill out with all your preferences, blurb, taglines, a little about the story, characters, design preferences, and cover references. Don't hold back, as this is a crucial step, so I can dive into your story, characters, market, and submarket, as well as your vision. I will refer back to this form and read it in detail to come up with our concept and art direction.
Don't fret if you're not sure about something, especially if you don't have the final page count or aren't sure about the paperback specs. Just type an estimate, and we will get in touch if any info is needed to get started.
You can ALWAYS email me at gisel@neptunebookdesigns.com
Fun begins! It's the date of your booking, and you're excited to see your book cover! You will receive an email from us to let you know we will be working on your cover in the next 5-10 business days. I will start drafting our first concept with the instructions given in the form.
The first proof will be an UNFINISHED version, and its purpose is to ensure we're heading in the right direction.
Typography, layout, elements, coloring, etc.
Please, don't hold back and let us know what to change, add, remove, or tweak; give us references and any other type of guidance. We want it perfect for you!
Please let us know if this concept is far from what you're picturing and if the art direction is not the desired one. This stage is when we can make all major changes before further design work is done.
It's very common for the first concept to not be what was envisioned since we're just getting our toes wet; that's the main reason why we offer a second concept free of charge if the first one doesn't work out. We got you!
Let us know what to avoid, what to add, what to keep, or anything that can give us a better direction for the main concept idea. I will work on this with you to make sure we have the right concept, so please don't be shy; feedback is super important at this stage.
Once we've received feedback, we'll get to work on it again!
Please note that we do have an extra concept fee if the first and second concepts don't work. I will make some extra questions to make sure we're understanding everything, but any significant change of direction from the initial one will result in an extra concept.
Once we have the right concept, we will start with round of revisions! We will start polishing and tweaking small things. This can be from typography to color balance, small elements, textures, etc.
Again, feel free to keep sharing your thoughts! Any additional info that might work for the design, if something is missing.
We should be getting closer to the final design! We will send updated proofs until we get it right where we want it, cause I want you to be IN LOVE with your cover.
Please keep in mind that all cover design services have a limit of 10 revisions unless previously discussed. Typically, it only takes about 4-6 revisions to get it perfect. But we like to offer more just in case!
We'll tweak and polish it until you say, "IT'S PERFECT!" and both of us will probably be VERY excited cause we just created greatness.
Final design approval means final payment, so we have this out of the way! I will send the final invoice and ask for any info needed to create any graphics or add-ons. Please note that no final files will be sent until the final payment is made.
If the blurb and paperback specs aren't defined yet, that's ok! I will mark them as pending, and I will send all other final files. We take about 3-7 business days to export and send all final files. If you send the paperback specs after the project has been finalized, please allow us 3-7 days to export the final print file.
If you want to add anything else, like teasers, promo videos, banners, etc. I'm more than happy to add these to your order, and I can start right away!
This is subject to availability, but 95% of the time, I can accommodate all requests!
Once everything is ready to go, I'll share a Google Drive folder link to all final files.
SUPER IMPORTANT: Please, make sure to download all of these as soon as possible, as I can't guarantee they'll be available for a long period of time.
You will for sure have these files available to download for 120 days.
If for any reason you can't download these, we can email you the files.
We are here for any questions or concerns, so feel free to get in touch if you have any issues!
We should be all done! If you added any extras to your order we will finalize those but your pretty book cover is all done and ready to shine!
We cannot wait to see it everywhere! Make sure to tag us whenever you post it on social media, we would love to give you some support and love!
Instagram: @neptunedesignsl
Facebook: Neptune Designs
FAQs
We’re strictly against the use of any type of AI. We do not use it at any stage of our process, and carefully review the stock images we use. This applies to everything Neptune, videos, covers, graphics, everything is an original work and is free of AI.
If we mistakenly use an asset that we couldn’t recognize as AI, and it wasn’t labeled as such on stock websites, we will change that asset free of charge and will re-export all files.
If you ever have any doubts about your cover, I highly encourage you to get in touch so I can show you what your cover file looks like in Photoshop/Illustrator. You’ll be able to see each layer and how the cover was composed. We will always be crystal clear about our design process and business, and want you to also have peace of mind and feel safe to ask all the questions.
It depends! Sometimes we nail concepts super fast, and not a lot of revisions are needed. Sometimes we need some extra time and explore different directions. Overall, the process can take 2-4 weeks.
Here’s our turnaround for each step:
Concept: 5-10 business days.
Revisions: 0-4 business days.
Final Files: 3-7 business days.
For edges, endpapers, and complex graphics, we take about 3-7 business days.
That can be possible, depending on our current availability! We do charge a rush fee if work needs to be completed on a tight deadline or before our turnaround times. Please, let us know as soon as possible so we can help you out!
We don’t think so. Each printer has its own requirements and measurements, which is why we always recommend asking them for their templates and avoiding multiple resizes if they reject the files. Some have their own template generator. If you’re unsure, we have worked with lots of different printers and have some links saved where you can generate your template.
By default, one print file is included in all packages, but you can add more print files if needed (some of our clients need both KDP and Ingram print files). We charge a fee per additional print file.
Of course, we understand plans change! Please let us know as soon as possible so we can rework the files and send an updated version. Since this entails additional work once the project has been finalized, we do charge a fee per file that needs to be reworked and reexported.
Absolutely! Please make sure to send the updated print file specs, and we will work on resizing it. Please allow us 3-7 business days to export the new file. Also, please note that since a print file was already provided, we charge a fee for additional print files.
That sounds fun! It is possible, but you’d need an extended commercial license for that. By contracting us, we grant you a standard exclusive license to use the final artwork as the book cover. It cannot be modified, cropped, trimmed, or altered. This license is only granted to you, and it’s non-transferable and cannot be sublicensed without approval. This is also due to optimization and the use of our original artwork. All final files are optimized for the intended use and sized appropriately. If using these files for something else, these might not print well, will not be optimized, and will also represent a violation of the license, and it might be revoked.
If you want to create merch, PR design, or social media graphics, we’d love to help you and send high-quality files optimized for the intended purpose! We always want to help you and ensure our work is being utilized properly without losing quality.
When in doubt, don’t be scared to ask!
We do, here’s the link so you can read everything in detail: TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
The contract will also include everything, from the process to turnaround times to any out-of-scope terms. You can also find there the deliverables included in your package, and you can always refer back to them if you have any questions regarding your license.
If you have any questions, you know where to find me!
