From ideas to art. The stars are the limit.

Our Design Journey: Step-by-Step Process

We know how important it is to feel confident about who’s designing your cover, and not knowing how it works or what the process looks like can give some anxiety. This is why we created this, so you can understand our design journey and decide if this works for you.

Our design process involves several key stages to ensure we have a firm ground and art direction for the project. We start with understanding what you’re looking for, brainstorming ideas, drafting a concept, and refining the design. It’s a beautiful journey, and your feedback and collaboration are key.

So, let’s take a look so you know exactly what to expect from start to finish!

If you’re reading this, you probably got directed 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.

  1. Contract: To secure your booking, we’d both need to sign our contract so we are on the same page with everything. Please review your contract carefully and let us know if you have any questions at all. The contract is pretty standard, but still make sure to read it in its entirety.

  2. Deposit: Once you sign your contract, you can proceed with 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!

  3. Design Form: 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 what we come up with.

You will receive an email from us letting you know we will be working on your cover within 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, and feedback is super important!

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. The first concept can be a hit or miss. 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.

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 our 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 7 revisions unless previously discussed. Typically, it only takes about 3-6 revisions to get it perfect!

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 files, and before we release the finals, we need to settle the final payment. 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

Common Questions

Here’s some clarification about common questions we get. For more info, you can also read our Terms & Conditions.

We’re always happy to help, so feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions!

Absolutely NO. We’re anti-AI and try our absolute best to stay as far away from it as possible. Everything is human-made with dedication, passion and patience.

In the event we mistakenly use an asset that is AI, we will exchange said asset and export all updated files free of charge.

Clients are always encouraged to ask about our process and we can always show our layers to see how the cover was made. Full transparency here.

All packages include a standard license that gives you permission to use the cover art for print and ebook publication if applicable.

If you wish to create merch, social graphics, etc. using the cover art, you can request an extended commercial license at an extra cost.

Using the cover art for profit or modifying it without written permission goes against the license and our Terms and Conditions.

Yes, all packages include an additional concept if the first one doesn’t work.

All packages are limited to 10 revisions.

Additional concepts and revisions can be added at an additional charge.

Unfortunately, not always. Each printer has different specifications, so we cannot guarantee the print file will work for all printers.

Only one print file is included in all packages, but you can request extra print files at an additional charge.

We try to be as transparent as possible and try to detail what each package has, so keep in mind that:

  • Revisions are limited. Up to 7 revisions.
  • Concepts are limited. Up to 2 concepts.
  • Only 1 print file is included.


If you need extra graphics, need the design with a fast turnaround, need extra revisions or an extra concept, or maybe you’re using different printing providers, all will be add-ons to your package and billed separately.

We will always let you know if something exeeds what the package includes and be crystal clear about any additional fees before moving forward.

If you have any questions at all or already plan to add a few things to the package, please let us know and we will always try our best to make it happen.

We do! For debut and series.

  • 10% OFF Debut Authors: we know how much it takes to debut and how scary it is. This discount applies to all authors who book their debut’s cover design with us.
  • 10% OFF Series Continuations: If you started a series with us, you will enjoy 10% for the rest of the series. (This applies to the second book onwards).

If you’re a debut author or continuating a series with us, make sure to mention it when you message us!

The design process typically takes two to threee weeks.

  • Inital concept is sent withing 10 business days.
  • Tweaks and revisions take up to 3 business days.
  • Final files take up to 5 business days.

To kick off your project, we will send you a contract to review and sign, then we ask for a 30% deposit and a form to share all your ideas, preferences, about the book, MCs and estimated specs.