Frequently Asked Questions
If you don't see your question listed here, feel free to contact us.
We’re glad you asked! We offer pre-made and custom book covers along with other promotional material. This includes pre-designed logos, custom branding packages, book marketing graphics, and social media banners. You can check out our Design Extras and Promo Packages here to see what we can do for you.
No. While most of our covers feature people of color, we promote inclusion. We have a wide selection of cover designs, some of which include no models or depiction of people at all.
We try to accommodate every author and every genre, but we do have some restrictions as far as what projects we will accept:
* We will not design covers that depict violence or implies abuse of any kind.
* We will not design a project that contains imagery of bestiality (outside of shape-shifters and paranormal themes).
* We will not create any designs that exhibits any form of snuff or necrophilia.
* We will not produce any covers with images of people that are under the age of 18 – this includes children and babies.
* We will not design any covers with images of pregnant women.
* We will not copy or re-produce a cover that has been designed by someone else.
If for any reason your cover request falls in one of these restrictions, we will do our best to recommend another designer who can help.
Unfortunately, at this time, we are not set up to conduct calls. You can always send us an email directly for anything you need.
This one is easy; we don't have an account on Facebook. We prefer to concentrate on our customer relationships and overall growth through our website and other channels.
Many people often share news about us on Facebook– and we are greatly appreciative of that, but as of now Covers in Color does not maintain an account on that platform. You can, however, find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Also, you can reach us through this site or via email.
First of all, thank you :) "Cover design by Covers in Color," is suitable. You may also add our website: www.coversincolor.com
No. Pre-made covers are only sold once.
Purchases are first-come, first-serve. So, if you see a cover you like, go ahead and order it. It will reserve that design and make sure nobody else buys it. Once you’re ready and hashed out all of the details you need, we can complete your design.
Unfortunately, no. Purchases are first-come, first-serve.
We try to hold covers for as long as an author needs us to. However, there are some boundaries within our policy:
Covers in Color will hold a cover for at least 3 years (36 months). If we have not heard from you and are unable to reach you after that time, we will consider your cover design as cancelled. There will be no refund and Covers in Color is no longer obligated to fulfill your order. Covers in Color will not resell the cover design and all files associated with the design will be deleted from our system after 40 months.
The best thing to do is to keep in touch with us. If we are aware that you need more time, we have no problem holding the cover for you.
Yes, however, sometimes we may not be able to accommodate your request. Minor changes such as changing hair color or basic touch ups are usually possible, but its best to contact us before ordering to make sure we can make the changes you need.
Please do not expect a complete re-design of any pre-made cover. If you’re looking for extensive changes, we suggest you look into purchasing a custom cover instead of a pre-made.
To learn more about what revisions we can provide, please click here.
No, we don’t. Some revisions are still possible, so please contact us to inquire before making your purchase. You can learn more about our current revision policy here.
No. We used to offer this, but we are no longer able to swap or exchange cover designs, so please be confident in your choice before purchasing.
We can only modify the text (ex. Title change, adding an extra line of text). Changing the cover design after we have already gotten an approval and sent the upload-ready files is not an option that we offer.
No. This is a violation of licensing terms. Covers in Color purchases stock and photography licenses that are to be used for our designs. We are legally licensed to manipulate and use the images for our cover art. Therefore, any alterations to these images or cover art is a direct violation of most license terms.
If you need additional changes to the cover, including text line items, after the final files have been sent, please contact us directly. We want to ensure we all remain in compliance and still give you the cover you want.
No. We produce and sell book covers, not cover art. Pre-made covers cannot be sold without a title and author name. This is a breach of our license agreements.
When you purchase a cover design, you own the design as is. Covers in Color does not restrict or control use of the cover designs, but, because most covers are created with stock photography, there are license restrictions that need to be considered.
If you have any questions relating to licenses, feel free to contact us. You can also request details on the images and license agreements used for your cover design.
Yes, you can! If you have previously ordered a pre-made or custom eBook cover from us and decide you want a print cover later, don't worry - we got you. To order a print wrap - just click here.
We would like to hear from you on your print cover within a year. We keep all of orders open until every item has been delivered and keep these open orders in mind when scheduling projects. So, we encourage you to get back to us as soon as possible on when you need your print cover.
Note: If we’ve not heard from you after a year, we will contact you about scheduling. We try to accommodate our authors so if you need more time, just tell us and we’ll happily oblige. If we don’t hear back from you within 30 days of the contact. We will assume the print cover is no longer needed and close out the project. Covers in Color will have no obligation to fulfill your order at this point and will not be able to provide a refund. However, if at any time you reach out to us to schedule, we will definitely reopen your project!
In most cases, yes. Please contact us before ordering a pre-made series to discuss options.
Unfortunately, we cannot. Series are designed and sold as a set. If you do not want to use one of the cover designs, that is perfectly fine. We just won’t be able to offer a different price for the set.
Yes. As long as work has not started, you're entitled to a full refund. Please review our refund policy to learn more.
Yes. If you have previously ordered a pre-made or custom eBook cover from us and decide you want a print cover later, you can order your print wrap here.
If you’re using Kindle Direct Publishing, then no. Amazon prints the barcode on your back cover. If you’re using Lightning Source®, you do, and you will need to provide that ISBN to us so that we can create your cover.
We need to have the following information in order to create your cover:
Trim Size (i.e. 6 x 9), page count, paper color, and cover finish (i.e. matte or glossy.) If your printer requires an ISBN, we will need to obtain that information from you also.
Upon uploading your formatted manuscript, the printer will verify the final page count. This is the page number we need to create your cover.
If there is just a small increase or decrease in the page count (- or + 10 pages), there should be no need to modify your design. However, if there is a significant change in your page count, we will most likely have to re-create your cover design.
Note* This will be at an additional cost if final files have already been approved and sent.
This depends on our availability, which varies thought out the year. Typically, we schedule custom work 2-4 weeks in advance. It’s best to contact us if you’re on a tight deadline to see if we can accommodate your schedule, before ordering.
Yes, you can. If you are planning for a future cover and would like to get on the schedule, please submit a custom form and note that your project is slated for the future. We can hold a spot for you on the schedule for up to eight (8) months.
In most cases, we can. The conditions of your license agreement should indicate if you're allowed to transfer the image for further manipulation. Most stock companies do permit this, however, some photographers and stock companies do not.
Keep in mind that per license restrictions, you must send the original image to us. If you have manipulated or have had another designer perform work on the image, we cannot use that for your cover design. Most licenses only permit the image to be manipulated once for one time use outside of promotional material.
If Covers in Color cannot confirm our ability to use a licensed image, we will attempt to license the image for your project.
Nope. Our packages include stock images in the total price of the design, but if you'd like to order your own images, please feel free to do so. Just make sure that your purchase is licensed for commercial use, and has been released with model permission before sending it for your design. It's also important to make sure you're able to transfer for the image for manipulation/cover design. Keep in mind that per license restrictions, you must send the original image to us. If you have manipulated or have had another designer perform work on the image, we cannot use that for your cover design. Most licenses only permit the image to be manipulated once for one time use outside of promotional material.
Unfortunately, Covers in Color does not create custom covers using any CC0 or public domain images, illustrations, or graphics. For legal reasons, we must make sure any image meets the appropriate licensing requirements, as well as quality standards for book design.
If you'd like to have Covers in Color review any image before purchasing, please contact us and we will help determine if the photo of choice would work or not.
We strongly encourage you to provide as much input as possible, but yes, we can certainly help with this! Based on the information you provide, we can usually come up with a concept or two to give you a visual. This will usually help determine a direction for your book cover design and hopefully, help you realize your vision. You can also contact us before scheduling your design so we can talk through a few different options.
Essentially, a concept cover is just a mock-up that shows the proposed idea of your design. Concepts or mock-ups are created using unlicensed photography just to give you a visual idea of the cover direction we’re proposing. So, the imagery may not be as clean or crisp as your actual cover file, but again, it’s just to give you an idea.
A Custom Design Detai (CDD)l is based on the information you provide in your submission. The Custom Design Detail will include the scope of your cover design and the proposed timeline. This will help us to establish the concept of your project and the completion date. Custom Design Details will require approval before work on your design starts.
Probably. If work has not started, we can always reevaluate your requirements and come up with a different concept. But, if we have already started your project and/or have gotten approved concept covers from you, there will be an additional fee. This may also impact your timeline.
The only time we would have to say ‘no’ is if you have already received final files. At that point, we will not be able to revise your cover design as it would be considered complete.
Yes. You are permitted to you use your logos for most marketing materials.
Note: While your logos can be used for printed or digital marketing material, you are prohibited from registering or using these logotypes in any legal documentation. While your design is exclusive, images curated for use may not be exclusive and can be used by other persons. Please contact us if you have any questions about logotype uses and restrictions.
Our pre-designed logos all come with a Standard license from either the stock photography site, illustrator, or photographer. This license does not allow you to reproduce more than 500,000 printed materials, including copies. You are also prohibited from using your logotype for broadcasts, performances, or digital production of any kind for an audience that is expected to exceed more than 500,000 unique viewers. In event you exceed this limit of 500,000 copies or viewers, you must purchase an extended license.
Unauthorized use of our logos include, but are not limited to; trademarking, service marking, registering as an endorsed logo for a company, claiming exclusivity, and obtaining documentation that gives you official ownership of the individual logo design elements. In addition, you are not permitted to make any alterations to the final logo design. Covers in Color designs logos within the boundaries and restrictions set forth by licensing requirements and none of our products may be changed after purchase.
Other than changing the font type, font color, or text positon, we do not offer revisions to the overall logo design.