A review of Self-Publishing.com’s Cover Design Prices

I’m looking over Self-Publishing.com’s prices. At first I see “Standard Paperback Cover” – $250. And I think, “That’s a pretty good deal.”

But wait – that’s a cover using just one photo. So all the designer is doing is adding text.

You have to pay $475 to get a “Deluxe” cover, which gives you only 2 designs to choose from and – wait for it – up to one hour of Photoshop work.

Damn, I’d love to make $475 an hour. In contrast, for my paperback print covers, I go through about 10 or 20 unique designs, dozens of font and color choices, and roughly 10 hours of photoshop work.

Self-Publishing.com’s “premium” book cover design is the closet thing to what I do, but you only get “up to three hours of Photoshop work”, and it costs $895! (Although you do get a two-hour phone consultation). Wouldn’t you rather be paying your designer to work on your cover, rather than talking to you about it?

Interestingly, I can’t find any sort of gallery or portfolio of cover design work – how do we know if they’re any good!?

Either I’m charging too little, or everybody else is charging way too much.