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Alex Kirby

Designer

Alex Kirby is an award-winning freelance book cover designer and Director of Mister Kirby Ltd. He began his career as a Junior Designer at Penguin Random House in 2002, before moving to Faber in 2006. After 12 years here, he headed to Yale University Press in 2018.
He departed Yale in January 2021 to focus fully on his freelance business.

Alex works across all genres but specialises in Fiction and Non-Fiction. His current clients include Canongate, Faber, Harper North, Icon, Orion, PRH, Profile, Swift Press, Transworld and Yale University Press.

His covers have been shortlisted for multiple ABCD Awards, with his jacket for Culture in Nazi Germany winning Non-Fiction Cover of the Year in 2020. As well as this, his designs for Arabs and True Stories & Other Essays were selected for the 2020 AUPresses Book, Jacket & Journal Show.

Away from book covers, he enjoys lecturing plus mentoring Design and Illustration students.

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Alex Kirby

Designer

Alex Kirby is an award-winning freelance book cover designer and Director of Mister Kirby Ltd. He began his career as a Junior Designer at Penguin Random House in 2002, before moving to Faber in 2006. After 12 years here, he headed to Yale University Press in 2018.
He departed Yale in January 2021 to focus fully on his freelance business.

Alex works across all genres but specialises in Fiction and Non-Fiction. His current clients include Canongate, Faber, Harper North, Icon, Orion, PRH, Profile, Swift Press, Transworld and Yale University Press.

His covers have been shortlisted for multiple ABCD Awards, with his jacket for Culture in Nazi Germany winning Non-Fiction Cover of the Year in 2020. As well as this, his designs for Arabs and True Stories & Other Essays were selected for the 2020 AUPresses Book, Jacket & Journal Show.

Away from book covers, he enjoys lecturing plus mentoring Design and Illustration students.

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Designer Requirements

Only a carefully curated group of designers are given access to the creative briefs posted on the INABC Jobs Board. This system ensures that clients receive top-notch, focused proposals from professionals whose talents have been vetted

All designers who will be bidding on your cover design have applied to receive job notifications and have been approved by the INABC admin team. Our approved designers:

  • Are professional book cover designers, not simply generalist graphic designers.
  • Have been working in the industry for a minimum of 3 years, usually more.
  • Must demonstrate a contemporary aesthetic, creating work that feels current and relevant to today’s book design market. We seek professionals who stay informed on industry trends while pushing boundaries with innovative, forward-thinking designs. Our designers know that our clients are not looking for designs that feel “dated.”
  • Work on multiple book cover projects in any given month
  • Are committed to delivering high-quality, original designs tailored to each client’s unique vision. 
  • Do NOT sell or offer book cover premades. At INABC, we do not condone the offering of pre-made book covers. We are fans of highly bespoke cover work.
  • Do NOT use AI-generated imagery in their commercial work.
  • Have accessible online portfolios showcasing book cover work that are easy for anyone to review.
  • Have extensive experience working with self-publishing authors AND commercial presses.
  • Are available and excited to receive these weekly briefs.

If you are contacted by a designer that doesn’t align with the requirements described above, we ask that you please contact the INABC admin team at ineedabookcover.assistant@gmail.com.

Designer Disclaimer

INABC is not a full-service design agency. It’s a curated directory that helps you connect directly with talented freelance designers. Each designer handles their own pricing, process, and contracts. We encourage you to communicate clearly with your chosen designer and to review their portfolio carefully to make sure they’re a good fit for your project. Designers and authors are expected to draft, negotiate, and sign their own contracts to ensure that expectations, deliverables, and rights are clearly outlined before any work begins.

While we do our best to curate a talented community, INABC is not involved in the collaborations that follow and we cannot guarantee the outcome of individual projects with specific designers. If you run into an issue with a designer that you find from using INABC, we are open to learning about your experience, but ultimately, INABC will not be involved in any specific disputes. For more information, visit the For Authors page and read our Terms & Conditions.

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