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Post Your Creative Brief

This form is for self-publishing authors and publishing houses who are seeking a cover designer for their book project.

Please fill out this form in its entirety, agree to our terms, and submit payment. You will be contacted prior to your brief going live. All payments are nonrefundable.

First time jitters? If you’ve never written a creative brief before, we recommend reading this article first: “Creative Briefs Explained To Non-Creatives”.

Briefs will go live on the next business day after submission. First, you will hear from our team and will have the opportunity to review the brief. Once you approve your brief, it will be sent out with our private list of designers. For more information about the jobs board, read this article.

Filling out this form drastically speeds up our manual process of uploading covers. Submit a new form for each cover you would like to add. You may submit as many covers as you would like!

Due to the ever-growing queue of designs to be added, it could take a few days or a few weeks before your cover is uploaded. *Please note that submitting a cover does not guarantee that it will be uploaded. Which covers are added is at the discretion of the site owner.

If you want to jump to the front of the line and guarantee that your cover is uploaded quickly, please visit this page for more information on how to lock in an upload.

Creative Brief Submission

1Book Details
2Creative Vision
3Referral Source
4Legal Disclaimers
5Payment

1. Book Details

Contact

How should an interested designer contact you?
Name(Required)

Publishing Details

Publishing Method - Please choose one(Required)
When is this book set to go on sale?
Example answers: Next month, 3 weeks, ASAP, no rush. Curious about standard turnaround times? Click here.
Format (select all that apply)(Required)
If trim has not yet been determined, write TBD. Not sure what a trim size is? Click here.

Front Cover Text

Please include all of the text that will be included on the front cover.

About the Book

Genre
Color
Template is not defined.
Template is not defined.
Template is not defined.
Template is not defined.
Template is not defined.
Template is not defined.

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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Job Alerts

Sign up to get notifications about cover jobs posted on INABC.

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