Cover art and designs that earn the second look.
Readers decide in a moment. Your cover has to survive that moment and your interior has to hold them once they open it.
COVER DESIGN
Designed for the shelf you're actually on.
A cover isn't decoration. It's the shortest sales conversation your book will ever have. Before we design anything we look at what's already selling in your category, because a reader scanning a shelf or a search page is comparing you to those books whether you like it or not.
Every cover we produce comes to you as a complete file set: front cover for retailers, full print wrap with spine and back cover, and correctly sized thumbnails that still read at the size Amazon actually displays them.
Two concepts, then we go deep. We don't send twelve options and let you pick. We develop two directions with real reasoning behind each, you choose one, and then we refine that one properly. Endless options are how covers end up looking like a compromise.
Ebook Cover
FROM $450
2 TO 3 WEEKS
Front cover only, built for digital retailers. Designed to hold up at thumbnail size, which is where most readers will meet it first.
You Received
High resolution JPEG and PNG sized to retailer specification
Layered source file on request
Two initial concepts, three revision rounds on your chosen direction
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Item description
Every image in your book is drawn by a person
Retailer policies on AI generated illustration have tightened considerably, and they're still moving. All illustration produced through Zou Zou Media House is created by human illustrators, which keeps your book eligible everywhere it needs to be sold, submitted, or shelved.
There are practical reasons beyond policy. Generated images can't hold a character's face steady across twenty eight pages, and inconsistency is the fastest way for a picture book to feel wrong to a child who is looking very closely. Copyright protection for generated images also remains unsettled, which matters enormously if you ever want to license your characters, sell rights, or build a series.
Your illustrator is a named person. You'll know who they are, you'll see their portfolio before you commit, and their name goes in your book.
HOW A BOOK GETS MADE
Design happens in this order.
This sequence isn't a preference, it's how production works. Skipping ahead is what causes reprints.
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Brief and quote
Tell us about your book, your reader, and your budget. Within five business days you'll have a firm quote, a recommended approach, and a start date.
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Book your place
Sign the agreement and pay 50 percent. That reserves your designer or illustrator and your slot in the schedule.
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Concepts and sketches
Cover concepts, character sheets, or a storyboard, depending on your project. Nothing moves to final art until you've approved this stage.
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Final artwork
Your chosen direction is developed fully. You'll see work in progress at agreed checkpoints so nothing arrives as a surprise.
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Layout and typesetting
Text and art come together. You review a full proof, we make your revisions, and you approve the final pages.
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Print ready files
Your balance is settled, rights transfer to you in writing, and you receive every file you need for print and for digital retailers.
GOOD TO KNOW
The details that matter
Payment
50 percent is due to begin. The balance is due before final files are released. Illustration projects over $3,000 can be split across three or four payments tied to milestones.
Rights
Full commercial rights to your cover and illustrations transfer to you on final payment, in writing. Your illustrator retains the right to show the work in their portfolio.
Rush work
A 30 percent surcharge applies where we can accommodate it. Illustration is rarely rushable, and we'd rather tell you no than deliver art that looks hurried.
Our schedule
Cover and interior work books 3 to 5 weeks out. Full illustration projects book considerably further ahead, so start that conversation early.
Extra revisions
Beyond your included rounds, revisions are billed at $85 per hour, quoted and approved before any work begins.
Changes after typesetting
Text changes made after layout is complete are billed separately, because a single added sentence can reflow every page that follows it.
Source files
Print ready PDFs are always included. Layered working files in InDesign or Procreate are available for an additional 20 percent of the project fee.
Cancellations
Deposits are non refundable once work has begun, since your slot has been held. Cancel before your start date and your deposit transfers to a future booking within twelve months.
QUESTIONS
Asked and answered.
If yours isn't here, email us. We answer design and illustration questions whether or not you end up booking with us.
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Prices vary widely depending on whether the cover is premade, custom, or fully illustrated. The average professional cover cost about $750 USD. At Zou Zou Media House, cover design is included in our publishing package.
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Your cover size depends on your trim size, page count and paper type. A print cover is one wide file that includes the back cover, spine and front cover, plus 0.125 inches of bleed on every edge. Ebook covers are a single front image, usually 1600 × 2560 pixels.
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Spine width is based on your final page count and paper stock. For example, on Amazon KDP's white paper, each page adds about 0.0023 inches. That's why we finalize your interior layout before we finish the full wraparound cover.
If you need help with your book cover, send us an email; a team member will respond within 1-2 business days.
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Most back covers include a short book description, an author bio or photo, endorsements or reviews, the ISBN barcode and the price. The back cover is a sales tool, so the description matters as much as the design.
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You can, but DIY covers often miss key print requirements like bleed, resolution (300 DPI), spine width, and barcode placement. They also tend to look less professional at thumbnail size, where most readers first see your book online.
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Most professional covers take two to four weeks, including concepts and revisions.
Tell us about your book.
Send us your manuscript, your page count, and the shelf you imagine your book sitting on. We'll come back with a firm quote, a recommended approach, and an honest view of what your budget can buy.