When I contacted Kobo Writing Life services looking for a cover artist for my novel they immediately paired me with AcePub; a company that was more than happy to help me. They sent me an e-mail within hours. Being my first time working with a professional company I was a bit overwhelmed, but they helped talk me through the process and sort out the finer details I was uncertain of before starting, such as how it would look and what I should expect.

They helped talk me through the process and sort out the finer details I was uncertain of before starting, such as how it would look and what I should expect.

The Design Process

I told them I was looking for an image that matched the dark, apocalyptic theme of my story, like a battered diary cover. Within twenty-four hours they had a list of options and styles for me to choose from that matched my needs pretty well. On top of that they explained that they were able to deliver an array of media, such as digital or traditional art, as well as photo-manipulation to make it look exactly as requested. When I picked a style that fit they went to work and quickly got back to me with a few rough sketches.

From there I talked to them about what did and did not work, and they kept emailing me with more and more precise images until I was happy with the style.

When that was settled, we started working on the finer details, such as the font, colour, style, presentation, and mood. They were exceptionally good at reading into my needs, such as “darker theme, maybe some wear and tear in places” and shaped it up magnificently. They were incredibly polite and patient considering how detail-oriented I could get at times.

What really won me over was when I thought they were done and I was content with the final product, they felt like they could do more and worked on an even better cover that really blew me away. It still impresses me with its subtle nuances every time I look at it. It has definitely impressed potential readers so far.

As for recommending this, I have already told a few of my aspiring writer friends about this service. The hundred dollars they charge is fairly reasonable. Most artists I have talked with for various projects were hard to motivate and charged a significantly higher fee for less effort. Nobody else had the drive to try and push themselves to do a better job.

Acepub and Kobo Writing Life have really impressed me, they knew exactly what I needed. I hope others consider giving them a try.

Jason Currie writing under the name D.V. Cattrovich, is the author of “No End: A Survivor’s Diary”, which is a story about the end of the world – not by zombies or nuclear fallout but by mankind: After a mysterious mental illness called the Mad Plague turns ninety percent of the human race insane, lone survivor Anthony Reed must sacrifice all he has ever known to go on a quest across the country to search for something or someone that may just make it right again. D.V. Cattrovich is currently working on the sequel.

To get started on a cover of your own, click here to visit the AcePub website.

Author Experience is a new series of guest posts written by Kobo Writing Life authors. Every month, we ask an author to discuss their experience using one of our author services. You can find all our services under the Author Services tab on the Kobo Writing Life Dashboard.