WE ARE NOW BOOKING PROJECTS FOR OCTOBER 2024 OR LATER (project start date)
(if you are our "old" client and need the cover to be finalized sooner, email us and we'll do our best to accommodate your needs whenever possible)

COVER DESIGN PROCESS

Working with Deranged Doctor is a little different than what you might have been used to when working with a solo cover designer. We are a company, which means there are several people working on each project.
 
The main difference in the way we work is that we have project managers who are mediators between a client and their cover designer. All client communication is handled by the project manager, meaning there is no direct communication between the client and the cover designer. You are giving input and feedback to your project manager, who then forwards it to your designer along with any specific guidelines they may need.
 
At first glance, this may sound strange, but this is the standard process for all big design companies, and we've been working like this from the start. So, worry not - this system works very smoothly.
Why can't I work directly with my designer? Three reasons:
 1. At times, a longer and more detailed discussion through multiple emails is needed to communicate a specific request. Sometimes we need to discuss several options before we agree on the final direction, or we just need more information than you initially provided. Long exchanges and numerous emails distract a designer from the work he/she needs to do - design your cover. Therefore, all discussion is handled with your project manager, who will give the final decision or guidelines to the designer.
 
2. Sometimes a client may need information not related to cover design, such as booking, payments, prices, package options, or discounts. Designers won't know the answers to most of those questions, and questions not related to design will distract them. We want our designers to spend 100% of their time concentrating exclusively on cover design. Would you rather have your designer focus on your cover, or spend the afternoon negotiating discounts with some publishing house?
 
3. Designers are artists who invest their time and their soul into their art. For each design they create, they strive for something that is beautiful and a perfect fit for the book. However, there are times when clients give feedback that can be a bit harsh or even rude. Hearing negative feedback on their design is similar to reading a really bad review of your book - it can demotivate them. So, from time to time, the project manager needs to "censor" the exact wording before forwarding it to the designer.
 
There are twelve people working at Deranged Doctor, and each of them is a full-time employee, working from 9:00 to 5:00. We don't outsource cover designers, and everybody is working in the same office space. 
 
Project management team:
- Kim, head of the project management team
- Darja, senior project manager
- Tanja, senior project manager
- Jovana, project manager

Cover Design team:
- Milo, senior designer (epic fantasy, urban fantasy, and apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction)
- Marushka, senior designer (paranormal romance, contemporary romance)
- Kitten, senior designer (thrillers and sub-genres, contemporary romance)
- Dragana, senior designer and DAZ3D specialist (urban fantasy, RH, academy fantasy)
- Nancy, senior designer (vector-based covers, cozy mystery) and handover preparation
- Kosta, junior designer, and handover preparation

Finance team:
- Masa and Tatjana- invoices, lots of paperwork, and other similarly boring stuff :D
​
COVER DESIGN PROCESS
Stage 1 - First Contact & Booking
​- Your initial email should include the following:
  • the number of covers you need,
  • the genre,
  • and the preferred timeline for design (deadlines for each cover).

- We will email you back with proposed dates for the first cover proposal for each book.

- After we agree on the dates, you will be asked to send a deposit of $50 for each spot you want to book. (PayPal invoice) For more details about deposit - click here. The deposit is NON REFUNDABLE.

- After we receive payment of your deposit, we will confirm your booking and dates and send you your project code (e.g. 2021-1234) for each cover. Those numbers help us track all projects and also make finding the files easy even a year or more after the project has been completed.

- You will also receive the book cover brief we need you to fill out and send us no later than two weeks before the agreed date. Please make sure you read the guidelines for filling out the brief before you start. (click here)

- Should you need to discuss the cover or add information at any time between the booking and the production of the first draft, feel free to email us. 

Revisions that result from an incorrect or incomplete brief:
A correctly completed brief decreases unnecessary revisions, saving you time and money. Revision requests arising from missing, inconsistent or wrong information you provided on the brief will incur extra charges, starting from $50, since the designer wasted several hours of work because he was following the wrong/incomplete guidelines.
Stage 2: Cover Design
- Project start confirmation: 7-10 days before the agreed date (cover proposal ETA), we will email you to check if you are ready to start. If you booked well in advance, we will also ask you to read the brief you sent and update it if necessary.
 
- First draft: The senior cover designer who was assigned for your cover will spend between 5-7 hours designing the cover for you. Your first cover proposal will arrive on the agreed date or sooner. Please send us your feedback or revision request (if needed) in a timely manner, within 2 days.
 
- Revisions: Our packages include unlimited revisions. However, revisions that result from an incorrect or incomplete brief will incur extra charges. The same goes if you decide to change the direction/concept of the cover after we have already started working on it ( e.g. you requested a symbol-based cover, but then change your mind and request a new concept with people). Furthermore, Deranged Doctor Design reserves the right to accept or decline any design request, or, if it happens that after numerous revisions, we decide that we’re getting nowhere - to cancel the project (this happens very rarely, once or twice a year ).

 - Final approval: When you are completely happy and approve the final front/eBook cover design, your cover will be transferred to a "handover team" . They do the clean-up, alignment check, and consistency check to be sure everything matches any previous covers in the series. They will also create paperbacks and banners based on the cover you approve. Please keep in mind that any changes requested AFTER the front cover is approved and transferred to the handover team will be charged additionally. For more details check out our Guidelines for filling out the brief page (click here)
Stage 3: Payment and Handover
- Payment: After you approve the cover design, we will send you a PayPal invoice and ask you to make payment.
 
- Handover: All final high-res files will be delivered to you by Tanja, or Jovana after the finance team notes the payment. Files will arrive in an email with "HANDOVER" in the subject line. 
 
This means at least four people go over your cover before the final file is released to you. This includes your project manager, your cover designer, and your supporting designer, plus Tanja or Jovana who are in charge of handovers  (plus Darja, who does one final check before the files are sent). However, we are all people here, and mistakes do occasionally happen, so please make sure you go through all the files delivered in the handover to make sure everything is in order.

The client is fully responsible for proofing the book cover design provided by Deranged Doctor Design. It is strongly suggested that the client requests a proof from the printer before publishing or ordering any copies of the book. At no time will Deranged Doctor Design be held financially or legally responsible for any problems, costs, fees, or expenses incurred by the client as a result of using the book cover design.
IMPORTANT: Approving the cover art
When you approve the final front cover art, please make sure you are 100% certain that no other changes are needed.
Changing the art elements on the cover after you've approved the cover art (or after we deliver the final files) is possible, but (significant) additional charges apply, starting from $100.

Making any kind of change on the art after you approve the design means that:
- we have to go into the art layers
- strip all effects from the art
- make the requested change ( sometimes on several layers/items)
- re-apply all effects over the art, and revise all the files already finalized /delivered, using the new art.

This is a minimum 2-hour job, but it can take more time than that, depending on the scope of the change (do we need to search for new stock if you want to change the MC, does moving certain items mean we need to rearrange/change other items as well to accommodate the new composition, etc). Therefore, we can't offer a fixed rate for those kinds of revisions. But any change that requires editing the art, no matter how small, will be charged a minimum of $100.
The number of revisions covered:
We do not limit the number of revisions, within reason.
Most revisions and fine-tuning of a cover design are not charged extra, with some exceptions.
Exception #1: Revisions requested because you changed your mind
If you requested a certain color scheme and then decided on a different one, or if you chose a particular model and then want a different one after the initial proposal/concept is created, you will be charged extra. If we provided a mock-up for the MC pose/composition which you approved, and then you changed your mind when we created a high-resolution proposal, you will be charged extra. These additional fees start at $50 for a color change, and can go up to $100 for a bigger change like switching to a different model.
 
Exception #2:  New concept request
We provided the concept based on the brief you filled out. You liked it and asked for revisions, but mid-project, you decide you want to change the concept completely, such as we have been working on a "people cover" and you decide to switch to a "symbol cover." In those cases, a $200 "kill fee" will be requested. This means you will have to pay for the work done if you want us to scrap the design. After the kill fee has been paid, the previous design will be scrapped, and we will start from the beginning. The new design will be charged at standard rates, of course.
 
Kill Fee: Canceling the project
If you don't like our design style and don't want to work on revisions at all, and you want to cancel the project after seeing the 1st draft, you won't be charged. It is our policy that a client shouldn't pay for the product she/he doesn't like or won't use.
 
However, this applies only if you decide to cancel after seeing the 1st draft (no revisions are done on it). If you ask for revisions and decide to cancel mid-project after we provided a revised file, you will be charged a $200 kill fee for the time spent.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: We engage in photo manipulation, meaning that we use stock photos for our covers. We don't hire illustrators. This means that if you have a very distinctive MC (unique clothes, facial expression) or a highly individual item that you want to be represented in detail on the cover, then we highly recommend that you consider hiring an illustrator. If something you've described (clothes or an object) isn't available by means of stock photos, then we can't put it on the cover.

Got a question?
You can check out our FAQ page for answers to frequently asked questions. :)
By contacting Deranged Doctor Design the client accepts  the process explained above and agrees to the terms and conditions stated here - Terms and Conditions
Furthermore, DDD reserves the right to accept or decline any design request, or if it happens that after numerous revisions we decide that we’re getting nowhere - to cancel the project.
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