99designs Launches Comprehensive, End-to-End Book Design Solution for Self-Publishers

OAKLAND, Calif. and MELBOURNE, Australia, April 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on its early success in helping thousands of authors get best-seller-worthy custom book cover design and illustrations, online graphic design platform 99designs has launched a comprehensive, end-to-end book design solution for the self-publisher. The 99designs book solution is poised to support over 625,000 new independent titles published annually in an industry that saw explosive growth of 375 percent between 2010 and 2015*.

Self-publishing authors can now get their ebook or print book professionally designed end-to-end, quickly and easily in one place via 99designs. The end-to-end solution includes:

• A visually-intuitive creative brief highly tailored to support different genres and book types such as hardback, paperback, and digital
• The opportunity to have dozens of designers create custom book cover designs and, if needed, custom illustrations for self-publishers to choose from
• Interior book design and typesetting services staffed by hundreds of designers certified for IngramSpark, CreateSpace and other self-publishing platforms
• A cost calculator to help with estimating the total cost of self-publishing a book

Unlike working with a single designer where the author might get just a few designs to choose from, historically 99designs gave self-publishers the unique ability to work with many expert designers at one time. With this new solution, the self-publisher now gets the variety they desire as well as a more intuitive and tailored way to get that variety, the added capability to design the book's interior, and practical tools to get their book on the shelf.

"With over a million new books published each year** – standing out in the crowd as an author is critical. In fact, a recent test we ran showed a book cover designed through 99designs can increase reader interest by a whopping 51 percent or more, validating the power of our solution," explained 99designs CEO Patrick Llewellyn. "99designs can now fully serve the design needs of the self-publisher seeking a custom book design to help them stand-out on the shelf."

How 99designs' Book Design Solution Works

Book design customers start their design project via the following three-step process:

1 - Filling out a simple and visually intuitive creative brief outlining their specific needs and preferences, and choosing a budget for the project.
2 - A customer receives dozens of design options from vetted, professional designers, and provides feedback to these designers to guide the process.
3 - Seven days later, a customer chooses from a group of finalists and chooses their favorite.

Once a customer selects his winning book cover design, the winning designer delivers the final, production-ready files to be sent to a printer or to be submitted to an online publishing platform (or both). Specifically, the designer will deliver a production-ready Adobe Illustrator file, Adobe Photoshop file, PDF file or EPS file. The designer will also supply visual mockups in PNG or JPG format for use on the web and authors are also provided with the full legal copyright on all designs.

Custom illustration projects for books follow the same process.

For authors who need interior book design and typesetting, they are directed to choose a certified designer to work on the design. Work of this type is completed as a 1-to-1 Project between the selected designer and author.

Overall, self-publishers go from brief to final files within 7-10 days. Ebook covers on 99designs start at $199, physical book covers from $299, ebooks from $199, and both from $449.

"Working with 99designs on my cover helped my book, 'Sunrises to Santiago,' become a bestseller for travel adventure books about the Camino de Santiago. It has been featured in USA Today, Deseret News National and DayBreak USA," said author Gabriel Schirm, a 99designs book design customer. "It also inspired me to quit my job and write full time."

To learn more, visit: https://99designs.com/book-design-services.

About 99designs

99designs is the world's largest on-demand design marketplace, connecting a global community of freelance designers with businesses of all sizes to complete their design needs. Created by designers for designers, 99designs began with a group of designers who were competing together to create the best designs. In 2008, that friendly competition grew into a unique design marketplace that has now become the world leader in online graphic design. 99designs is changing the lives of designers around the world by providing them with an opportunity to access customers globally, to earn income, and to build their portfolios. 99designs has operations in the USA, Australia and Germany.

*Source: Bowker Report, "Self-Publishing in the United States, 2010-2015"
**Source: Berret-Koehler Publishers, BKConnection.com, "The 10 Awful Truths About Book Publishing" 

Media contact:
Aimee Grove          
Smitten Communications for 99designs          
415.706.1906     
[email protected]    

SOURCE 99designs