This is the third in a series of posts offering a quick overview of what costs you might encounter when you publish an academic book. Because yes; even reputable presses will ask you to cover some of the expense of publishing.
Let’s talk jackets and cover images!
This is a tough area to generalize in because individual presses feel rather differently about the look of their books—and depending on their markets, they’ll be willing to do different things with a jacket or cover design.
For example, the average undergraduate core textbook (think, Intro to X) is expected to sell a zillion copies—and so the publisher will no doubt absorb the costs of artwork for the cover. On the other hand, the average monograph will likely have a cloth binding and may or may not feature a paper jacket on top.
Jackets
Look at your publisher’s display table to get a sense of their approach. If you’re seeing a booth filled with unjacketed hardcovers, it’s a good bet they’re not planning to wrap your monograph in a dust jacket either.
Regardless of what you think you see, inquire whether your book will have a jacket if it is slated to be published as a hardcover. I know some presses routinely jacket their hardcovers, some routinely don’t, and some make such decisions on a case-by-case basis. If jackets generally aren’t included, you may be able to convince your publisher to add one to the mix—especially if you’re willing to throw down some cash for it.
Expect to pay in the range of $1000 – $1500 for a dust jacket. The cost may vary depending on whether the press has a designer in-house or if they contract this work out to a freelancer. If you have particular art in mind, this will also play a role. And by the way: don’t think for a second that a publisher who routinely jackets their hardcovers isn’t paying about this much to jacket each of their books. They probably are—but the cost gets rolled into the unit cost of the book, and paid for by adding a few dollars to its list price.
Cover images
If your book is going to have a jacket, or if it will be published in paper, you may be wondering about cover art.
As a general rule, the publisher will absorb the cost of artwork for the cover or jacket of your book. Bear in mind that this may mean your press will opt for a two-color cover with a simple graphic element rather than a full-color photograph.
If you’re convinced that a particular photograph will absolutely make the book, talk to your editor about including it—preferably before the design process gets underway. If you or someone you know has taken the image (and it is of quality composition and high-enough resolution for printing), it may be the perfect—affordable—solution.
If you’re angling for an image ripped from the headlines, shekels will be changing hands. The pain your publisher may feel at paying $500 or $700 for such an image can be eased if you’ve got some shekels to contribute. Possible sources of funds include prizes tied to paper or research competitions (make sure your winning paper actually relates, somehow, to the book!) and department or college faculty development grants.
Your turn
Have you contributed a photo for use on the cover of a book? What made the image appealing to your publisher? Have you ever helped offset the cost of a cover image? Where did you find the funds for that?
Other posts in the series:
- Author copies: How many, how much
- Permissions: Who pays?
- Getting the word out: Publicity and PR
Stay tuned!
