DO YOU WANT READERS’ ATTENTION?

Hi, I’m Sylvia Frost. 🙂 I’m an author and designer and since 2014, I’ve helped hundreds of authors writing in every genre  make their publishing dreams real. I’m focused on creating branded book covers that get you results.

In 2019, I grew my studio by bringing on some amazing designers and illustrators who help me serve as many authors as possible.

Now in 2022, I have a diverse team passionate about creating covers that sell, and a thriving community of authors in my Facebook Group The Book Brander Boutique.

 

A little bit more backstory about me — when I was eleven, I wanted to be an author.  I remember going to the library and reading a book on publishing that told me almost no one gets to see their stories in print. To be an author, the book said, was to accept a life of constant rejection and poverty.

I read that and thought, “Yeah, no thanks.”

Thankfully, with the advent of online-publishing,  now getting published is as easy as pushing a button. But getting readers? That’s another story.

If you’re reading this, and you’re like my typical client, you are well aware of how hard it can be to be a successful indie author.  You’ve earned your battle-scars, dealing with one-star reviews, Amazon’s antics, writer’s block and marketing mishaps. You’re a pro, or you’re ready to jump the line and start publishing like one.

I’d love to help.

Well, me and the seal. 😉

I often get variants of a question: how did you make it? How did you manage to get to a level where you can be a full-time author?

There are different answers to that question. One is that I write fast, I improve every year, I have a defined voice and I write what my readers want to read. But there’s another one. That’s actually the one without which I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Early 2016, an author who wrote in my genre reached out to me.  She said that my books were fun and engaging. But she told me something else: “however I think you’re losing readers because your covers aren’t that great.” She was right. I made them myself and they were horrible.

But the next time I entered a bookshop, I looked at the covers and realized how right she was. So I did what I could. I rebranded that next month.

About a week after the rebrand, I applied to bookbub and was accepted for a free feature on Cinderella. Over 30000 people got book one that week, and a good % of them read the rest, so I went from nothing to five figures.

So yeah, (how to be successful) there’s different answers to the question. But the one that matters? I write good stuff and I use covers that make the readers in the genre want to read them <3

The person who told me that? Sylvia Frost. Three years later, I still go to her for cover advice, and I work with her on several projects because she is one of the best at branding.

May Sage

Author

Deeply evocative, almost poetic in its ability to move emotion due to the wonderful photo and careful typography employed by the designer.

Joel Friedlander

The Book Cover Designer

CUSTOM COVER DESIGN

OTHER SERVICES

PAINTED ILLUSTRATION
Custom illustration can take any cover to the next level, but most illustrators don’t have experience with type-setting or knowledge of the book cover market. The result is you can spend thousands on a design that is beautiful, but not quite right.

That’s why this package is so special.

In collaboration Sylvia and Kateryna will create a one-of-a-kind cover, with both custom typography and artwork, that from the very beginning stages is created with the whole in cover mind. No more awkwardly trying to figure out where to put type. These digital paintings are designed to be covers from the very start.

Includes: Ebook Cover, Hardcover (or paperback) Layout, Type-Setting, Custom Illustration, Merchandising Rights.

Price: $1000+

Vector ILLUSTRATION
Do you want all the impact and uniqueness of a custom illustration, but in a more budget-friendly package? If you do, then a custom vector illustration, may be the right call for you. Perfect for rom-coms, cozy mystery, even the occasional fantasy novel, our vector covers are designed to impress.

Price: $500

TYPOGRAPHY ONLY COVER
Do you have a compelling illustration or stock photo, but need someone to put typography on it? This package is for you. Note, I will also do minor color grading, cropping, and touch ups to make the artwork pop.

Price: $175

AUTHOR BRANDING

Are you ready to take your author brand to the next level? Do you need a cohesive visual identity that will immediately signal to readers exactly what makes your books special? If so, author branding might be right for you. We offer it in a few flavors, completely custom and trademarkable including a logo mark, or  our “just branding package”, which may use assets that cannot be put on merch.

CUSTOM LOGO– $500
AUTHOR BRANDING — $250

MERCH & SWAG
Whether you want to use swag in give aways to get your readers excited, or if you’re looking to capatalise on your brand by selling mech, we have you covered. Here are our offerings.

MERCH — $350
*BOOKMARKS — $40
*BUSINESS CARD — $40

*Requires prexsisting branding or cover artwork and can not be sold for profit.

SOCIAL MEDIA & ADVERTISING
As the indie publishing space has become more and more competative, advertising has become a bigger and bigger part of authors’ budgets. In order to make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck professional images can make a big difference.

FACEBOOK ADS (5) — $150
AMAZON + Images (3) — $100
FACEBOOK & TWITTER BANNER — $75

ADDITIONAL FORMATS
Probably the most common of our offerings, we do hundreds of paperbacks, hardbacks and audiobooks every year. We’d love to take the ebook cover we made for you and make it something you can hold in your hands. Note all of these projects require that we have done a cover for you we can use.

PAPERBACKS –$50

PAPERBACK ALT FORMAT — $30
(If you’ve already done one paperback in one format, i.e on Amazon, and would like your paperback to be reformatted for another retailer, say Ingram.)

AMAZON HARDCOVER — $50

INGRAM HARDCOVER — $100

AUDIOBOOKS — $50

RADISH COVER –$40

TRANSLATION — $30

BOX-SET FLAT & 3D — $75

*PSD FILE — $150

*Subject to terms and conditions.

CONSULTING
Are you struggling to brainstorm your next series, or not sure what direction to go with your brand? I’ve spent the last ten years talking with top authors and helping them refine their brands, both visually and otherwise. Or are you a designer in need to help or counsel on how to level up your business. Whatever you’re struggling with, I can do my best to help!

$125/hour

THE TEAM

SYLVIA

SYLVIA

Owner/Creative Director

CURRENTLY BOOKING FOR December 2023.

Sylvia Frost is an author and award winning book cover designer who lives with her husband and  daughter in Chicago, IL. She has designed  thousands of covers for New York Times Best Sellers and newbie authors alike.

Her favorite thing about the indie world is the revolutionary spirit and supportive community. She loves that it’s her job to help people take control of their destiny and publishing dreams and make them real.

In her own words she says:

I love the joy of the “hunt” for new illustrators, designers and photographers. Watching them grow and evolve is so satisfying.

Beyond that, I also thrive when I push the limits of what a book cover can be. 

A book cover that is made from video footage, why not? 

High quality illustrations? Obviously.

Covers that integrate with full-fledged author branding? Yes, please. 

What’s the next hot trend? 

I don’t know. 

Why don’t we set it? ;-)” 

 

KATERYNA

KATERYNA

Illustrator

CURRENTLY BOOKING FOR January 2024

Kateryna Viv is a book cover illustrator from Ukraine. She started her professional art journey in game development industry but always dreamed about creating book covers. She joined the Bookbrander team and the rest is history!

In her own words she says:

“I’ve wanted to be a book cover artist for years but this industry requires not only art skill but also the knowledge of cover design, trends, typography and many other nuances you can only acquire with years of experience. That’s why I love working with Bookbrander and Sylvia Frost, who provides me with invaluable feedback and art-direction, so that I can create covers that make readers crave to know the story behind them!” 

 

DYANI

DYANI

Chief Scheduling Officer

Dyani Sabin is the project manager for team Bookbrander, as well as a freelance science journalist and current MFA student in popular fiction at the Stonecoast Program at the University of Southern Maine. Originally from Ohio, she studied biology at Oberlin College, and has a master’s in science journalism from NYU. She’s gotten equally lost in both cornfields and libraries.

In her own words she says:

“Beyond getting early sneak peaks of covers, meeting authors in the inbox is my absolutely favorite part of the job. I can’t lie, I’m always delighted when I get to be the first person who gets to celebrate with an author over reclaimed rights so we can plan a flashy re-brand, or I get to mastermind a design schedule for a new series. I am really not a big Facebook person, so I’m not in the boutique much, but meeting you all in the email literally makes my day.”

KRIS

KRIS

Junior Designer

CURRENTLY BOOKING FOR Feb 2023.

I am passionate about all things books. I obsessively read and listen to multiple books at a time, like I’m sure many of you do. 

 

I have been designing book covers for seven years and am truly in love with the creation of something beautiful that sells books. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Arts and Sciences with an emphasis in marketing. I am dedicated to committing this knowledge to every design created.

DANIEL

DANIEL

Junior Designer

CURRENTLY BOOKING FOR December 2023. 

“My name is Daniel. I have been doing design for about 10 years. I am from Mexico, I really like animals and plants. Thanks to that I am inspired to create surrealist works of fantasy worlds for personal work.

My favorite type of covers to design are sweet romance, cozy mystery.  The meaning of my job is that love and tranquility always exist.”

LAURA

LAURA

Senior Designer

CURRENTLY BOOKING FOR November 2023.
Laura Gahan is our senior designer. She recently graduated from Pittsburgh Technical College with an AA in Graphic Design, as well as an AA in from Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate. Born and raised in rural PA, she’s never been cow-tipping but has read their weight in books.

In her own words she says:

“My absolute favorite part of the job is that moment when I hear that the client loves the work. I have always wanted to design covers, even before I knew that was even a job someone could have, and to create something beautiful that I’m proud of and the client adores is what it’s all about. The team is beyond amazing and I’m grateful to be a part of it all.”

ERIC

ERIC

Junior Designer

CURRENTLY BOOKING FOR December 2023. 

Eric Wooten has a bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication/Graphic Design and has been designing professionally for seven years. He’s the probably the fastest designer on the Book Brander team! If you need something turned around on a tight timeline, be it paperback or cover, he’s your man!

 

 

 FAQ

How far in advanced are you booked?

Each designers availability is listed on their cards above. If you want to work with any designer sooner than their listed availability, do get in touch, we offer rush rates. 

If you would like to get on a waitlist, we do  take new clients from that waitlist all the time whenever there are cancellations.

To get on the waitlist please  email: thebookbrander@gmail.com.

 

What are your payment/refund/cancellation policies?

In order to reserve your spot, I require a non-refundable 10% downpayment. Upon the start of the project the next 50% is due, and the rest of the payment is due upon completion of the project. If you decide not to work with me for whatever reason before I begin work, I will refund anything paid over the deposit. Once work is begun no refunds will be given, unless I decide to cancel the project.

What is your turn around?

For custom designs, please give us 10-14 days to deliver initial concepts from the project start date. From that point, the number of changes, and the intensity of the changes, will decide the pace of the project. For extras and fulfillment of premades, expect a turn around of one week. However, if you’re in rush, let us know, and we can likely accommodate you for a small extra fee.