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how well she works with people, and any examples of her work. Contact her to get additional information. And regardless of any testimonials on her web page, ask for references of real people whom you can contact yourself. Look for things like: * Does the artist get a lot of repeat business? * Has the artist been responsive to your questions? * Have you seen some excellent examples that you really like? * Does the artist guarantee your satisfaction before he gets full payment? * Will turnaround be a few days? (It really shouldn't take more than a week at any rate.) * Will he or she revise the artwork after you've seen the first draft? Is this revision included in the quoted cost? * Do you feel yourself wanting to buy the ebooks shown on the designer's web page that this designer "covered"? In other words, do his or her pictures entice you to make an immediate purchase? * Will the artist also be able to create additional items like web page headers, banners, or related items? The work to weed out designers and to find a few that you like will pay for itself in the long run when you want to create ebook after ebook. It's good to have someone who designs great covers, whom you can trust and rely on, who works quickly and effectively, and who charges reasonable rates. Tip: Find out the web services fees when you're asking about ebook cover art fees. It's an added perk if your ebook cover artist also provides web page design services. You may wish to have your marketing web page and ebook cover design match. A good artist can generate titles, banners, buttons, and other related web page items. What makes a great ebook cover? When you hire a designer, you're giving up the reins on your cover art to some extent. You can definitely use your gut instinct (which is usually right anyway) to determine when a cover is just right for your ebook. If your gut doesn't speak to you, you can also make sure your cover art is good by asking yourself and answering some questions. Does the artwork stand out proudly on your web page? You don't want it to blend in with the background or be barely noticeable. Whether it's by color, texture, shape, exclamation points, or professional looking artwork, your designer needs to know how to add enough pizzazz to your cover art to get you noticed. This doesn't mean that you need microscopic detail or complicated figures or drawings. Sometimes simplicity does the job quite well. Artists know that. Look for the "stand out" factor on his designs. Is the title prominent on the cover? You don't want too many words on the cover. Stick with the title, a byline, and short words. You may be able to effectively include a short bulleted list, but not much more. When you quickly scroll through web pages, you should be able to remember from a quick glance what the title was on your ebook cover. If the title isn't lodged in your memory after a passing glance at the picture, then the artwork needs a face lift. Does the cover use four colors or less? Although rainbows are pretty, they don't stand out as much as solid colors. You can actually get by with three colors. In most cases, you'll need at least one more color besides just black and white. Just like web pages can look

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