First client book cover. Help!

These aren't easy questions to answer because they are so broad.

The process varies. It can be a hit and run, but it's smarter to expect a lot of back and forth. You should look up consultation interview forms before going into the meeting.

Before any artwork begins you need a contract signed with a deadline and a price estimate.

Prices vary dramatically. Oddly enough under-pricing can lose you a client just as fast as over pricing. Obviously some people might consider over pricing a safer gambit considering the type of client your more likely to keep when you under price.

With new clients I tend to ask for some kind of deposit up front. Some times you won't see anything more, though it is rare.

I'm going to ask questions for you to get you started via Google search.

How much do you think the editor is willing to spend?
Do you feel confident that you will be able to deliver on promises made from contracted services?
Will you be expected to cover expenses for fonts or stock preceding reimbursement?
How many hours (realistically) will it take you?
Do you prefer an hourly rate or a flat rate based on estimated hours or value of your work?
...

Good luck!

Check out the NaNoWriMo forums, specifically the NaNo Artisans board. It's full of amateur cover designers showing off their work, questionnaires, and processes to give you a direction to start in, technique-wise.

I'm excited for you! It sounds like a great opportunity and like your starting out on a little artistic adventure. It should be fun; I'm sure of it.

taeray, I have never designed a cover professionally, either, but here are the things I would think about if I were in your shoes.

Info gather. The more answers, the better. Where is the book being published? Hardcover or soft? What are the precise dimensions of the finished work? Are there specs or templates at the press? Bleeds, margins, gutters? Minimum resolution? Get all the info you can.

Cover requirements: title, author are a given. Press insignia? if so, get a copy of the source vector. Byline? Back cover copy? Interior jacket copy? If you can, get this actual text. If not, mock it up in the base document. That will give you an idea of the compositional space you have left.

Then the art part comes into play. In a vacuum, I suggest truncated contrast in the cover image itself, say charcoal gray to midnight blueish, and save the white/black/pure saturation for the title and author text so it stands out.

Judging from the art link in your signature, you have some uber skillz. Good luck with it! Maybe you can share what you come up with when/if your client is okay with that.

One piece of (general) advice that was passed to me: your cover will be shrunk to thumbnail size (for almost everything related to promotion) so make sure the title and author's name is big enough to stay visible!

taeray said:

A friend from my writers group has approached me about bringing her client (she's his editor) to me to make his book cover.

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This stood out to me. Shouldn't an editor know what the going rate is for doing covers and doesn't she have in-house designers? I'd just ask her.

ishtar'sgate said:

This stood out to me. Shouldn't an editor know what the going rate is for doing covers and doesn't she have in-house designers? I'd just ask her.

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I wouldn't expect a freelance editor to know anything about the going rate for covers or to have in-house designers.