Cover revisions. When you can't reach your former artist

[alhawke]

I'm looking into converting an ebook cover to an audio cover for an audiobook project. Thing is... I haven't spoken with the artist in three years. If I can't reach her with correspondence, how much can I adapt the ebook cover? I think, and dread, that the cover will have to be completely remade if I can't work with the original artist. Right???

[Post-Crisis D]

Depends upon what kind of agreement/contract you had with the cover artist.

[alhawke]

What if no contract? The art is unique and copyrighted upon release, like our writing, I'd think.

One option is not altering the ebook and just adding a background. But I think that would look unprofessional.

A related question is: can you adapt prior covers, typography and content, with a different cover artist?

In my current case, I'm just worried about not getting in touch with her. But I have other projects that I bet I'll need redos and changes in the future too.

[LilyBLily]

Conveniently, my first cover artist died. So I bought licenses for the basic images she'd used and sent them to another cover artist and had the cover mostly redone. Did I have the original Photoshop file? Nope. All I had were what I'd been provided for ebook and print.

If you can't contact your original cover designer, you might try an image search and do the same thing; then you'd be free to use any designer with the updates. The cover designer may hold copyright to the cover they designed, but they don't hold the rights to the images used unless they drew them themselves. This assumes your original designer didn't do extensive alterations of the licensed images. Some designers do, but others don't.

[alhawke]

This assumes your original designer didn't do extensive alterations of the licensed images. Some designers do, but others don't.

Many times, artists can find the stock photos. But , unfortunately, there is a lot to the final design.

[Post-Crisis D]

If you get a hold of the cover artist, it would probably be a good idea to work out a written agreement, and possibly get layered PSD files, so you won't have to worry about this in the future.

[djmills]

If you get a hold of the cover artist, it would probably be a good idea to work out a written agreement, and possibly get layered PSD files, so you won't have to worry about this in the future.

Absolutely this advice. 

That way you can change text or the image or add colours in new layers to slightly change the image or text for the next novel in the same series.

[alhawke]

If you get a hold of the cover artist, it would probably be a good idea to work out a written agreement, and possibly get layered PSD files, so you won't have to worry about this in the future.

That's very organized, good advice. Probably depends on how comfortable the artist is in arranging that. They'd have the right to say no.

Interestingly, Damon Za is the only artist who ever thought to offer me stock photos as part of their service with every project. I never thought why. Now I get why.

[TimothyEllis]

Which cover are you talking about?

[alhawke]

This particular project is for my Phantom book. But the topic is for my many other titles and for future planning.

I was fortunate to get in touch with my epic fantasy cover artist last month for revisions--and he did them complimentary.  In that case, I changed the order around my series.

When planning future projects, translation/audio, it's becoming more nail biting for my other covers. The artists are busy. And if I can't adjust their past work, it's going to be costly to redo new covers (though I see this is done commonly with trad books, particularly translations).

[TimothyEllis]

This particular project is for my Phantom book.

Post it so we can see it.

[alhawke]

It's right on my signature footer. Phantom Masquerade, my last book listed on my cover list on Writer Sanctum. The purple circus one.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FNRF2QR

It's been under a week, so I'm impatient as always. I'm just anxious because the book was published 3 years ago and I haven't corresponded with the artist till now. It's also one of my personal top favorite covers (hence my anxiety, because I'd like to continue the same look for audio). I really started the thread to see if anyone else, like LilyBLily, has ran into this and what they've done. I don't create my own covers.

I can't see any way to simply modify a new version even if I had stock photos from what's there. It's pretty elaborate and doctored from any original stock, I'm guessing.

[TimothyEllis]

Have you tried just converting it to a square?

 

[Post-Crisis D]

Have you tried just converting it to a square?

 

Cropping it to a square would make it look unfinished since, in order to retain the title, the bottom flourishes would need to be cut off.

[Post-Crisis D]

Plus the cropping would cut the woman around her knees which is not a recommended area to crop a human figure.

[alhawke]

Cropping it to a square would make it look unfinished since, in order to retain the title, the bottom flourishes would need to be cut off.

I was considering this. But I agree.  The look is what I'm worried about. But it's an easy option that would not affect her artwork.

[Lynn]

Pull out the colors for a similar background, use the same font, and don't include the actual art. Throw in a candelabra or mask and it'll look familiar but won't infringe.

[Cabbages and kings]

If you get a hold of the cover artist, it would probably be a good idea to work out a written agreement, and possibly get layered PSD files, so you won't have to worry about this in the future.

What are layered PSD files?

[Post-Crisis D]

What are layered PSD files?

Photoshop files where the layers are retained instead of flattened.

[LilyBLily]

Many cover artists refuse to turn over PSD files to authors. None of mine ever have, and I've blown through half a dozen designers. It's kind of silly. They can't use the covers for anything else.

I've been lucky with the audiobooks I've done for Google Play. I was able to make the existing covers square in Canva without destroying the images. But my covers tend to be simple. It won't work for every cover.

[Post-Crisis D]

Many cover artists refuse to turn over PSD files to authors.

That's why it's best to ask beforehand.  If they refuse, then find another cover designer.

Buy all rights, if possible.  Then you needn't worry about making changes or altering the cover for other purposes in the future.  Or even making t-shirts, mugs, grocery bags, etc.

If stock art is used, ask for a list of images used with links/IDs, where they were licensed from and usage rights so you'll know if you need to re-license them in the future for other uses and so you'll be able to find and re-license them if you do need to do so.

[TimothyEllis]

I've been lucky with the audiobooks I've done for Google Play. I was able to make the existing covers square in Canva without destroying the images. But my covers tend to be simple. It won't work for every cover.

Mine as well. They tend to go square really nicely, and any distortion actually works, Tends to make my ships longer, and for most of them, that actually looks good.

I'd like to see this one just made square just to see what happens to it.

[alhawke]

I played around with Book Brush and expanded the size to fit a 3000 by 3000 px square (this is the dimensions for Findaway Audio). It doesn't work. The upper typography is in the way.

Wait... just realized she gave me an image without typography.

I have the original file without the typography. I could do this, but I really want to check with the artist for permission first. If I just expand the image, I could add typography of my own without bothering her to redo...  It's another option.

[Post-Crisis D]

For the love of whatever holy deity you believe in, absolutely do not disproportionately resize a rectangular cover image to a square unless you want your audiobook to scream "rank amateur."  It's a quality paperback cover image so, holy freaking hot tamales Batman, don't squash it down into a freaking square.

[alhawke]

No, Post-Crisis, I disagree. You can enlarge the ebook file easily into the dimensions of a square. You get a different image because the front model becomes enlarged and the image falls out of the square background, but the resolution of the original is good enough so that it still works. If it was my cover, I'd just do this. With my copy without typography, it actually looks really good (Timothy, I rather not show the image without the artist's permission as it's an altered version of her original work).

It's an interesting solution. Is it still viable? I could still credit her and just add typography. I can ask her to do this as an option.

Problem is I think I'm back to square one. I still think I need her approval because it alters the look of her art.

[PJ Post]

Um...the latest version of Photoshop has Firefly Auto Fill - which is a generative AI tool. It can expand and manipulate the image kind of however you want.

Examples:

Many cover artists refuse to turn over PSD files to authors.

That's why it's best to ask beforehand.  If they refuse, then find another cover designer.

That's harsh.

Most corporations demand the photoshop files as part of the contract, specifically so an in-house artist can do any necessary revisions and they can cut the freelance artist right out of the picture. See ya! 

So, from the artist's perspective, it's reasonable to assume that any potential client demanding the photoshop files is probably trying to do the same thing, so they might not see that as a good fit, especially for smaller contracts.

[LilyBLily]

The problem with always having to go back to the original artist for any changes is they get snippy about changes. They are busy doing new covers, and changes to a cover that is complete are not profitable for them.

My Google Play audiobook covers look fine. I just took the main licensed images and let them fill the square. I own the licenses to those images, not the cover designer. A complex cover design is another matter.

We use a lot of service providers. Sometimes those providers go AWOL, and then what do we do? The more control we have, the better it is for us.