Terms and Conditions
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When working with MerryBookRound, you agree to these terms and conditions. They are meant to guarantee a smooth and easy experience for both parts.

CONFIDENTIALITY

All the information that the client shares with us is considered confidential and will only be used by MerryBookRound to provide the best service. We will not share this information with any third party unless requested to do so by the client.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

First of all we DO NOT use any AI tools to work on our covers. We are firmly against it.

Our work is mainly based on typography/objects covers, however upon request we can design covers featuring human/animals figures, for an extra fee of +50EUR.

They include up to 3 main figures: 2 humans + 1 big animal or 1 human + 2 big animals (like wolves, tigers, bears and so on. Ravens, mice and similar smaller critters have no number limits). If you need more please let me know first, as their cost might change,  according to their complexity. Prices should be around +10/30EUR more, for each extra figure.

Typography/Object covers have a flat fee, no matter how many elements are used the price won’t change.

Usually we are booked several months in advance. So please consider a time-frame of at least 2/3 months when you first contacts us and the beginning of the process.

If you are in a hurry we may give you a bonus slot (if available) set much earlier than our regular schedule. In this case the deadline will be extended because we will work on your project in between others. The peace will be slower (even up to 30 woking days) but you will do not have to wait months before starting your project.

HOW IT WORKS

Before starting any project we ask for a 50% deposit.

The deposit is not refundable*: once we start working on your cover, in case you’ll change your mind during the drafting phase, and decide MerryBookRound won’t be working on your cover anymore for reasons not related to our work (change of style/overall idea), we will keep the deposit but won’t ask for the balance.

*If you really don’t like any of the drafts we’ll show you and  we both agree MerryBookRound won’t be able to achieve your expectations (even if we sticked to your requests), we will refund the 50% deposit (minus Paypal fees).

Accepting payments via PayPal and Bank Transfer. We will send you an invoice a few days before the commission starts. Timescale will be discussed together. As for the balance, it must be paid as soon as you approve the final design of your cover and  are 100% satisfied with it, and before receiving your final product.

Let’s start!

  • At first, you will receive one (or more) draft(s) based on your requests. You can ask for as many changes as you want during this phase but always remaining consistent with your original idea.
  • If you don’t like what you see, we will prepare a second/third draft with your guidance, keeping in mind your feedbacks about what you didn’t like in the previous versions.
  • Please note: if your requests will be very different to one another in between drafts, (if you ask for one thing at first and then ask for a completely different or opposite solution later) we might end up working for a longer time as what first planned, and according to how much work I have to re-do from scratch, an extra fee will also be asked.
  • Once the draft is approved, we will start working in high resolution (and if used, stock images will be purchased). You will still be able to ask for minor changes (such as element position, color or font changes). However, your requests will need to adhere to the approved draft. If you change your mind about the overall design, extra fees will be charged according to how much time consuming these changes are.
  • General turnaround within 10 working days (time waiting for your feedbacks excluded) for the main Front Design. If you selected a lot of add-ons please consider an addition of another 10/20 working days to get everything as well. Upon request the main cover design (with its fullwrap) can be delivered as soon as it’s finalized. While possible add-ons can be shared as they’re ready. Full payment is due before receiving the main cover design export.

MerryBookRound will grant you the exclusive license for the final cover design, but the ownership of said design will remain property of MerryBookRound.

  • The client agrees that they have no right to alter the completed design in any way.
  • MerryBookRound will not provide the client with PSD source files.
  • The stock images used in the making of my designs are not included but I will share their license proofs.
  • All fonts used on book covers are premium fonts, licensed for commercial purposes. Same applies for all the elements used on the cover.
  • The Blank Artwork add-ons only allow commercial usage of the same book the cover was designed for. Feel free to contact us for extended licensing.

Reselling cover designs claiming them as your own product is forbidden, but in case you won’t need the cover anymore, BEFORE proceeding, you might ask permission to re-sell it to someone else. In this case the previous and the new buyer will deal directly with one another and take care of monetary transactions privately. We will provide new titling for free. If the new buyer needs major modifications, extra fees will be needed, but those will be handled between them and MerryBooRound.

WHAT YOU’LL GET

This is what you will get when ordering a book cover form MerryBookRound:

EBOOK COVER

  • One high resolution file (2700×4050 pixels / RGB / 300dpi) in JPEG format.
  • One free 3D mockup (1500×1000 pixels / RGB / 300dpi) to be used as promotional image in JPEG format.

FULLWRAP

Printing versions (Paperback, Hardcover and/or Dust Jacket exports), of the cover following your instruction saved in JPEG and PDF formats.

For Amazon KPD I will only need the trim size, page count and paper color.

If you’re using other printing companies (such as IngramSpark or Bookvault and others) you will need to send us the template they provide you first. If we elaborate a fullwrap (any type) with the wrong size and have to re-do it again, we might need to charge for it twice.

The same applies for big discrepancies in page counts. If the ones given at first ends up to be wrong/very different to following updated ones, extra fees will be asked.

DESIGN OPTIONS
  • Main Cover:  Traditional book cover design.
  • Premium Foil Printing Design:  Design optimized for foil printing. Upon request it can keep the same typography of your original cover, but the overall look and elements will be brand new! It won’t feature a complex background artwork, generally it goes with a solid color or a simple texture. The foil elements are the main focus! If you select this option, one full-wrap export (either paperback or hardcover) is already included. Dust Jacket is available as add-on.
AVAILABLE ADD-ONS
  • Standard Foil Printing Export: It will keep most of the pre-existing elements, in this case typography and a few other elements will be foiled. Overall design will stay the same. It’s meant to be added to your Main Design option.
  • Premium Foil Printing Export: If you want to add more complex foil layers to your traditional book cover design, (unlike the standard option, not just the typography and a few other elements), with frames, outlines, and many more foil elements, you may select this feature (which is meant to be added to your Main Design option). 
  • Standard Sprayed Edges: simple design or texture matching your main book cover.
  • Premium Sprayed Edges: more complex and unique designs for your edges.
  • Standard End Pages: simple design or texture matching your main book cover.
  • Chapter Headers: with either ornamental decoration or simple illustrative designs. Up to five headers included.
  • Standard Bookmark: two sided bookmark with plain design. (not foil)
  • Foil Printing Bookmark: two sides bookmark with foil printing exports.
  • AudioBook Cover: square format (4050×4050 pixels) suitable for Audiobook and Vella Covers in JPEG.
  • Blank Artwork: A smaller resolution file of the cover with separated artwork and typography (1000×1500 pixels)
  • Social media package:
    • Facebook banner for your group/page covers
    • Facebook post images
    • Instagram post images
    • 3D mockups with transparent background of your book.
    • A+ Content Banner(s) – up to three

We can work on the bookmarks, sprayed edges, end-pages, chapter headers add-ons even if we didn’t designed your cover. The CAN be purchased separately.

All the other add-ons are only available if we designed your cover. They CAN’T be purchased separately.

You can see samples of the various add-ons here.

SPECIAL DEALS

LAUNCHING DEAL

  • Main/Front Cover Design (eBook)
  • One full-wrap export (you can choose between paperback and hardcover)
  • Social Media Images
  • Standard Bookmark or Audiobook (you can choose which one you prefer, if you don’t specify default is Bookmark)

PREMIUM PRINTING DEAL

  • Main/Front Cover Design (eBook)
  • One full-wrap export (you can choose between paperback and hardcover)
  • Standard Foil Printing Export (typography based foil)
  • Standard Sprayed Edges
  • Two Sides Foil printing Bookmark
  • End Pages

KICKSTARTER BUNDLE

  • One KS Main Image (top cover)
  • Page Title Headers (unlimited numbers if they keep the same template)
  • KS Post Images (up to five)

FULL PACKAGE DEAL (no longer available for future commissions)

The classic full-package deal is no longer available on the website, but it’s still valid for whoever booked a custom cover with us before January 2025, and for the series continuation of covers realized before 2025. The packages included.

  • Main Design (eBook) + Paperback
  • Blank Artwork: text free blank artwork and separated typography in PNG version.
  • AudioBook Cover: square format (4050×4050 pixels) suitable for Audiobook and Vella Covers in JPEG.
  • Previous Social media package:
    • Facebook Group and Page Covers
    • Facebook Posts Images
    • Instagram Posts Images
    • High resolution Web Header
    • 3D Mockup with transparent background of your book

Hardcovers, Dust Jacket, and Foil exports were NOT included. They can be purchased separately.

You can still reach the mail-form for this classic deal on the website here.

If you select any of the special deals with their special prices, you will have to pay for the services all at once, this mean I will send you two invoices of 50% of the total amount each (for deposit and balance) following the same method described on “how it works”, even if you don’t need everything right away.

If you prefer to pay for certain services only and purchase additions later, please select the single options available.

Any add-on can be purchased individually at a later time.

IMAGE USAGE

The Blank Artwork add-on includes a smaller resolution file of the cover with separated blank artwork and typography. It can be used for commercial purpose of the same book the cover was designed for. only It can’t be used to create new contents and it can’t be altered in any way by adding custom typography. For extended licensing please ask us first.

We use several type of assets to create our covers, and according to their sources, different rules apply:

STOCK IMAGES:

Most of the Royalty Free images used on book covers come from Shutterstock.com, Depositphotos.com

The price for your book cover includes the right to use these images and is limited to a print-run of 500,000 units and 500,000 e-book sales.

For unlimited usage, an additional fee is required (extended license).

Please let us know if you have this necessity.

If you own an image you’d like us to include on your custom cover design, it can be used as long as it’s in high resolution (300dpi / 2081×1400 pixel at least), but most importantly, you will have to let us know where you got it from and if you have the license to use it for commercial purposes. Providing us with your image won’t change the final price of your cover.

Reselling of any kind is forbidden:

In most cases, the images used on book covers are owned by the photographers who took them, and either Shutterstock.com or Depositphotos.com manage their distribution. For this reason they cannot be used and resold in any manner other than in the book cover design itself.

These following conditions are not decided by MerryBookRound and are beyond my control:

•You cannot sell items or give away promotional material, such as cups, t-shirt, bookmarks… with just the final design of the book cover we made for you on them. You would need an extended license of the images used to do so. Let us know if you need one.

•You are allowed to create such items for personal use only.

•However, you can give away material, like flyer, postcards and even bookmarks if you print your personal information on them, as if they were your business cards and if the number of printed copies is within 500k.

MerryBookRound takes no responsibility if you decide to go against these conditions.

For more information on the licensing of images, please visit www.shutterstock.com/licensing and www.depositphotos.com/license.html

3D RENDERS:

We also use 3D images rendered by us using DAZ Studio or Blendr. There’s no limits on the usage of our 3D renders. We provide their extended licenses included in the price of the covers. This means that covers fully designed with 3D renders, come with Extended Licenses perfect for any kind of marketing purposes.

ENVATO:

Another source site we use a lot is envato.com

Assets licensed from Envato are allowed to be used as commercial material for promotional purposes.

When delivering our book covers, we always provide license proofs of all the material used to create the design, so that you can understand the type of usage allowed with each asset.

FULLWRAP – CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Please keep in mind that you should ask for a proof copy of your cover design from your printer before putting your book for sale to check the colors, paper quality and such. MerryBookRound will not be financially or legally responsible for any mistakes your printing service might make.

The client must provide the final size for their print covers, including trim size and final page count.

Be sure to share the correct information/templates before letting us work on the files.

Otherwise tasks will need to be re-done and this mean extra time, efforts and fees needed to be applied.

If you’re publishing your book through Amazon KDP, we will only need the trim size, paper color and page count (including authors notes, table of contents or any other information you put before and after your story)

We cannot take responsibility if any of the information supplied by the client is incorrect.

If you’re using other printing companies (such as IngramSpark or Bookvault and others) you will need to send us the template they provide you first.

REVISIONS

After a cover is approved and finalized, no further revisions are allowed for free. You can ask for new modifications for an extra cost – prices according to how much time consume the request will be.

If we elaborate a fullwrap (any type) with the wrong size and have to re-do it again, we might need to charge for it twice. The same applies for big discrepancies in page counts. If the ones given at first ends up to be wrong/very different to following updated ones, extra fees will be asked.

TIMESCALE

When you book a slot usually it takes no more than 10 working days to finalise a cover (time waiting for your feedbacks excluded). Unless, for some reasons, the drafting phase will take longer than expected because a lot of new ideas are introduced at a later stage.

If you selected a lot of add-ons please consider an addition of another 10/20 working days to get everything as well.

Upon request the main cover design (with its fullwrap) can be delivered as soon as it’s finalized. While possible add-ons can be shared as they’re ready. Full payment is due before receiving the main cover design export.

Usually we are booked several months in advance. So please consider a time-frame of at least 2/3 months when you first contacts us and the beginning of the process.

But if you are in a hurry we may give you a bonus slot (if available) set much earlier than our regular schedule. In this case the deadline will be extended because we will work on your project in between others. The peace will be slower (even up to 30 woking days) but you will do not have to wait months before starting your project. It’s up to you.

 

PAYMENTS

We accept payments via PayPal and Bank Transfer. No payment plans are allowed. 

ATTRIBUTION

Crediting is optional but very much appreciated. Client can add credits to MerryBookRound by adding “Cover design by MerryBookRound”. Thank you!