Middle-Grade Fantasy Book Cover Designer + Series Brand Assets

Hello,
I am looking for an experienced book cover designer/illustrator to create a professional cover for my upcoming middle-grade fantasy adventure novel, Amelia and the Secret of Stonehenge, by A.K. Hart.

This is the first book in a planned series, so ideally I am looking for a designer I can build a long-term working relationship with and continue working with on future books.

I already have an existing cover concept, but I am looking for a fresh creative interpretation rather than a recreation of it.

The story follows Amelia, a young girl who discovers that Stonehenge is hiding far more than anyone realises. She encounters Max, a boy made of living stone, and becomes drawn into a hidden world of ancient races, secret passages, shadow creatures and long-hidden secrets.

Stonehenge is central to the story and should be one of the strongest visual hooks on the cover.

The book is aimed at readers aged approximately 8 to 12, but I particularly want the cover to appeal to the 10 to 12 age group. I do not want it to look overly young, cute, cartoonish or childish. It should feel like a genuine middle-grade fantasy adventure, with mystery, discovery, ancient secrets and a slight sense of danger, while remaining exciting rather than frightening.

I am open to different creative approaches. Amelia and/or Max may appear if appropriate, but I do not want to restrict the designer to a predetermined character composition. I am also open to a more atmospheric or symbolic approach.

The cover must also work well at small Amazon/Kindle thumbnail size. Ideally, I would like 2 to 3 genuinely different initial concepts before choosing the direction to develop.

The same core design will be adapted across different editions. There are two trim sizes: one for paperback and one for hardback.

The paperback requires a full front, spine and back cover wrap. The hardback requires its own full wrap at a different trim size.

There will be two hardback versions: a Standard Hardback Edition for general publication, and a Kickstarter Hardback Edition using the same design but with a specially designed Kickstarter Edition emblem or badge.

I am not asking for three different designs, but one strong core design adapted correctly for the paperback, standard hardback and Kickstarter hardback editions.

Exact templates, trim sizes and spine widths will be supplied once the final typeset page count is available. The books are intended for KDP and IngramSpark, so relevant print-production experience would be useful.

Because this is the first book in a series, I would also like a small number of reusable visual assets, such as a Kickstarter Edition emblem, a simple series emblem or symbol, a Stonehenge or stone-inspired icon, and small decorative elements for the book, website, social media or promotional material.

The project should ideally include 2 to 3 initial concepts, development of the selected concept, final cover artwork and typography, paperback full wrap, standard hardback full wrap, Kickstarter hardback variant, high-resolution eBook/front cover, agreed supplementary assets, print-ready files for KDP and IngramSpark, and high-resolution/source files where appropriate.

I will require full commercial usage rights. Please explain whether copyright ownership of the commissioned artwork is transferred to me, what source/master files are supplied, and whether there are any restrictions on using or adapting the artwork for future books, websites, social media, promotional material or merchandise.

When applying, please provide relevant middle-grade, fantasy, adventure or children's publishing examples, a brief explanation of how you would approach this cover, whether you personally create the illustration and typography, whether generative AI is used at any stage, what files are included, your copyright terms, estimated timescale, number of concepts and revision rounds, and confirmation that your quote includes all three production versions.

Please also confirm whether you would be interested in working on future books in the series. I would prefer to establish a long-term relationship with one designer and maintain a consistent visual identity.

The listed £800 budget is indicative. I am willing to consider higher proposals from designers with a strong relevant portfolio and the right creative approach.

There is no advantage to submitting immediately. I would much rather receive a considered response than a generic proposal sent quickly.

The project will remain open for submissions until 31 August 2026. I intend to review and shortlist the strongest proposals on 31 August and 1 September.

I am not expecting finished artwork or free speculative design work as part of your proposal. At this stage, I am primarily interested in your portfolio, understanding of the project and proposed approach.

I can provide shortlisted designers with the manuscript, synopsis, character references, existing artwork and previous cover concept.