Official Website
99design is a design marketplace where authors and businesses can hire designers for book covers, branding, graphics, and visual assets.
🔗 Visit Official Website — 99design
Domain: 99designs.com
What This Marketplace Is
99design is a design marketplace where authors and businesses can hire designers for book covers, branding, graphics, and visual assets. For 📚 Self-Publishing on Amazon KDP, it can help you get a professional book cover or visual identity that fits your genre and improves buyer trust.
How to Use It for Self-Publishing on Amazon KDP
Use 99design as a cover-design and branding marketplace, not just a generic design inspiration site. A strong cover should match genre expectations, communicate the book promise, and work as a small thumbnail on Amazon.
Step-by-Step Implementation:
- Define the book genre, audience, trim size, and format.
- Gather comparable bestselling covers for positioning.
- Write a clear design brief with tone, audience, examples, and requirements.
- Hire or run a design process with commercial rights clarified.
- Check KDP cover dimensions, spine, bleed, and file requirements.
- Test the cover as a thumbnail before publishing.
Best Time to Use This
- When your manuscript or book concept is ready.
- When cover quality affects buyer trust.
- When you need a designer instead of DIY cover work.
Marketplace Strategy
- Start with genre research.
- Write a detailed design brief.
- Clarify usage rights and source files.
- Check KDP technical requirements.
- Avoid covers that look pretty but miss the genre.
Getting Started Steps
- Choose the KDP book format.
- Collect 10 comparable covers.
- Define cover size, subtitle, author name, and back-cover needs.
- Create a design brief.
- Review concepts against genre and thumbnail readability.
- Save final files, source files, and usage-right notes.
Good Beginner Search Terms
- KDP cover design
- book cover design
- paperback cover designer
- Kindle cover designer
- genre cover design
- book cover brief
- 99design book cover
Best Design Types to Look For
- Kindle eBook covers
- Paperback wraparound covers
- Low-content book covers
- Series branding
- Author branding
- Promotional graphics
- Interior-style visual assets
What to Look For in a Good Designer Fit
- Genre-relevant portfolio
- Thumbnail readability
- Clear commercial rights
- KDP format familiarity
- Strong communication
- Source file availability
- Realistic timeline
Red Flags to Avoid
- Designers with no book-cover examples.
- Covers that ignore genre expectations.
- Unclear commercial rights or source-file access.
- Designs using copyrighted images without licensing clarity.
- Missing KDP size, bleed, spine, or file requirements.
Monetization Angle
99design can improve KDP income by helping your book look credible and genre-appropriate. A strong cover can improve click-through rate, but sales still depend on niche, keywords, content quality, pricing, and reviews.
Pros
- Access to professional designers.
- Useful for genre-specific cover quality.
- Can support branding for a book series.
- Helps avoid weak DIY presentation.
Cons
- Paid design costs affect launch budget.
- Quality varies by designer.
- You still need a strong brief.
- A good cover cannot fix weak book positioning.
Who Should Use This
Use this if your KDP book needs a professional cover and you can provide a clear genre-based design brief.
Who Should Skip This
Skip this if you have no book concept, no comparable-cover research, or no budget for design work.
Practical Applications
- Prepare a book-cover brief with genre, audience, format, and required files.
- Compare authorized designer portfolios for relevant cover experience.
- Review concepts against your book and current production specifications.
Important Considerations
- Verify current hiring or contest terms, fees, revisions, and cancellation arrangements.
- Agree rights and source-file delivery and verify font and stock licenses; professional design does not guarantee sales or KDP compliance.
Related Resources
BookBrush — Book cover and promo design tool.
Related Side Hustles
Self-Publishing on Amazon KDP — 99design supports professional KDP cover creation.
Art & Illustration Commissions: Get Paid for Drawing What You Love — Cover work overlaps with commissioned illustration.
Selling Digital Products — Book templates and publishing assets can become digital products.