DesignCrowd

DesignCrowd runs crowdsourced design contests where you set your own prize budget and dozens of designers from a global pool submit concepts to your brief. The book cover category is explicitly supported, with historical contests attracting 18–66 designers submitting 50–239 designs depending on prize size and contest length.

• Best for: Authors who want flexible pricing rather than fixed tiers, and value seeing many concepts before committing
• Pricing: Set-your-own prize from ~$99 (smallest package, 1–3 designs) up to $700+ at the high end. Add a posting fee of up to $129, a 4% non-refundable transaction fee, and an optional 20% project management fee on packages $200+ — a $500 prize realistically costs $520+ all-in
• Contest duration: Choose 3, 5, or 10 days; first concepts arrive within 24 hours
• Designer pool: Globally the second-largest after 99designs; no Bronze/Gold/Platinum tier filters means you cannot reliably target experienced designers
• Copyright caveat: Per their own terms, non-logo work (including book covers) "may include items the designer does not have the copyright for" — you receive a print/display license but copyright on stock assets stays with third parties. Always require designers to provide stock-image license documentation in the author's name
• Money-back guarantee: Available if no suitable design is received and a winner is not selected