The deadline to submit your book cover for our December 6 hybrid meeting is November 24.
There are two reasons to submit your cover. One is that after Stephen Rustad gives an overview of cover design, we’ll have a panel of designers giving live critiques of six book covers. We’ll ask for feedback from members and guests as well.
Whether you chose to submit your book for that or not, you can submit your book for our annual cover contest. We’ll vote on the best covers after the presentation and critiques.
You can submit a finished cover or a work in progress that you’re seeking feedback on.
Instructions:
- The contest is open to any book authored by a current BAIPA member, whether you worked with a designer on the cover or you designed it yourself. Any year of publication is fine. (Even if it’s not published yet.) You can submit a cover you’ve submitted before, unless you won. Only one entry per author.
- Deadline is November 24, and you must be a current BAIPA member on that date. If you are not yet a member, you can join here.
- Include your contact information and your genre. Upload a cover that’s at least 1000 pixels wide.
- If you are coming in person, please bring a copy of your book (or your cover) and we will display it. We will also put the covers onto slides that we’ll display at the meeting before we vote. (We’ll also include those slides in the BAIPA email blast on November 30. Everyone present will get three votes. You can vote for your own entry.)
- We will group the books into categories, so there will be multiple winners. Last year, we grouped them into: (a) nonfiction, (b) memoir, (c) mystery & thriller, (d) children’s, and (e) general fiction, historical fiction, and poetry. This year’s categories will be determined by the volume of submissions in each category.
Winners get a free workshop in 2026.
(You can see a short recap of David Kudler’s 2023 presentation on cover design, and the three promises a cover should make here.)
Here are the contest winner from 2024.
Author
One of my favorite things about BAIPA is its culture of generosity, the willingness — even eagerness — to share what we have each learned in the process of bringing stories to life. We provide educational programs, networking, marketing opportunities, encouragement, and information on industry vendors and services. And lots of one-on-one advice and mentoring.
We welcome all who have an interest in making connections within the world of independent publishing and learning more about how to publish and sell their work successfully. Together we are raising the standard of independent publishing and helping our members thrive.
Do join us!
—Becky Parker Geist, BAIPA Board of Directors, President
Quick Resources
Current BAIPA members do not need to register for our monthly meetings. The night before the meetings, they will receive the Zoom info. For workshop registration, currently, members get in free for all workshops and will receive the Zoom info the night before the meetings, as well as in the confirmation email.