Fantasy books have always attracted me. It would be simply magical how this one move was able to transfer us, arouse and captivate our minds and imaginations. Also, designers have many options for using their passion for fantasy and turning it into an additional money-spinner.
Designers of all skills have huge potential in fantasy book design. There is an immense world of artistic possibilities ranging from beautiful book covers to complex maps and merchandise.
If fantasy and design work are what you are passionate about, then there’s no reason not to make it a profitable side hustle. However, with some hard work and dedication, you could create a lucrative career in designing fantasy books as well as other media.
It is an amazing experience turning your interest in fantasy into a profitable side hustle. Adherence to these points will get you prepared for the interview.
Why Fantasy Books Are So Popular
I love fantasy books. This is what I always turn to when I want to leave behind reality for some time. Losing myself on a journey into unknown territories, encountering fresh individuals at every step, and delving into their escapades.
Some fantasy books are highly touching. They can discuss love, death, courage, and second chances, among many other things their readers can relate to. I’ve cried over many more fantasy novels than I can remember.
Fantasy books have grown very popular over the last couple of years due to the success of blockbuster franchises like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and The Lord of the Rings. I love seeing that more people are discovering fantasy.
The Power of the Book Cover
A book cover is usually the first impression that potential readers have about an author. The best covers tend to be intricate yet appealing, with a striking ability to capture attention and reflect the essence of the book.
On the other hand, designers have a chance to express creativity with fantasy books’ covers. From wacky doodles to battles of epic proportions, anything is possible! For the purpose of designing the fantasy book cover, one needs to focus on the genre of the book and its intended readership as well as the entire tone of the story.
Here are a few tips for designing effective fantasy book covers:
Choose the right imagery: Imagery on your book cover must appeal to the eyes and have something to do with what’s happening in that book. Moreover, it should elicit feelings that will attract prospective readers into that particular world.
Use typography to your advantage: Apart from that, the typography used for your book cover will produce some mood/atmosphere as well.’); As such, you may employ playful fonts for comedic fantasy novels and more serious handwriting for dark epic fantasies.
Consider the color scheme: The color of your book cover may also have some impact in depicting the mood of the tale. In this regard, you can choose to have vivid colors while illustrating a book for a children’s story of a fantasy genre or darker colors for a mature fantasy novel.
Beyond the Cover: Expanding Your Fantasy Design Horizon
Book covers are important, but there are also many other avenues of involvement in fantasy book design. Here are a few ideas:
Maps: In many fantasy stories, one can find an elaborate map of the realm in which it happened. Such maps can guide readers through the story while ensuring they remain more involved.
Merchandise: A large market of fantasy book merchandise, including bookmarks, T-shirts, and posters. It enables designers to design attractive, trendy designs targeted at fans of both older and younger generations.
Digital design: Fantasy books are not only for printed media. They can design digital assets used in eBooks, audiobooks, and even websites.
Here are some additional tips for expanding your fantasy design:
Develop a unique style: Developing a unique style remains one of the most effective ways to differ from others while standing out. What makes your designs different? How are they different from the designs of other designers? Do not get stuck using one technique or medium as you explore various styles until you come across one you genuinely love.
Be versatile: Although it is necessary to have a specific style, one should also adapt.:- Different authors will have unique needs and preferences, and therefore you need to adjust your style in line with the author’s vision.
Keep up with the trends: Since there is a constant change in the fantasy genre, one should be abreast of all its developments. By doing so, you can come up with innovative designs that capture the essence of contemporary reading.
Rubbing Elbows with the Right Crowd
Networking with authors is arguably one of the better approaches to getting into business as a designer for fantasy books. Authors can be found in social media, book conventions, as well as on online writing forums. Having connected with an author, show him the portfolio and inform him that you want to design their books.
Here are some tips for networking with authors:
Be genuine: Designers whom authors actually care about and trust. Therefore, act naturally while dealing with writers, and concentrate on making friends.
Be helpful: In any way, offer to help authors. It can also entail going through their manuscripts for spelling and grammatical errors, reading their books in order to detect plots where they can be improved upon or giving them suggestions for attractive covers. If you take things one step further, you can impress your future author clients and get more opportunities for future employment.
Be patient: Running any freelancing business is not done overnight or within months. Do not be prepared for overnight starters attracting high net worth clients.” Keep working hard and connecting with a few good authors, and your day will come automatically.
Pricing Your Services
Setting your rates for freelancing is one of the hardest things associated with this kind of work. You need to charge enough to cover your costs and make some profits, but you also do not want to overprice yourself that you will lose clients through this.
Here are a few tips for setting your rates:
Research your competition: Check with other designers in your niche to get information on what they charge for their services. This provides a rough picture of the prevailing market rate.
Factor in your experience and skills: As your experience accumulates, your rates should increase too. Therefore you should take this into consideration while pricing your services.
Consider the scope of work: When pricing a project, include the level of job to be done. This refers to the projected hours that you will spend on the project, the intricacy of the design, and the cash amount offered by your client.
Marketing Yourself
When you have a good portfolio plus you are offering the best deals, then it’s time to market yourself. Here are a few tips:
Create a website: Your site is your online home page. It is a way for prospects to know more about you, see your portfolio and work, and even make some estimates for costs. Ensure that you submit your top samples and provide feedback from satisfied customers. You can utilize customer satisfaction tools to track and display client reviews effectively.
Be active on social media: It is advisable to use social media to reach prospective customers and advertise one’s work. Make sure you post your designs, articles, PowerPoint slides, etc, on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Network with other professionals: Establishing relations with different experts would also promote awareness about you and generate more sales. Go to trade shows, participate in online forums, and contact fellow designers and writers one-on-one.
Conclusion
Fantasy book designing can be fun as well as a great means of turning a passion into a side job. This guide will help you set up your brand new entrepreneurial career as a freelancer and generate designs that will leave readers inspired even after a couple of decades.
Additional Tips for Success
Here are a few additional tips for success as a fantasy book designer:
Be professional: Communicate quickly with your clients and always reach your deadlines. Ensure your work, as it will be submitted, is of a high quality, as it should meet your client’s expectations.
Be open to feedback: Encourage input from clients, customers, and fellow designers. By doing this, you will be able to sharpen your skills and create better models in the future.
Keep learning: As a designer, one is expected always to be updating oneself with new things because, in any case, the fantasy genre is constantly evolving. You should read some new fantasy books, look for other fashion designers’ profiles in social networks, and participate in web training to enhance your profession.
This will serve as an excellent side hustle if it’s what pushes your buttons in terms of fantasy and design. Design something that will take your audience to a fairy tale land.
