TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. Getting started

Once you’ve decided my style is the right fit for your project, reach out via email, Facebook Messenger, or the contact form. I’ll confirm availability—including rush options if you’re on a tight deadline—and secure your project start date. No deposit required!

2. Sharing your vision

Next, you’ll share your project details. For book covers, this includes your genre, core tropes/themes, key plot points, character descriptions, and any visual elements to include or avoid. Whether you prefer sharing a Pinterest mood board, supplying custom photography, or keeping it brief in an email, I adapt to your style.

3. Drafts & collaboration

Once work begins, I typically supply your first draft within 7 days of our agreed start date. This initial draft serves as a creative starting point based on your brief. Together, we’ll refine the design through revisions until we have a final look we both love.

4. Payment & file delivery

When the final look is agreed upon, I’ll prepare your high-resolution digital files (books will be formatted for Amazon KDP, Smashwords, Google Play, Rakuten Kobo, Apple Books, Draft2Digital, and Barnes and Noble (Nook), as well as free promotional graphics) and send your invoice via PayPal.

Payment is required immediately upon invoicing. As soon as payment clears, your final files will be delivered immediately via Google Drive. (Paperback full wraps are finalized once your interior formatting, final page count, and printer specifications are ready—this can occur anywhere within 12 months from your initial booking).

Note: Late payments remaining unpaid after 48 hours will incur an administrative fee.

Ready to get started?

Get in touch to check availability

Pilcrow Design Studio

By engaging the services of Pilcrow (operated by Ben Ellis), you ("the Client") agree to be bound by the following Terms & Conditions.

1. Payment & booking

• Booking & no deposits: Pilcrow does not require an upfront deposit to secure your project booking. By booking a slot in our design schedule, you commit to completing the project and paying the final invoice upon completion.

• Pricing & currency: All fees are quoted and charged in Australian Dollars (AUD) value unless explicitly agreed upon in writing prior to project commencement. International client invoices will reflect the currency conversion rate at the time of processing. Invoicing is processed via PayPal, though direct bank transfer can be arranged upon request.

• Payment terms: Payment is due immediately upon agreement of the final design look and once your invoice has been issued.

• Release of deliverables: High-resolution print PDFs, web graphics, and final approved deliverables will only be released once full payment has cleared via Google Drive.

• Late payments & admin fees: Late payments remaining unpaid after 48 hours will incur an initial $35 AUD administrative late fee to cover account management and file-holding administration. An additional $35 AUD fee will accrue for each subsequent week (7 days) the invoice remains outstanding. Late payment may also result in project suspension, refusal or cancellation of future bookings, or debt recovery action.

2. Creative process, scope, & revisions

• Included revisions: Projects include up to three (3) rounds of revisions during the draft stage. Revisions cover minor layout changes, text edits, color adjustments, and minor visual tweaking.

• Additional revisions: If your project exceeds three (3) rounds of revisions, additional edits will be charged at $40 AUD per revision round. Pilcrow will notify you prior to performing any additional billable revision work.

• Draft confidentiality: Draft images and preliminary designs are supplied for client eyes only and are not to be shared publicly or with third parties (including family, friends, peers, or other designers) without Pilcrow's explicit written permission.

• Inactivity & schedule: To ensure efficient file management and scheduling, paperback cover parameters (final blurb, trim size, exact page count, paper color, printer specs) must be finalized within 12 months of project commencement. If your project extends beyond this timeframe, original design files may no longer be available, and completing the work may be subject to additional archive retrieval fees or a full redesign fee.

3. Deliverables & file storage

• Logo deliverables: Final logo designs will be supplied in high-resolution transparent PNG format. Source files (e.g., Adobe Illustrator .ai or .psd) can be provided for an additional fee for rights ownership.

• Book cover deliverables: Final full book cover wraps will be supplied in print-ready PDF format tailored to your specified printer, alongside promotional JPG graphics for ebook and digital marketing.

• Series recovers: Pilcrow will supply only one (1) set of free promotional images for a series recover, not individual promo image suites for each standalone title in the series.

• Paperback formatting fees: Paperback cover licensing and formatting is for a single retailer/printer specification (e.g., Amazon KDP). Additional printer setups (e.g., IngramSpark, local printers) requiring separate spine width or bleed adjustments are charged at $50 AUD per additional retailer/setup.

• File archiving: Where possible, original source files (Adobe PSD and AI) may be kept for a period of up to five (5) years prior to deletion. Pilcrow is not liable for file loss beyond final delivery.

4. Intellectual property & licensing

• Book cover licensing: Fees paid for Pilcrow's services grant the Client an exclusive, worldwide, perpetual license to use the final artwork for book promotion, print, web, ebook, and merchandise for the specified title.

  • All artwork created is owned by Pilcrow (Ben Ellis) and protected by copyright law bound by worldwide laws in force. No full title or underlying intellectual property rights to raw elements are transferred to you.

  • You cannot sell the artwork as a standalone visual file or claim the visual design as your own creation.

  • Traditional Publishers: If a traditional publisher wishes to use the book cover design (or parts/elements of it), they must contact Pilcrow directly at ben@pilcrow.design as an additional licensing fee is involved. Negotiations will not be conducted through the author.

• Logo ownership: Upon full payment of all applicable fees (including source file transfer fees), full intellectual property ownership of the final approved logo mark is transferred to the Client.

• Artwork alterations: You are not authorized to edit, alter, or manipulate the final artwork in any way. If you require alterations, please consult Pilcrow, as Pilcrow retains the option to make updates to original work (subject to standard revision fees once final files have been delivered).

• Credit & attribution: For book covers, ©Pilcrow must be printed in your book's bibliographic/copyright page information. For example:
  Book cover design © Pilcrow

• Portfolio & promotion: Pilcrow reserves the right to use completed artwork and preliminary concepts for promotion on web or in print. Pilcrow will respect your reveal timeline and will not post to social media or website portfolios until after you have made your public announcement. The Client agrees to tag @pilcrowdesignstudio in initial cover reveal posts on Facebook and Instagram (business name 'Pilcrow') and credit Pilcrow with creation.

• Termination & non-payment: In the event of contract termination or lack of payment, Pilcrow retains full ownership of all designs and reserves the right to complete, exhibit, and/or resell any created designs.

5. Stock imagery, AI policy, & legal liabilities

• AI-free zone policy: Pilcrow is an AI-free zone. We rely on artistic talent and the Adobe Creative Suite. We will always do our best to avoid using AI-generated images in your designs.

  • Stock Platform Disclaimer: AI-generated images are sometimes difficult to identify and are not always flagged correctly on third-party stock websites. While Pilcrow actively filters stock material, Pilcrow cannot guarantee third-party stock platforms are 100% free of undetected AI content.

• Stock image rights: All stock images used are licensed—not owned—by either Pilcrow or the Client. They are non-exclusive and can be licensed by others.

  • Illustrated & Custom Limits: Stock images and stock illustrations have limits. If your character requires specific poses, attributes, or handcrafted styles unavailable in standard stock libraries, you may need to purchase exclusive artwork directly from an illustrator/photographer under a separate agreement.

• Tattoo & model copyright aware: All efforts are made to remove copyrighted material (e.g., brand names, visible logos) from stock photography. Please point out visible trademarks or tattoos prior to your project start date.

  • Tattoo Notice: Tattoo artists hold copyright over their tattoo designs. Featuring tattooed models on book covers creates derivative works. While legal risk of litigation is considered extremely low, the Client accepts awareness of this industry-wide legal gray area.

• Client-supplied materials & indemnity: When supplying photography, images, or text to Pilcrow, it is assumed done so with rights-cleared permission. No fault or liability is accepted by Pilcrow for inaccurate or misleading permission information provided by the Client. The Client agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Pilcrow (Ben Ellis) from any legal claims or damages arising from client-supplied assets.

• Limitation of liability: Pilcrow's total financial liability for any claim arising out of services provided shall not exceed the total fees paid by the Client for the specific project.

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For any questions regarding privacy or cookie usage, please contact ben@pilcrow.design.