99designs

99designs is a design marketplace owned by Vista where authors run a book cover contest or hire one designer directly.

At a glance

Price: From $299 (Book cover contest packages: Bronze $299, Silver $499, Gold $799, Platinum $1,199, excluding sales tax. 1-to-1 projects are estimated at $279 to $999.)
Platforms: Web
Outputs KDP-ready files: Not stated
Touches your KDP account: No
Categories: Cover Design & Mockups
Last checked: 2026-11-09

Summary

In a contest you post a brief, designers from around the world submit concepts (about 30 at the lowest package), and you pick and refine a winner, receiving the copyright and production files. You can also request quotes from a single designer. It is a general design marketplace, not book-specific, so quality varies between designers and you need to give them KDP's trim, bleed and spine specs yourself.

Best for

Seeing many different cover directions before committing

Pros

Many concepts to choose from in one contest
Money-back guarantee on most contests before the final round

Cons

Designers are not KDP specialists; you supply the print specs
Contest pricing is high for a single ebook cover

Alternatives

Fiverr: Fiverr is a freelance services marketplace where KDP publishers buy cover design, formatting, editing and other gigs at seller-set prices.
Reedsy Marketplace: Reedsy Marketplace is a curated freelance marketplace for authors that connects them with vetted editors, cover designers, marketers and translators.
Damonza: Damonza is a New Zealand book design studio for self-publishers that sells custom covers, interior formatting and full launch packages.

Sources

Facts on this page come from the vendor and these pages. Prices change; confirm on the vendor site.

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