Book Cover needed for Middle Grades Mystery/Adventure novel

1776 Press

1776 Press is a publishing company that specializes in children's and middle grades fiction.

Creative cover designer wanted for a middle grades novel.

1776 Press is seeking a creative cover designer for its newest middle-grades novel, “The Document.” The target audience is children, ages 8-12. We would like to harness the creativity of all the talented designers who wish to work on this so the criteria will be somewhat open. We are seeking a design for the cover, spine, and back-cover. While the prize money should certainly be a dangling carrot to win this contest, the opportunity to have your design/artwork on a book that will be widely marketed, especially in schools, should be an inspiration as well.

1) The background/backdrop of the entire cover (all sides) should be an old piece of paper, like a piece of parchment that would have been use to write the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. I attached a sample of what I mean, which you are welcome to use if the quality is good enough, but feel free to use something else. HOWEVER, maybe having a background/backdrop using an old piece of paper is hampering a different but fantastic idea. If so, please submit a sample of what you are thinking as I am open to other great ideas. This will be a 5 by 8 book.

2) The title of the novel, The Document, and author, Brendan D. Lynch, should be displayed on the front cover as well as the spine.

3) The cover – be creative. This book is about two kids and a grandfather who are searching for a document that George Washington hid in Wethersfield, CT on his way to Boston during the American Revolution. The document is now worth millions of dollars and another treasure hunter is hot on their trail and their paths cross later in the novel. There should be a sense of mystery/adventure on the cover. Feel free to incorporate the main characters into the cover (illustration, real photos, etc.) or do something else. If you choose to use the characters, a description is listed below.

The novel focuses on two 11-year-old kids (a boy and a girl). Below is a description of the two kids:

Garrett: “About five feet tall with curly brown hair, chestnut eyes, and a perpetual tan…”
Kylie: “With blue eyes that matched a cloudless sky and blond hair pulled into a ponytail, he imagined that she would be a model someday.”

4) The back cover should include a description of the novel (see below) and the bar code with ISBN, which is already on the template. It should also say "Cover design by YOUR NAME" in very small print above the bar code. It should also have "1776 Press" written somewhere on the cover (small print) with a small American Flag above that. The flag graphic is attached, but feel free to alter it an any way to get it to blend. Other than that – be creative.

FOR BACK COVER:

Two years ago, when eleven-year-old Garrett Turner moved to Wethersfield, Connecticut he thought the most exciting thing about his new life was having a real backyard. Now, Garrett and his best friend, Kylie, are thrown into a mysterious treasure hunt for an extremely valuable document hidden by George Washington over 200 years ago. As they begin to unravel the clues and solve the codes that Washington used to hide the document, they learn that they are not the only ones searching for it. Trouble is close behind - will Garrett and Kylie find the document before danger finds them?

I attached a copy of design instructions from LSI (the printing company) as well as templates for PDF and In Design formats. If the cover is kicked back to me from the printer for technical errors due to the cover, the winning designer must be willing to fix that for me to ensure this can be printed. This book is being fast-tracked and will be going to print shortly after a cover has been created. Thank you all in advance and please don’t hesitate to ask questions. I will be following the designs closely and frequently over the week.