10 of the Most Popular Types of Book Design Jobs in 2026

See what kind of roles similar to Book Design jobs are hiring now

Top Types Of Book Design Jobs

• Book Illustrator

  Salary range: $38,500 - $68,000

  The job duties of a book illustrator involve creating images for books. Someone in this career may make illustrations for children’s books or fiction books. A book illustrator may also specialize in designing graphics for nonfiction books or creating cover art for novels. Their responsibilities sometimes include working with the book text. The primary goal of a book illustrator is to create images that fit with the story or subject of the book. The qualifications that you need to start working as a book illustrator typically include art skills and knowledge of graphic design, drawing, and layout for the publishing industry.

• Book Publisher

  Salary range: $34,000 - $93,000

  Book publishers oversee all aspects of the book production process for a publishing firm or an independent book publisher. In this career, you select authors and commission books and ebooks, and negotiate contracts with the authors, and track the writing process so that the author meets publishing deadline. Other responsibilities include working with editors and the marketing team to prepare the book for publication and ensure sales. You may also liaise with copyright lawyers and work with graphic designers, printers, and others to ensure each phase is completed properly throughout the publishing process.

• Freelance Book Designer

  Salary range: $50,500 - $128,500

  As a freelance book designer, your job is to help design the cover and interior of books. In this role, you may work by contract to select photography, purchase an illustration, and help manage the overall layout of the text. Freelance book designers often hire artists or create art themselves. Your goal is to make a cohesive, marketable product that still meets all legal standards for labeling. Many freelance book designers work with self-publishing authors who want independent support, rather than for a specific printing company. This job should not be confused with freelance book graphic design professionals, who only create art for books and do not perform other layout duties.

• Art Director Book Publishing

  Salary range: $121,000 - $127,000

  Art Director Book Publishing is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Art Director Book Publishing jobs pay between $121,000 (25th percentile) and $127,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Art Director Book Publishing job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.

• Remote Book Cover Designer

  Salary range: $45,500 - $65,500

  Remote Book Cover Designer is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Remote Book Cover Designer jobs pay between $45,500 (25th percentile) and $65,500 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Remote Book Cover Designer job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.

• Editorial Designer

  Salary range: $42,000 - $52,000

  Editorial Designer is a common job search query. Most salaries for Editorial Designer jobs pay between $42,000 (25th percentile) and $52,000 (75th percentile) annually. Take a look at the variety of open positions nationwide for Editorial Designer job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• Graphic Designer Publishing

  Salary range: $41,500 - $65,000

  Graphic Designer Publishing is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Graphic Designer Publishing jobs pay between $41,500 (25th percentile) and $65,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Graphic Designer Publishing job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.

• Senior Book Publishing Design

  Salary range: $102,000 - $109,000

  Senior Book Publishing Design is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Senior Book Publishing Design jobs pay between $102,000 (25th percentile) and $109,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Senior Book Publishing Design job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.

• Desktop Publishing

  Salary range: $42,500 - $57,500

  Desktop Publishing is a common job search query. Most salaries for Desktop Publishing jobs pay between $42,500 (25th percentile) and $57,500 (75th percentile) annually. Take a look at the variety of open positions nationwide for Desktop Publishing job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• Freelance Book Cover Design

  Salary range: $50,500 - $128,500

  Freelance Book Cover Design is a typical job search query Most salaries for Freelance Book Cover Design jobs pay between $50,500 (25th percentile) and $128,500 (75th percentile) annually. Take a look at the variety of open positions nationwide for Freelance Book Cover Design job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.