Terms of Service

Should you have questions regarding any of these terms, please do not hesitate to request clarification via email ( [email protected] ) prior to completing the Questionnaire & Agreement.

(as of 3/2026)

The following Terms of Service form an agreement between the Client (“you”) and Reese Dante (“us”, “we”, or “our”). This licensing agreement applies to any digital or printed materials created by Reese Dante. For clarity and ease of reading, the terms "art", "artwork", "design", and "cover" may be used interchangeably throughout this agreement when referring to "cover art."

Confidentiality

All Client information and material received are considered confidential and only to be used by Reese Dante. No information will be shared with third parties unless requested by the Client.

Pricing and Fees

Pricing information the Client receives is based on the initial information provided in the manuscript questionnaire. Additional information supplied after project commencement or requested changes in the agreed direction of the design may increase the initial price. The Client will be notified if a price increase is expected before any additional work is completed.

Standard payment terms are 50% deposit and 50% balance due upon final design approval. At Reese Dante’s discretion, the deposit requirement may be reduced. Once balance/final payment is received, Reese Dante will send the final file to the Client, and this contract will be considered completed.

Reese Dante retains the right to discontinue, withhold, or suspend services for any project should payments not be completed within 14 days of invoicing.

Client Responsibilities

The Client acknowledges that they have obtained all rights and permissions to publish the manuscript for which the design project is being commissioned.

The Client acknowledges they have the required power and authority to enter into this agreement and further confirms that they accept full responsibility for the payment of fees.

If print artwork is commissioned, the Client acknowledges they are responsible for any errors related to the content of the provided blurb.

For interior formatting services, it is the Client’s responsibility to provide a final, fully edited and proofed version of the manuscript. The Client acknowledges that any edit requests after the formatting work begins may incur an additional cost.

The Client is fully responsible for proofing the book cover design or any other products provided by Reese Dante before giving the final approval.

It is strongly suggested that the Client requests a proof from the printer before publishing or ordering printed artwork. Reese Dante will not be held financially or legally responsible for any problems, costs, fees, or expenses incurred by the Client as a result of using the book cover design.

The Client acknowledges there is a fee for changes requested after the delivery of final files.

The Client agrees to comply with the terms of this agreement.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Restriction

Client agrees to NOT upload a Reese Dante design to a machine learning site or resource designed to generate AI-artwork and/or train AI models.

Licensing and Image Usage

Reese Dante will not work with public domain materials.

Reese Dante secures the appropriate usage licenses for assets incorporated into the design (e.g. royalty-free; commercial use). Usage licenses are non-transferable, so the Client will not receive these assets upon project completion. The copyrights to the original photos, graphics, source code, or resources remain the property of its respective owners.

Additional fees may apply if the client requests assets from a third-party vendor that Reese Dante does not typically use.

Reese Dante licenses royalty-free images from stock vendors. The Client is required to comply with the stock license agreements if images sourced from these sites are used in the design.

The standard royalty-free image license typically allows for unlimited digital impressions and eBook sales but sets print limits of physical copies. Print limits vary by stock vendor. If the Client anticipates large print runs, then arrangements must be made to purchase an Extended License. Fees associated with these Extended Licenses are the sole responsibility of the Client. As an example, Reese Dante uses iStock Photo as the preferred stock vendor for licensing royalty-free images. They offer a print run limit of 500,000 physical copies. Details on the licensing of iStock images can be found in the “standard license” information here: https://www.istockphoto.com/help/licenses.

If the Client wishes to use third-party content (an illustration commissioned by another artist or a licensed image from a photographer), they are solely responsible for securing the proper licensing for the project usage. Proof of licensing is required before third-party content can be incorporated into the project unless Reese Dante has worked with or is familiar with the third-party and their licensing terms. If the Client is unable to secure the proper rights or is unable to supply proof of licensing before project commencement, Reese Dante reserves the right to decline the use of the content in the project. When third party content is used, the Client agrees to indemnify, hold harmless, and defend Reese Dante and its officers from copyright and permission infringement actions caused by any third-party content the Client provides.

Publishing Rights

Upon receipt of full payment, Reese Dante grants the Client the exclusive licensed rights to the final design for use with their book for the specific commissioned format(s).

Licensing is required for each format. eBook, print editions, audiobook, and language translations. Additional licensing can be purchased at any time.

The Client understands that they or another artist has no right to alter the final cover design in any way (this includes, but is not limited to, cropping, stretching, or distorting the art) except to resize for printing or digital display as long as the final size retains the same aspect ratio. If the Client desires any alterations, they will consult Reese Dante regarding the change. The Client understands that an additional fee may be required to make these alterations.

The Client may not extract the image from the design to use for other purposes. e.g. Strip a portion of the cover art to use as a background or header.

Reese Dante retains copyright ownership of all design and draft materials. We also retain the right to display designs as examples of our work anywhere on the internet or as hard copies and to have the cover design entered into any contests if deemed appropriate.

Swag/Promotional items and Merchandise:

Definitions:
Promotional items (a.k.a. swag) are those items which the recipient receives at a price of $0.00.
Merchandise (a.k.a. for-sale items) are items (other than the actual book) that are sold with a list price of more than $0.01.

The Client has the right to use the cover art, in its entirety, on a promotional item.
The Client is NOT permitted to use the cover art on merchandise.

If the Client wishes to use the art beyond the standard usage, the Client is responsible for securing an Extended License for each image used in the design. It is best to convey this information BEFORE project commencement so that costs can be minimized. Extended licenses are not included in the design price.

File Delivery

The final formatted file of the approved design will be digitally delivered by Reese Dante. The file format and size delivered is dependent upon the commissioned design. e.g. Book covers are delivered as flat JPG files. Print wraps are delivered as ready-to-upload PDF files based on specs provided by the Client.

If the Client requires other sizes of the cover in the same aspect ratio, those will also be provided upon request.

Reese Dante does not provide layered/source files. There are no exceptions.

Statement Requirement

When using stock images, we require the following disclaimer to be listed on your copyright page (book interior):

Cover content is for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted on the cover is a model.

Attribution

For cover art commissions:
Design credit can be listed as follows:

Cover Design by Reese Dante   reesedante.com

For print interior formatting work:
Credit can be listed as follows:

Interior book design & formatting by Reese Dante   reesedante.com

Cancellation Policy

Either party may cancel this agreement prior to commencement by providing email notification to the other party. In this instance, neither the Client nor Reese Dante is under further obligation to the other, and this contract will be considered cancelled.

Once a cover design project begins, if the Client should stop or cancel a project, or does not respond to emails after several attempts for 30 days, the Client agrees that any payments made would then become a project "kill fee" and will be forfeited to cover the cost of resources and time taken during the project up to the point of cancellation. At which time, the project will terminate with no further amounts due.

Reese Dante tries to satisfy the Client’s cover design requests and may complete multiple rounds of design concepts. If it is determined that none of the mocks meet with the Client’s approval and we cannot meet an agreement regarding the direction of the design, Reese Dante can elect to terminate the project. Issuing a refund of any monies received would be at our discretion.

Upon cancellation or termination of a project, the client must return and/or destroy any design mocks, including sketches, comps, or other preliminary materials. Reese Dante retains all rights to any designs prepared including the right to use the design for other projects.

Liabilities

Reese Dante is not liable for incidental, indirect, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages of any kind, including loss of revenues or profits, loss of business or reputation, or loss of data, in any way related to our services. Reese Dante is not responsible for any claim, loss, or injury based on errors or any other inaccuracies appearing on our site or in our clients’ written documents, including without limitation as a result of any breach of the terms and conditions of this agreement. Any claim against Reese Dante and its officers shall be limited to the fee paid by Client.

No Resale

Client agrees to not relicense or sell a design created by Reese Dante.

Company Rights

Reese Dante reserves the right to refuse to work with any Client or refuse any project.

The current Terms of Service supersede any previous agreement distributed in any form.

Reese Dante reserves the right to change any rates, terms, or add services, at any time and without prior notice except for projects that have begun, and an agreement is already in place.

Reese Dante reserves the right to revoke a license if the Client breaches the terms of this agreement.

Anti-Assignment Provision

Client may not assign, subcontract, delegate, or transfer, in whole or in part, their rights or obligations under this Agreement without Reese Dante’s prior written consent. Reese Dante may not assign, subcontract, delegate, or transfer their rights or obligations under this Agreement without the Client’s prior written consent except to an individual or organization where an existing Reese Dante officer retains owner interest and remains responsible for all obligations under this Agreement.

Severability

The finding of any provision of this agreement to be invalid or unenforceable does not render the remaining provisions invalid or unenforceable.

Modification of Agreement

This Agreement may not be altered, amended, modified, or changed except by a subsequent written agreement executed by authorized representatives of both parties.

Entire Agreement

This contract is the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all previous agreements. No additional promises or conditions, written or oral, apply to this agreement.