Like it or not, readers do judge a book by its cover. You can tell the best story in the world, but unless people pick up the book in the first place, nobody will ever know. For most writers who choose the self-publishing route, the cover represents the biggest investment apart from editing, so it’s important to get it right.
Choosing covers for my own books was a real struggle, mainly because they cross several genres. Which elements should I emphasise? The romance? The suspense? The humour?
My first book was Trouble in Paradise, and at first I made the mistake of picking a cover that was too dark. This was my original version:
I soon realised that while the divers might be a big part of the storyline, the tone of the cover didn’t reflect the light-heartedness of the book. So I swapped it out for a new version:
The Blackwood series was a lot more difficult. Although the first three books are part-romance, part-thriller, they’re also the story of one woman. I wanted her to be on the cover, and I also wanted those covers to reflect scenes from the book (although I admit, there was a temptation to slap a half-naked dude on them because those sell pretty well). Eventually, I decided to hire an artist to draw exactly what I wanted. Here’s the evolution of the cover of Pitch Black:
While it’s possible to design your own covers, it isn’t something that most people would want to attempt. So, what are the options?
Professionally-designed cover, custom design:
Here, the designer creates the entire cover from scratch to your specifications. It’s usually the priciest option, especially if you want drawings rather than photo-manipulation, but you can be sure you’ll end up with a cover that fits your story. You can even hire a cover model for a photoshoot, although this usually costs several hundred dollars.
Professionally-designed cover, pre-made:
Many designers offer ready made designs you can customise to a certain degree – add your title, name, and blurb, and they’ll often tweak some elements like the font. These can be a good alternative if you want a good-looking cover at a budget price – I’ve seen pre-mades for as little as $40.
DIY:
If you’ve got a good eye for design, it’s possible to create your own cover. Remember, you’ll need to ensure the photos you use are royalty-free, which usually means purchasing them for a small fee from one of the many stock photo sites around. Here are some of my favourites:
Shutterstock – One of the bigger sites, but also pricy.
Deposit photos – I use this site the most. They’ve got a good selection and they often have special offers.
Adobe stock – You can buy individual images from here, and they often have pictures not on the other sites.
Period Images – Model photos specifically designed for romance book covers. They’ve got a great selection of historical-style images.
Once you’ve decided on your image, you’ll need to add the text and make any adjustments needed. If you’re on a tight budget or haven’t had much experience with design, a site like Canva provides an easy way to do this. But if you want to do anything fancy, I’d recommend Photoshop. There really isn’t another program that can beat it.
Don’t forget to check the specifications for your file – the retailers will tell you the size, resolution, and format you need to upload. If you’re designing a full-sleeve cover for a paperback, Createspace and IngramSpark both have free templates you can download and import into Photoshop to use as a basis for your design.
So, which method do I use?
The answer is, a combination of them. That’s the beauty of self-publishing. You don’t have to stick to a rigid formula.
I get custom artwork drawn for some of my covers, but I look after the titles, back cover copy, and other finishing myself. This allows me to alter the spine-width as I need and also tweak the final designs without incurring extra costs or having to wait for an artist to do it.
Some covers I’ve done completely by myself – Trouble in Paradise, Nothing but Trouble, Twisted (yes, that is my hand coming out of the eye!), Gold Rush, Gray Is My Heart.
Others I’ve done part of the work in photoshop, then got assistance with some of the elements. Shadows are my nemesis.
What’s the best way to find a cover designer?
Apart from google, which can be a bit hit and miss, here are a few ideas:
– Take a look at books whose covers you like. Often the author will credit the cover artist – usually on the copyright page, in the notes at the back, or on the back cover. Or email the author and ask – most will be only too happy to help.
– Ask other authors that you know. Even if they don’t use a particular designer, they often keep an eye on the market and can make suggestions.
– Browse DeviantArt. Some artists are available for custom work.
And here are my suggestions:
– Abigail Sins. Digital artist and Photoshop wizard extraordinaire. http://abigailsins.deviantart.com
– Lucy Rhodes of Render / Compose. Love her covers! http://www.rendercompose.com
– Covers by Christian. Great for sci-fi, thriller, fantasy. I’ve never seen a bad cover from him. http://coversbychristian.com
– SeventhStar Graphics. Another designer great for fantasy. https://www.facebook.com/seventhstargraphics
Leave a Reply