005 - Designing A Great Book Cover
Don't leave the design of your book cover in the hands of a Designer alone!
I've been designing book covers for nearly 10 years now. It's been my primary job along side the interior book layout. I have seen a thing or two. But by far my largest challenge is that when my clients are referred to me they usually have NO IDEA what is involved in book cover design! This is generally no fault of their own, but they are usually referred to me by a book coach or they just don't know what they need and find me by referral or even randomly.
You see, the book cover isn't just about the look and feel and what you like, but it needs to suit the genre and attract a reader in that genre first, but it really has to align with the reason you are writing in the first place.
If you are coaching or speaking is your book written to that audience? If you are planning to do teaching or training you might like to use a logo on the cover to identify your school or academy and allow the logo or colors to define your brand and follow through all of your training materials. And where are you selling your book? If you are selling online then you need a design that stands out in a small thumbnail image amongst other books in its genre. But back-of-the-room sales...have you thought about packaging them in a set? If so, the look and feel might not fit the online sales channel as well.
There is a lot that goes into a book cover that is so much more than just a pretty cover. But, it's the author that has to get crystal clear and guide the Designer. The Designer is generally working minimally by the hour and if you have them spinning all over the place with trial designs you might start getting charged for their time. The Designer is only as creative as they are guided. They don't know your favorite colors or, in many cases, even the content of your book. So they are really guessing until you explain your goals and purpose behind writing and what your goals are with the book. Honestly, it really doesn't help for the designer to know what your book is about as much as what you're doing with it. Good Designers think more in terms of branding and image.
The new author sometimes gets stuck here for days having the Designer do many samples. There is a combination of things happening here and nerves can also get the best of you. But, remember, when you are aligned with the reason you are writing in the first place you will breeze right through this phase. If you're stuck here you may have to go back and further define your why behind the book and then re-approach the Designer with more clarity.
Please contact us to elaborate more here...we can get more detailed in our next blog. And please take a look over on Facebook at our sister company—Angel Dog Productions and watch the detailed video on what a Designer does.
Stay connected with news and updates!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.