Professional Cover Design

There are few investments an author can make that pay off better than an attractive title & cover.

If your book was written long ago, then the time you release it into digital form is a great time to reissue it with a new cover or that new title you’ve always wanted.

Finding graphic designers who are talented at creating good covers is no easy task! Often once you do, they will be expensive or too busy with other clients. Experience counts! Knowing the aspects of a cover that’ll make your title sell is important, but knowing how to work within the constraints of a ‘thumb nail’ size image makes our experience even more vital.

To address this need, we’ve gathered a pool of vetted graphic designers to work with you to produce a cover you’ll not only be proud of, but one that will positively impact your sales.

One of the best practices we've discovered is the discipline of Design Ownership. What is meant by 'Design Ownership' is that you have an accessible design that allows you to adapt as needed.

Tricks of the trade (which ultimate save you money) include getting a cover design without any text so we can change the title/subtitle for testing without having to go back to the cover designer each time. Using an open Google Font gives you the ability to brand all your marketing material related to the book (we can also use the same font for your chapter titles in the interior). Whether it's print or digital material consistency across all mediums is key.

If it's a book cover design or a banner for a social media site, we will help you 'future proof' your design elements to get the maximum return on your design investment.

The Process

Step 1: Find the appropriate category for your book from this link. Look at the bestsellers in your categories. Are there any that stand out? If so, let us know the title (or send us the URL). If there is an existing cover design you want us to adapt for your cover, let us know. Here's an example of how we took the design an author found that he liked an adapted a unique design for his own book inspired by it:

Step 2: Pick 1-3 stock images from any of the sites listed below. We'll acquire the images for you.

We need the image # and/or URL. For example: https://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-299999776.

Step 3: Pick a 1-2 Google fonts. By choosing a Google font, I can assure we use the same font in the interior (matching chapter tiles is a nice professional look) and create a nice landing webpage for you that is seamless with your book.

First, we'll create an eBook cover for you to review and approve.

When it comes time to get a printed proof, we'll again follow best practices to ensure the best result and flexibility going forward. One common mistake first-time authors make is not going with a full-spread design. When the spine is a different element, it can cause problems when switching printers. It's helpful however to keep in mind these best practices for a 'full spread:'

Here's the reason why you want to stick with a continuous design for the cover spread...

Not Recommended

Recommended

The Back Cover

Advice on the back cover:

  1. Less is more, there is far less space than you think and if you put too much, you will need to shrink it down and small text won't be read.
  2. Typically a 1-2 paragraph description and a short bio. You can also add your mugshot (recommended).
  3. If you are struggling with it, grab a few books off the shelf to use as a model.

Further Reading