Cover design for self-published works

Erik M

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This specifically goes out to those of you who have self-published. How did you get your cover? Did you do it yourself? Hire someone? What programs did you use. Did it feature artwork? Photography? Something else? Were you happy with it?

Other than two short stories in e-format, I have not self published, but am considering it. Being a writer and not an artist and not really a computer wiz, the cover is a concern. I recently downloaded a trial of InDesign from Adobe and so far have been having a tough time using it, though I I understand that it is pretty widely used and highly regarded.

I have thought about hiring someone. If anyone has gone this route, where did you find your artist and did you like the result?

I have done quite a bit of research to this point in case I go this way, but would like to hear from some folks who have actually completed the process. And for the purposes of this thread, let's focus on covers for physical books, not e-books, as there is more to consider.
 

ResearchGuy

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I have created my own covers, with the aid of Photoshop Elements. Some used photos provided by the authors. One adapted from artwork provided by author for an earlier edition of the book (he had paid for the art and had rights to it -- but reproduction on my edition is of meager quality as I had to work from third generation copy at best). One used one of my own photos (of Calif. State Capitol). Some used clip art (from a collection I purchased with rights to make such use). All included text I added and formatted, and some amount of tweaking via Photoshop.

I could have done most of them better, and have learned along the way. A beady-eyed pro I know did not think much of covers I showed him except for one -- and oddly I thought that one probably would not rate very highly. He liked the color shading of that one (a Photoshop effect). Mostly, I did a poor job with the text on the covers. Readable, but looking pasted on. You can see some examples, FWIW, at http://stores.lulu.com/kenumbach .

--Ken
 
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zpeteman

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I commissioned a local artist whose work I admired (she'd never done books before) and worked very closely with her to develop the design of both my covers. Note that this is probably only a good idea if you've already got a good sense of design. If that's not part of your skill set you are better off letting someone else make these kinds of decisions for you.

Do not take the design of your cover lightly and don't be cheap about it. A good cover sells books. I was at the Kentucky Book Fair this past weekend and noted repeatedly how differently people reacted to my book than to many others. Once they notice, they stop, they pick it up, they read the first page. Nine times out of ten, if I can get them to read that page, they'll buy the book, but the cover is what gets them reading in the first place. My covers were worth every penny.
 

Axler

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Agreed...an attention-grabbing cover might be your costliest investment, but it's definitely worth it.

With me, I worked in the comics field for several years and was acquainted with professional artists. For Cryptozoica, I collaborated with Jeff Slemons due in the main to his reputation as a dinosaur artist.
 

Ineti

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Dean Wesley Smith had a recent blog entry where he talks about how he did his covers.

I'd probably use some combination of public domain images, photoshop, and/or Powerpoint.
 

Erik M

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Thanks for the input. If I go this route (which seems likely at some point in the not too far off future) I think I am leaning toward commisioning someone. I am acquainted with some decent to good artists that I might be able to tap. For those of you who commisioned the artwork, what was the approximate cost. What kind of rights are involved with artwork?
 

zpeteman

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I don't want to give exact numbers but mine each cost upwards of $1000 and south of $2000. Bear in mind that there's a lot more to a well-designed cover than just the image on the front. Those numbers might sound high to you but I assure you, it's paid for itself many times over. Here's a look at the full spread:

coverspread-1.jpg
 

Axler

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I paid less than a thousand dollars for the wraparound cover to Cryptozoica...this is pretty much it in its final form, although the font for my name on the spine was changed before printing.

The cover also doubles as a print.

28509_1241084282252_1683663722_476772_2276271_n.jpg
 

Erik M

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Thanks both of you for sharing that. The covers look great by the way. Yes, I know the importance of a good cover and don't want to cobble something together in an hour. As I said, I have been doing quite a bit of research but there is nothing like input from folks who have actually been through the design process.
 

GradyHendrix

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OMG

I haven't read it, but that CRYPTOZOICA cover is hands-down the craziest book cover I have ever seen. I think I'm in love! All it needs is someone jumping a TransAm off one of those ruins and into a dinosaur's head and it would officially be The Best Book Cover in the World. Pulp-a-licious!
 

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There's a book which is used by artists called "Graphic Artists Guild Handbook : Pricing and Ethical Guidelines" which gives a great deal of information on both pricing for different sorts of art tasks, and also useful wording for contracts (which will also spark you into thinking about issues which may not have occurred to you beforehand). As a self-pub, you'd be coming in at the way lower end of the recommended prices, but it's definitely worth paying for something you'll be happy with.

My personal route (I have not yet self-published, but soon) was to post an ad in the Freelance work section over at ConceptArt.org (a site for artists of a similar nature as Absolute Write is to writers).

I chose to do the rest of the book design myself, since I've played with layout tools, etc, for quite some time, but if you're commissioning an artist, you could always include the rest of the cover design in with the artwork.

(Here's one of my upcoming covers - a lovely picture.)
 
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JRainey

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For These Hellish Happenings, I made the cover myself, but I don't recommend that to everyone; I have a decent background with photoshop, which is what I used, and if you don't know your image program well, stay away from it. The more intricate you want your cover to be, the more I'd say hire a professional, too. A cover is important, and you don't want it looking too amateurish or cluttered. Luckily, mine had to reflect the creepily sterile nature of the book's setting so it didn't need to be too ornate.

My advice is to make your cover something very distinct. Mine has a sort of... logo on the front, I suppose you could say (you can view it at the link in my signature), and in my marketing endeavors people have definitely taken notice of that logo. So if you can manage a cover that goes beyond the generic photo of a waterfall or something, it pays off.
 

Bicyclefish

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Thank you zpeteman -- love those covers -- and Axler for stressing the importance of a good design to catch the eye and mentioning approx costs. It frustrates me to no end when someone seeks cover artwork then balks when the price is a few hundred dollars when, as it's been shown, full rights can cost thousands.
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/member.php?u=465
 

Richard L. Sutton

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A Designer and Author D.I.Y. Info

I've self published two novels over the past few years, and it has been one of the best learning experiences I could have asked for... or paid for. I guess I did pay for it, but as my pockets are shallow, it didn't cost even a quarter of what a course at the local University would have.
theredgatebookcoversmall.jpg


gatekeeperscover01med1.jpg


Cover design is an easy subject for me as I was more than 20 years in the trenches of advertising and corporate graphics. The nuts and bolts came easy, but the conceptual considerations that lead up to the actual design work, took longer than I expected. The first step was to get past thinking of my books as anything other than product/merchandise. Yep.

I took my experiences and put them into a primer form on the Indie Forum, Publetariat. Here's the link, for those interested in pursuing self-designed book covers. Even if you're interested in paying a designer or illustrator, you should have an idea about what elements belong on a book cover and which don't. As an Indie Author, you won't have a well-meaning editor or publisher's art department looking after your best interests, you'll need to do that for yourself.
 

quickreaver

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Dean Wesley Smith had a recent blog entry where he talks about how he did his covers.

I'd probably use some combination of public domain images, photoshop, and/or Powerpoint.

I would disagree here, only because it is nigh impossible to figure out what images are truly in the public domain. It's surprising to me how many folks think just because it comes up on Google, it's free for the taking.

Buy stock photos! (Some are as cheap as $5-$6), but be sure you're purchasing the correct license for your use, as described at the stock site. Or, of course, take your own pictures.

Depending upon your genre, you may not have the luxury of using inexpensive stock photos (scifi/fantasy, for instance.) The person above who used ConceptArt.org did a brilliant thing. There are some amazing artists hanging out there. E-published covers will cost you far less than full wrap-arounds but expect to pay at least $200. Anything less is kind of insulting, unless you just want to slap a photo up there with some basic fontwork.

I do covers, and I charge my private clients $300 on up. (I include the fontwork and perhaps some small marketing bits, like a banner or button.) It's really cool to see authors valuing their covers so highly! High-five, gang!
 
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Axler

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In my opinion--and here I'm in agreement with A.S. Peterson--nothing screams "amateur!" louder than a stock photo image for the cover of a novel.

It's different with non-fiction I suppose, but I wouldn't recommend a photograph as a cover image for a work of fiction.

My opinion, worth exactly what you paid for it.
 

Richard L. Sutton

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Use of Photos in Cover Art

I'm surprised to hear your opinion regarding fiction covers. I believe that fiction books, more than any other type of book -- and here I mean paper, printed books -- need an arresting cover to market themselves properly. Fiction titles alone do not always convey the content, so a careful mix of information and graphic tools is needed to attract and set a mood for the reader.

Book covers are merchandising. Packaging. They need to pull the eye in and then create a need in the reader, to pull it out of the stacks and open it up. Once it's in the hand, the sale has begun. In advertising, it was determined back in the 1950s that glossy color photography is a great motivator and connection tool. Book jackets, for hardbound, and covers, for paperbacks are how the connection is made.

If you are writing non-fiction, then the chances are your market will be directed to your book along with a few other competing titles int he stacks, which are organized by subject. With fiction, all you've got is the book cover and the author's name. If it's a debut work, then the cover is the only thing you've got to reach the reader, besides the social and media PR you've been doing.

Stock photography can play an important role in cover design. It doesn;t mean there will be no creativity in the results. Photos can be cropped, flipped, re-colored, set up as grayscale with a color element, etc., etc. Two covers using the same image don;t have to look the same, or tired, or like boilerplate. That's the mark of good design, to create something unique, and in the cover for a fiction book, I believe that is critical.

IMHO, of course.
 

Axler

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That's the mark of good design, to create something unique, and in the cover for a fiction book, I believe that is critical.

I agree.

But there are photo covers...

9781451234350.jpg


And there are photo covers.

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Disregarding for the moment that I wrote Talon and Fang and provided the cover artist with the basic concept and other design elements, I believe I'm being fairly objective by opining that one photo cover screams "Amateur!" and the other does not. Going with a slightly-altered font instead of a designed logo doesn't help the "effect" of The Eden Effect much, either.

If you're self-publishing a novel, I feel that an attention-grabbing cover is probably your most important investment. Using a stock photo image isn't going to accomplish much of anything except maybe save you a few upfront bucks which could cause you lose a considerable number of down-the-road sales.

As whacked-out as the Cryptozoica cover might be, it does do its job--it grabs attention and gets people wondering what the book is about.
 

Richard L. Sutton

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Illustration can be great, especially for more contemporary/urban or fantasy/scifi work. On the other hand, if a photo can set a mood through connection with the subject as well as the reader, then it can work, too. Different reader demographics, especially age and ethnicity will have a lot to do with what kind of graphics will do the best job attracting. Bookseller's reactions are very important, too. I posted the covers for my first two above, and they have actually been sold to booksellers on basis of their covers (and cover pitches) alone. Neither one uses the stock image(s) the way they were purchased. Another good use of stock photography is as a background reference for illustration, for the times when illustration is the only way to create the right mood or setting.

Oh, I should add that I agree, that the top of the two covers you posted is really... shall we say, less than effective design. For me, it makes me want to look away, and the word genesis in the title does not in any clear way identify with the image, so whatever idea was supposed to be communicated is lost. On me at least. You don't have a lot of time, usually, to make your pitch connect, so Indie authors really need to pay attention to the best cover design they can achieve. I also suggest (I left links to my Publetariat articles above) doing some blind focus testing with people gathered maybe from typical bookstore shoppers, reviewing several cover choices, none of which show a title or author's name. The initial reactions in these conditions can be very, very important, especially if the test group can be identified as your reader market.
 
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quickreaver

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That's a great example, Axler. I don't think all stock-photo designwork is poo, but for people familiar with the inventory, they can spot it a mile away.

There's a big difference (as of now) between what's acceptable in digital publishing and what's expected of brick-n-mortar projects. I took a stroll through Barnes and Noble on my way home from work today and the vast majority of the covers on print fiction were either illustrations or typography. You saw very little photowork...until you hit the romance/erotica dept. Then, it was StockPhotos-R-Us. With very little Photoshop editing, to be honest. A tattoo here, a little colorization there. That's about it. But that's what the market demands. Your genre and audience matter a great deal.

I thoroughly agree that I'd sooner see fewer stock photos in general, but digital covers pay diddly compared to traditional print media, in part because there's less risk and investment on the part of the publisher. The artist's time is worth money, and if you're only going to get a couple hundred dollars (or less!) for the project, you want to be as frugal with your time as possible.

In terms of self-publishing, you certainly want the most eye-catching and professional cover you can afford. If you aren't darned handy with Photoshop and graphic design, best leave it to folks who know better. You might have a brilliant novel, but if it looks amateurish, you won't be taken seriously. Kind of a no-brainer.