If you plan to self-publish your book, you’re going to need some help. One of the biggest disasters I see first time authors make is underestimating the importance of quality book cover design. Specifically, these three huge mistakes:
1. They buy a “package” that includes cover design, formatting, some marketing and a bunch of other stuff.
The problem is, vanity presses and “boutique” publishers outsource the quality of work, so even if this can seem like very good deal, cost wise, you’ll be losing big because the cover is the #1 factor in publishing success. That’s why it’s so much better to hire book cover designers directly. Here’s a list of my favorites, with some best cover design examples.
2. They do what they want, not what sells.
The second huge mistake is assuming they know best, and that their vision for what they want on the cover is what will actually sell books. The truth is, professional authors follow the design considerations for the genre or subject; the cover needs to quickly communicate who the book is for and what it’s about, which is done by choosing the right fonts and images. It’s almost never a “scene” from the story, it’s just a character and setting, to communicate the genre.
If you’re new to cover design, here’s a one hour presentation on the 7 elements of an effective book cover design.
3. They want to do everything themselves.
Book cover design can take years to master, which means designing hundreds of book covers. If you aren’t a photoshop or publishing expert, even your very best efforts are going to look amateur, not to mention waste so much time you could be writing.
If you’re looking for free book cover design templates, I’ve literally got you covered, but they are meant as simple training wheels to get you started. While they may be fine for basic covers, for nonfiction or memoir, they aren’t going to cut it if you’re competing in a market where glorious book cover designs are the standard, like urban fantasy.
NEED HELP? I recommend you study my free resources and videos, but if you still need help, my team at Creativindie Covers can design a custom book cover for you.
