You've finished your novel and are ready to throw it up on the etailer of your choice (or you're not finished, but you're gathering intel for when you do finish). You need a cover. So where do you find one? Traditional publishers have designers who hire artists. So, go look for an artist.
This is Megan Romo's work. She's designed these images based on books (and plays, etc.).
It's pretty neat although for your purposes, you might want to have her bump up the title font and of course, add your name.
I found her on Imagekind where lots of artitsts sell their stuff. There's also deviantart. Find what you like and then email the artist. Make a proposal. Ask about their rates. Start a conversation. They might have ideas you never thought about, especially if they're a digital artist and understand how to design for Amazon or iBooks (have you seen how horrible print covers look in a little rectangle--muddy, illegible, messy).
If you like the artist on your paperbooks, then go find his website. Send him an email. You never know who you might be able to afford--besides, lots of those artists are nice people and have students, so if you can't afford them (or they're already booked up to their ears), they might recommend someone else.
You're buying art to use on your book, so be clear about what it is you're doing and be prepared to compensate. I'd consult with an IP lawyer who handles stuff like this to be professional about your offer and to know what you can and can't do, y'know all that rights stuff. It will make you a better negotiator and you won't look like a jerk.
Or get your camera and start taking pictures. No one said it had to be fancy, just avoid designs like this:
Can you read the text? Neither can I. The image itself isn't bad and when it's shrunk down to the little .75"x 1", the colors were eyecatching. But still, not the best cover. Doesn't tell me anything, so I skip right on past it.
Can you read this title? Or anything at all? Me neither. I go on to the next one.
The color could be better (that's my subjective taste), but the title is clear and the image makes me think, "I get it. Coffeeshop. Heart. This is a romance or at least will have romance in it, and I'm looking for romance, so I'll click on it." Which is what you want browsers to do! They will read your fabulous blurb, download the sample chapter, and then click the BUY button.
I sized these images small; they're smaller than what you see on Amazon, but you get the gist. Just keep this in mind when you're ready to upload you books. Start looking at covers and be aware of what makes you click. What did you like? What didn't you like? What did the image tell you about the book--was it the picture, title, colors that gave you this information? Have you started to see a pattern? Are they printed books or digital only titles? Look back at your digital library--what covers are on the books you purchased? (Throw out titles of authors you already know or bought because of their name, we're only looking at covers right now). What are your conclusions?
Comments