rticles
on writing and self-publishing mystery books collected by Self-Publish
Mysteries.
Anthony P. Palmieri
Designing a Cover for your Book: A Guide for Self Publishers
Abstract:
In these days of computers, the internet, digital cameras, and on-line
publishing companies, individuals can more easily express their
creativity through writing and publishing their own written works.
Whether it is a novel, a short story, or a how to guide, having a
creative cover is important to help capture the attention of your
audience. There is that old saying, "You can't tell a book by its
cover" is so true, but your job as an author is to make sure that the
cover best reflects your written works. With the growth of E-books and
on-line books, having a well designed cover is even more important. The
web surfer can quickly have tens if not hundreds of books at their
fingertips, but why should they select your book over another? Without
spending many dollars in marketing, one of the best tools at your
disposal is a cover that will get their attention and hopefully pique
their interest to make a purchase. If you are writing on a topic that
already has many similar topics, such as "Vegetable Gardening", you
have to compete even more for the consumers dollars.
You could purchase the different graphics tools of go off to a company
to design your cover for you. Most of the covers that you are familiar
with in a book store cost hundreds of dollars to design, and in some
cases thousands. Now whether you are writing 10 pages or 5000 pages,
this article will give you some basic ideas that will help you design
your next book cover into one that is different, unique and personal.
Remember that a well done book cover will boost your sales.
Designing A Cover For Your Book - A guide for self publishers -
You have already expressed your creative side by writing a book, now
lets express your artistic side. By using a collection of clip art, or
a low cost digital camera coupled with some imagination can open the
door for you to create unique cover that portrays your writings. Even
with that saying, "You can't tell a book by its cover", the cover
definitely gets attention. Think of the book cover as a marketing tool
that promotes not only your book, but you as the author.
Software packages like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator have many
capabilities that allow you to customize your pictures and
illustrations. The question often asked is; "What should I do?" The
intent of this article is to give you a few ideas to spark your
creativity and see what fits your personality. Our focus at
www.PalmieriConcepts.com has been on pet and automotive art, so we will
use an automotive car show judging guide as an example, although these
ideas can be applied to many other topics.
With E-Books and on-line publications, having an elaborate cover is a
one time upfront cost since there is no printing involved, so it is
worth it to do it right since the book revenue in part will be
dependent upon the cover.
Publishers for hard copied books have the ability to use different
papers, and cover media such as foil, and other eye catching materials.
On-line publishing has to leverage the graphics appeal to grab the
readers eye and entice them to read further. A brief list of tips to
consider when designing your book cover is as follows:
1. Always try to use high resolution images (clear and crisp) for any
initial artwork. You can always lower the resolution later on.
2. As an
author, if you expect to have multiple books you may wish to have a
common theme where there may be a similar layout or border between
books. Define your own brand identity.
3. Design your a layout with
layers giving a three dimensional effect. For example the palm tree in
the background of the "Pet Photography Book Example".
4. Some customers
will also print out their book, so you want a design that is printable,
and will still look good. Make sure that what ever resolution you use
is sufficient for printing. Typically 150 DPI will work unless there is
intricate details that may require higher resolution.
5. For best
versatility and color representation use RGB color specifications
versus CMYK.
6. Hard copied books use different cover effects to catch
the readers eyes, such as fabrics, and embossing. You want to obtain a
similar visual effect, so use different background textures to give a
feel like cloth, diamond plate, fabric with out them being too
pronounced. Select something that relates to the content. One example
we used was a diamond plate border for an automotive engine book. The
rugged diamond plate linked nicely to the bold metal engines.
7.
Remember your target audience. If it is children, select clip art that
they can relate to. For hobbyist, try to incorporate some aspect of the
hobby on the cover. 8. Do not clutter the cover too much with images or
text. It can make it difficult to read on line.
Use visual effects that reflect the contents and the value it brings to
the reader. A consumer is more likely to purchase a book f they
perceive the value more than the cost. Your cover needs to reflect the
value, but it is equally important that the contents justify the cover.
Do not mislead the reader. The judging book example has a trophy in the
background implying if you follow the advice in the book, you could
have a trophy on your shelf. Or the pet photography example where it
tells he reader it will help them create a picture like the one on the
cover. These are things that have a tangible feel to them that reflects
value. Many of the books we sold were purchased as a gift. The giver
wants to make the receiver happy, and wants confirmation that it's a
great gift and often looks for a smile. When someone sees your cover
you want them to smile.
This value in a cover that gets attention is dependent upon how well
the design is done, and what message it gets across.
Marketing studies have show that having a catchy box or cover for a
product sells more products, so take the ideas presented here and sell
some books.
Final Remarks On Designing Your Book Cover
Even though we are only presetting a few examples and ideas, you should
realize that like the words you have written on the pages, the book
cover is an extension of the writers personality. As long as basic
principles are adhered to, there is no right or wrong way, as long as
the message gets across. Accurate representation of the books contents
along with a cover that is memorable are two of the keys to make your
book stand out.
Competition for consumers will continue to increase as more titles
compete with yours. Look at what other authors have done and open your
imagination and embark on the first step to create yours. By utilizing
the tips here you are one step closer.
So to get started, take what you have learned here, finish your book
and get a cover designed.
For additional information on how to designing book covers or having a
custom cover designed for you, visit Palmieri Concepts at www.PalmieriConcepts.com.
There are many examples that have helped authors like you have a great
cover.
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About The Author
Anthony Palmieri
founded Palmieri Concepts after 20 years of creating custom artwork for
his own pleasure and enjoyment along with 30 years as a car enthusiast.
This business initially grew out of a love for motor vehicles and was
started to share with others what began as a hobby.