Happy Wednesday Scribblers. How is your day going? You all hanging in there? I thought today would be a good day to talk about cover art and cover design. There are some authors, and for the life of me I don’t understand, that don’t pay any attention to the covers that are used for their books. I’m not saying this is all authors. In fact, I have a feeling it’s only a small minority, but lately I’ve seen some awful covers. I don’t know if these terrible designs have to do with the sheer number of self-published books out there, but dear lord, if these books are being pushed out by publishing houses, then they should be ashamed of themselves. Especially with all the wonderfully talented graphic artists and designers to pick from.
I’m not going to share the bad covers I’ve seen, because what I don’t like someone may love.
However, consider this a public service announcement to all authors out there. If you are self-publishing your book, please pay attention to the cover. An amazing cover is one of the best ways to market and sell your book. Now, unless you are an extremely talented artist yourself, then pay to have something professionally done. Book covers tend to start at $50 (US) and go up from there. I’ve seen some wonderful covers at this lower price point. However, like with all things the more you pay the better (and more customizable) the cover can be.
One sure fire way to ensure you have a great looking cover, is to do a search for the best cover art in your genre. It’s amazing what will pop up and give you some great ideas. When it comes to cover design, really do your homework. If you spent months and years working on your book, then spending a week or two to find and acquire the perfect cover for your book is well worth the investment. Especially since this is your introduction to new readers. Everyone will judge your book by the cover, despite what we’ve all been told.
Here is a link to a cover designer, Sleepy Fox Studio, I’ve used in the past (and I’m not getting anything for this, I only wanted to share one resource out there, but there are several artists who can do wonderful cover art for your book) click here.
What are your thoughts on book covers? Do you care what the cover looks like? Have you ever been put off from buying a book because of the cover? Or worse, have you ever bought a book based on the cover then hated the book? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, have a great week.