Designing a Book Cover

The image on the left is the original cover for my Weddings and Courtships : Ireland series. The cover was suggested to me by my publisher. I did not find that it sent at all the impression I was hoping to convey with my books - and the numerous people I showed the cover to agreed with me. I then wrote the publisher and told them I really didn't want to use that cover.

In this version, the title letters were jammed in with the images, making them hard to read. The images on the cover were small and jumbled. If you're curious, you can click on that image to see a larger version of it.

You know how they can't tell a book by its cover? The reason they say that is that most people DO judge a book by its cover. They go walking down a row and perhaps the one thing that makes them stop and reach for a book is the cover they see. It has to interesting. VERY easy to see - even for people with poor eyesight. High quality graphics. Colors should always relate to the book's theme. There are many webpages and design books out there that explain color meaning and theory.

Now look at this newly designed cover image, done by Debi Gardiner, for the same Weddings and Courtships - Ireland book. It's obviously about Ireland. You see the big, green letters - and you see the imagery associated with the country. The image is even done in the colors of the Irish flag.

You want the type of the main word or words to be large. People aren't going to squint to read titles. You want any images to be meaningful - to convey an impression about your book. In this case, the images representing Ireland are clear. There's even a gold band across the top, symbolizing marriage.

To see all three of my cover images at full size, visit my Weddings and Courtships Pages.

It is WELL worth it to hire a graphic designer to get your book cover done properly - and to talk with your publisher to make sure they understand what you are going to do. It can literally mean the difference between low sales and extremely high sales. My books were designed by Gardiner Design and I recommend Debi Gardiner quite highly.

From Terrie - Homeschooling Author
If you use a traditional publisher, they will design the cover and choose the title. You have to have a title that will capture the attention of the readers, but they will most likely change it. You don't submit a cover. ... I hated my cover, but by the time I saw it, it was too late--they'd already paid for it. When they put out their next homeschool book by another author though, they asked me which of four I liked, so I'm hoping they will ask me before the next one.

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