Karen Phillips has had the pleasure of designing covers for many successful authors—some of which are featured above.
Part of being a successful author is making smart investments, such as hiring an editor. Just as important is hiring a cover designer. After all, would you read a book if the cover didn’t look professional? A professional cover tells the world your story is well written. But how do you decide who to hire?
• Many organizations like Sisters in Crime are a goldmine for referrals. Ask around.
• Before you choose –
Ask the designer for
samples of their work. Check their website and see if their style meets your
approval. Discuss their process. For example, how many initial concepts do they
provide and do they charge extra for revisions?
Compare pricing. As I
write this, the average price is $250 for an eBook cover. Additional costs are
added for print covers and audio covers.
• Take advantage of the real estate on the cover –
◦ Your blurb should include a teaser (a short sentence) at the top to grab the reader’s attention.
◦ Have your blurb professionally edited.
◦ Include a professional headshot (not a selfie) and bio with contact info such as your website URL.
◦ Include reviews from authors who write in the same genre. For the back cover, reviews are more important than an author bio. If you need room, the author bio can go always go in the back matter.
◦ If you have other books, especially a series, add those cover images if space allows. If not, this can go in the back matter.
• A designer can help you in other ways –
◦ Create a logo for you and your books.
◦ Design or update your website.
◦ Create graphics for social media such as a Facebook banner and advertisements.
◦ Design collateral material such as bookmarks, postcards and swag.
Investing in a cover artist can be one of the most important decisions you can make as an author. Here’s to your success!
Karen Phillips has a degree in Applied Art & Design from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She enjoys designing book covers not only because each project presents a new and unique challenge, but because of the close connection she develops with the authors she works with. Visit her website at PhillipsCovers.com
As a reader, yes I do just a book by its cover. I know I shouldn't, but it is really hard not to.
ReplyDeleteI love Karen's work (especially the books pictured above!) Yes, it's vital for indie authors to invest in good cover art. The cover makes a promise of what's inside and if it looks unprofessional, a reader can't help but wonder if the story is poorly done as well.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice. A good story deserves a good cover. And a cover conveys so much to the potential reader.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great resource.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't only indie authors who have to think about this -- when traditionally published Should Have Played Poker was orphaned, I could have let it die or become a hybrid author. The latter brought lots of decisions --- from the picture above, you can see that I found Karen, a true professional.
ReplyDeleteKaren did an outstanding job on this cover (and others). Good advice in this post. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteYour covers are great!
ReplyDeleteCovers are so important. Great information, Karen. Really nice work!
ReplyDeleteSome great examples and advice. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGood advice. Thanks you.
ReplyDeleteGrace Topping