The Design Process: Creating the Best Cover for Your Book
The Importance of the Front Cover
The cover on a book is essentially a poster designed to draw attention to the writing inside. To be effective it must persuade the reader to pick up the book and examine it (or, online, to seek further information). Only then is there a possibility of a sale. The excellence of the design, the quality of the illustration and the printing are all factors in its success. Our job is to create a cover that gives your book the best chance to be noticed and sold. Here’s how we go about it:
Preliminary Discussions
First we discuss your manuscript with you in order to understand its message and its intended audience. From that discussion we develop visual ideas for the front cover. We then show you the visuals, incorporate your suggestions, and shortly thereafter produce a comprehensive full-color layout for your approval. Design of the back cover and the spine follow from that.
Cover Illustration
We can search online to find a photograph or illustration for your cover or work with images you provide. There are many photographic stock image agencies to choose from. Or we can develop a custom image or illustration for your book. If the cover image is simply the title itself, we can create an effective design by the use of typography alone.
The Back Cover of Your Book: Your Opportunity to Sell
Studies have shown that when a book buyer picks up a book, he spends an average of four seconds looking at the cover. But he spends an average of 14 seconds reading the back cover. So, it’s the front cover that attracts the potential buyer, and the back cover that often clinches the sale. We can make both covers work for you.
The Spine of your Book
The Spine is an important component of your book and must be legible and match the visual style of your book. It must look good on the shelf and be readable and compelling on its own.
ISBN
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) will likely be required (unless you are creating a book for personal use and not for sale). If you're using a POD printer like CreateSpace they provide you with an ISBN. But most offset printers and even POD printer's like Lightning Source require you to purchase your own. You can do so at Bowker, also known for self-publishing authors as My Identifers. Please be aware that there seem to be a lot of companies that will try to insert themselves between you and Bowker/My Identfiers. They are only middle men and there is no advantage to using them other than paying a few extra dollars for no added value.
A Great Cover Communicates Your Message and Sells Itself to Your Audience
All of these cover details are worked out in partnership with you to create your book cover, one that will invite, communicate, and sell your book to your intended audience.