I’m not sure if authors really need professional artist/designers for their covers; mostly because I’m not sure what exactly makes a cover “good”.
I may like how it looks but that doesn’t mean others will…
I may be extremely attracted to the cover of a book; but, I may not like the story inside, at all…
Some folks might say a traditional publisher knows exactly the right cover for every book they publish.
Please, go talk to about a dozen authors who were traditionally published—you should find at least one who hated the cover they got…
I’m very sure there’s no readily accessible data for the books the big houses have produced that had “bad” covers…
In the realm of Self-publishing, there are all the self-styled “gurus” who demand you must keep your reader in mind when designing a cover…
Hmmm…
Perhaps a writer locked into a certain genre might “know” who reads their books; but, I tend to doubt if any author could guess the range of folks who could love their books; not to mention, like their covers…
Rafaela is the Art Director at the Scottish independent publisher, Canongate.
The first statement that jumped out at me was this quote from Rafaela:
“There’s always an element of surprise and unpredictability regarding what draws people to covers, which is partly why each title gets the same amount of care and attention regardless of author or sales expectations.”
So, a professional cover designer admits the response of readers to covers has elements of surprise and unpredictability…
If you end up designing the cover for a book (or, consulting with someone about the design), this quote from Rafaela bears attention:
“I often have a very clear vision for the book and what it can achieve from the outset—finding the essence of the story through a small detail or unusual angle, and executing it in a style right for the audience whilst remaining distinctive.”
O.K., small details and unusual angles might help create a “good” cover; but, again, there is the wild uncertainty in the phrase, “…a style right for the audience…”—please, if someone out there knows exactly how to determine the definable characteristics of any particular book’s audience, my email address is in the blurb after this post………
You might enjoy reading the full interview; but, I will bring the video at the end of the article over here, since it shows a book cover that Totally blows my mind…
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But, for anyone reading this, we’re talking about the 3rd definition of that word in my Oxford dictionary—“An indefinable characteristic quality”…
There are so many ways to publish these days that many of them must be characterized with rather “indefinable” qualities that the media might call their “Spin”…
Regular readers of this blog will know that I tend to lean toward “Self-Publishing” though I can see a few narrowly-defined situations where I might consider “Traditional Publishing“.
And, within the flavor-range of Self-Publishing, I can clearly recommend FastPencil and Smashwords.
And, as I scan the news-feeds and other resources I use to find material for this blog, I’m nearly continually seeing yet more Flavors of Publishing.
The latest to cross my threshold is Reedsy—billed by themselves as the place “Where authors meet the best editors, designers and marketers for their books”.
True, Reedsy is not calling itself a “publishing solution” but the media they’ve grabbed is trying hard to make them sound like a replacement for a traditional publishing house…
Each linked source below will take you to their article about Reedsy.
Forbes (business magazine) says it’s “the platform that enables authors to collaborate with professional editors, designers and marketers directly rather than through a publishing house”.
The Guardian (newspaper) says “The main thing that sets Reedsy apart from the many companies offering ‘author services’ is its platform. This is a tech company first and foremost…”
TechCrunch (Nerdly tech site) says authors “can find freelancers, ask for a quote, and start exchanging messaging with these professionals”. (and, eventually pay them………)
Publishing Perspectives (seems self-explanatory) says “It proposes to become the must-go place where serious self-published writers can turn to get professional help and produce a high quality book in this exploding book market”.
MediaShift (not sure why they have “shift” in their name) says, as a reason for Reedsy’s existence, “For several years there had been a gold rush of self-published authors who, spurred by newspaper articles on Kindle millionaires, flooded the market with low-quality, poorly-written books in the hope of overnight success.”
So, Reedsy, essentially, has gathered around-200 freelancers in editing, designing, illustrating, and marketing and has created a site where you can employ them to help you get ready to publish books—Reedsy receiving 10% of the fee paid.
Two thoughts:
I see no mention on their site about how a book would actually be published. Yes, they clearly say they’re offering author services but they say nothing about helping you produce a book or guiding you toward such a conclusive act…
They’ve garnered some very heavy-hitting media coverage; but, the following terms of their agreement may cause some to pause:
“The Platform: (i) is a beta version; (ii) is provided on an ‘as is’ basis; and (iii) may not be free of bugs or errors and you agree that the existence of any bugs or errors shall not constitute a breach of this agreement.”—“Access to the Platform is permitted on a temporary basis. We may suspend, withdraw, discontinue or change all or any part of the Platform without notice. We will not be liable to you if for any reason our site is unavailable at any time or for any period.”
So, it’s not a “Publishing Company” but it’s trying hard to seem as necessary as what a traditional publishing company offers…
Why are there so many “companies” these days that package-up a few services that an enterprising individual could find on their own and present the package as some “absolutely essential” service?
However, I must end with the admission that once Reedsy settles out of its Beta-phase it just might be a good place to find some of the services an author who self-publishes might be able to afford…
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My military pension is quite small so, when I got to considering a cover for the book I published back in May of 2011, I needed to get real resourceful…
Luckily NASA’s Hubble Telescope Image Site had just what I wanted and adding the words to the image was within my own skill set.
Even though the cover you see here may not have people on it (like so many covers do) and even though many folks won’t relate to a picture from space, I feel it captures quite a bit of the mood and theme of my short novel, Notes from An Alien…
I’m no “Book Designer” but Joel Friedlander certainly is and clicking on his name will let you check out the 26 other posts on this blog that feature him.
Announce its genre—This is very important for genre fiction, but it’s equally important for any book to be clear right away about exactly what kind of book it is. This seems to me to be the first concern of the cover designer.
Telegraph its tone—Particularly important for fiction and literary fiction, where the whole effect of the book rests on the skill of the writer. A cover can give you an idea of the writer’s voice in many subtle ways.
Explain its scope—Mostly for nonfiction. Understanding the extent of the book’s subject helps to define its target market.
Generate excitement (the “hook”)—Let’s face it, book covers are a subspecies of advertising design, and they can be powerful sales tools. But if nothing about the cover stops people, or evokes instant interest, fascination or curiosity, it can’t accomplish its aims.
Establish a market position—This is almost the sum of all the other goals listed here. Taken together, they establish the exact space we see the book occupying amongst all the other books that address the same topic or which are in the same genre.
Joel doesn’t just throw out short descriptions of his goals.
He lets you know he’ll be covering this aspect of book design (along with many others) in his up-coming Self-Publishing Roadmap.
Clicking on that last link gets you on an email notification list for Joel’s unique offering and here’s what he says about it:
“Trying to publish your own book? Getting confused? I bet. Listen, I’ve been publishing books for over 30 years and it’s never been easier—and more confusing—than it is today.
“That’s exactly why I created The Self-Publishing Roadmap: to help authors like you get up to speed with how to figure out the best strategies, the best practices, and the most profitable ways to publish today.
“The Roadmap is better than any book. Even the best books are out of date almost as soon as they’re published! With online training we keep up-to-the-minute with the latest developments.
Proven strategies for any niche
Self-paced instruction and a helpful community
Get a marketing edge with hours of insider secrets
Step-by-step learning from the internet’s leading authority”
By the way, care to share in the Comments how many of Joel’s goals you think my cover accomplishes??
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Notes from An Alien 