Welcome to Day 221.....
Between yesterday and today, I got a few hours of writing in, so to reward myself I took a break this afternoon to start planning the cover for my upcoming release, NEVER LET ME GO.
I can unabashedly say, I love all my book covers. I paid an outside service, 99 Designs, to do my first cover and my sister Teri helped design the rest of them. You can sneak a peek at all my books on the scroll bar above.
So how do you go about making a great cover?
Read on...
Study Other Covers In Your Genre
This is the easiest part. Simply go to Amazon.com and do a search under your favorite authors. What's great about Amazon is that you have quick visual access of lots of other recommended titles. Or head out to the grocery store, library, or drug store and take a step back. Which covers grab your attention? Now, what was it about the cover that drew you in? Colors, photos, the font (size and type) of the title? Start getting a good sense of what you liked and how you'd like your own cover to be all laid out.
What Is the Picture That Defines Your Story?
As I'm writing my book, I actually begin to visualize the images that will help define my story. You can use a picture of a landscape - beach, lake, mountain, or a picture of a couple, a close up of a face. It's really up to you. What picture will link your reader to your storyline?
Consider Other Add-In Elements
Blood-red blood tear drops, splattering of blood, a mirror image, a sunset. Once you have your main image, think of ways to enhance it with secondary images. Don't over do here, but be creative with making your defining photo even better.
Find Great Photos
Istock and Shutterstock are my go-to sites for low price stock photos. I have an account with each and when I'm ready to work on my cover, I spend a fair amount time searching through their library of photos. You can even set up a holding file on the sites to save the ones your considering.
Enjoy the Process
I love writing, but as we all know sometimes it takes work, lots of work. Yes your book cover a key marketing piece for your novel, but between the photos, title placement, font type, you should have fun with designing it.
Ask For Advice
As you complete one or two mock ups of the cover, get some input from friends, family, folks you trust.
Here's Today's Takeaway Lesson...
Between yesterday and today, I got a few hours of writing in, so to reward myself I took a break this afternoon to start planning the cover for my upcoming release, NEVER LET ME GO.
I can unabashedly say, I love all my book covers. I paid an outside service, 99 Designs, to do my first cover and my sister Teri helped design the rest of them. You can sneak a peek at all my books on the scroll bar above.
So how do you go about making a great cover?
Read on...
Study Other Covers In Your Genre
This is the easiest part. Simply go to Amazon.com and do a search under your favorite authors. What's great about Amazon is that you have quick visual access of lots of other recommended titles. Or head out to the grocery store, library, or drug store and take a step back. Which covers grab your attention? Now, what was it about the cover that drew you in? Colors, photos, the font (size and type) of the title? Start getting a good sense of what you liked and how you'd like your own cover to be all laid out.
What Is the Picture That Defines Your Story?
As I'm writing my book, I actually begin to visualize the images that will help define my story. You can use a picture of a landscape - beach, lake, mountain, or a picture of a couple, a close up of a face. It's really up to you. What picture will link your reader to your storyline?
Consider Other Add-In Elements
Blood-red blood tear drops, splattering of blood, a mirror image, a sunset. Once you have your main image, think of ways to enhance it with secondary images. Don't over do here, but be creative with making your defining photo even better.
Find Great Photos
Istock and Shutterstock are my go-to sites for low price stock photos. I have an account with each and when I'm ready to work on my cover, I spend a fair amount time searching through their library of photos. You can even set up a holding file on the sites to save the ones your considering.
Enjoy the Process
I love writing, but as we all know sometimes it takes work, lots of work. Yes your book cover a key marketing piece for your novel, but between the photos, title placement, font type, you should have fun with designing it.
Ask For Advice
As you complete one or two mock ups of the cover, get some input from friends, family, folks you trust.
Here's Today's Takeaway Lesson...
"A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words"
Here's to Being All In,
Maggie
Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife
