This is the second post in the Book Cover FAIL series, focusing on the common causes of cover design mistakes by self-publishing authors and offering solutions to avoid them.
In the do-it-(all)-yourself world of self-publishing, the total responsibility for all aspects of your book’s production falls squarely on your shoulders as the author. Creating the cover is no exception. While many POD printers offer step-by-step “cover designers,” they offer little in the way of design advice or direction.
Putting the best face on your book doesn’t have to be stressful! Here’s two more common ways to commit book cover failure and how you can avoid falling into their trap!
Book Cover FAIL No. 2 : Failing to do research.
Sending a cover out into the wild without taking a peek at what your competition is doing is like laying in a forest covered in honey: you’ll be devoured in seconds. Don’t do it!
This isn’t tedious, brain-numbing research, and it doesn’t take forever. Here’s the process:
- Figure out where your book would be listed on Amazon and “cover surf” through the top 100 in that category.
- Take notice of any reoccurring themes – do most of the covers seem to be colorful or monochromatic? How are photographs used? Can you group them into a few broad design categories?
Note: get as specific as possible for the best results. If your book is Science Fiction, you can check out covers under that general category, but if your genre is chicklit and you’re looking at everything under Literature & Fiction, you may not be getting the best information.
From this research, you will begin to notice certain themes common in your genre. While you don’t want to copy another cover, it may give you inspiration and ideas for your own book.
Book Cover FAIL No. 3: Focusing on the wrong things.
Is your book about a muscled half-man/half-horse hybrid with a mini-me grafted on to his arm? Then it’s probably not a good idea to put that on your cover. Make sure your cover is applicable to your subject matter!
Along these same lines, unless you’re really confident about yourself, or unless your name is:
- Nora Roberts, Stephen King, James Patterson, JK Rowling, Jodi Picoult, or anyone else who has been on the NYT Bestsellers List.
- Britney Spears, that girl from The Hills, Lindsay Lohan (can she write?), or anyone who has appeared in a celebrity gossip blog.
- An established, well-known source of information in your field.
Don’t make your name the focal point of your cover. Those people can get away with it because the public even if the title was “Pile of Crap,” readers would be snapping up copies left and right. Your name should be visible, of course, but personally I know I’m not famous enough to pull THAT off!
Wrapping Up
While cover design is important, it needn’t be stressful! Make sure to do your research and focus on the right things to keep your design on track.
Next up in the series, we’ll learn to keep things from getting too personal and how to know when you need help.
Further Reading
For more cover design, check out the other ways to cover fail and the general design category. In the greater writing webverse, The Book Designer has an immense resource of helpful articles covering all aspects of the book design process.
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