Self-publishing 101: Digital Covers
I won't claim to be an expert. I've only self-pubbed one book--going on two--and I certainly haven't done as much as, say, Nyrae Dawn or Jolene Perry or Steph Campbell who are all champs at this by now. But talking to someone on FB made me think maybe I have some advice that could be handy, so I'm going to do a short series on self-publishing for beginners.
Today's topic: covers
I start with covers because I absolutely love doing them and because they're an extremely vital, often overlooked, part of self-publishing. When people are browsing Amazon or B&N for books, you have one chance to make a first impression. They aren't going to start by reading sample chapters or your blurb. They're going to start by seeing two things: your title and your cover. Which means both of these things need to really stand out.
Hiring a Cover Maker
Definitely a possibility...if you have the funds and aren't adept at making covers yourself. There are plenty of amazing cover artists out there for very reasonably priced. Allie Brennan creates beautiful covers and has done so for several friends of mine. She also has a great selection of posts about design if you're venturing into making your own cover.
Do your research. Look at your budget. Ask around to other self-published authors who either (1) know good, affordable cover artists or (2) make their own covers and might do one for you for a reasonable price.
Stock Images
In the event hiring a cover artist just isn't in your budget and you have the ability to make your own, there are some things you should know. Don't expect you can grab any image you want off a website for use of your cover. There are rules.
Personally, for any of the four covers I've made for myself, I have yet to use any other stock website aside from Dreamstime. Not because their selection is the biggest, but because they're the most affordable. Prices for stock images can go upwards to $100 on some websites, but Dreamstime keeps the cost remarkably low: around $7 to $20 for the size you'll want. Their basic licenses cover royalty free e-book distribution and (I believe) up to 50,000 in print. Any more than that and you'll want to purchase an extended license.
Another reason I like Dreamstime is that they allow you to download a decent-sized 'comp image', which is basically your photo with a bunch of watermarks on it but it still works for putting into an imaging program and messing around with to see if you like what you can do.
Sizes
So when you're buying that image, what size do you want? This post has a lot of really useful info regarding sizes for what each online retailer is going to want (yes, they're different). I work with an image that is 1672x2500, that way I have a high-resolution cover capable of being sized down to any other size I might need.
When you buy your image, keep size in mind. Purchasing the smallest size of something like 400x600 or whatever is NOT going to help you because when you size it up, it's going to look terrible. Get the biggest size you're willing to spend money on.
Filters, Effects, Etc.
If you aren't hugely familiar with or have access to a good imaging program, don't try to force this. I've personally been using Photoshop for over a decade, so I'm comfortable messing around and trying new things.
Look up tutorials online if you'd like. In particular and at the very least, learn how to adjust the levels of your image, and preferably the color balance. This can make a huge different in a photo that might otherwise be a little bland. If necessary, use an online photo editor like Pixlr. Don't slap on random filters like lens flares and weird brush strokes.
Fonts
Fonts are really overlooked but crucial to having a professional-looking cover. First of all, please note that not all fonts are free to use if you are selling a book. Just because it's free to download and use on a website, or even a free e-book, does NOT mean you can use it for free on a book you're going to sell.
FontSquirrel.com is an amazing site for this very reason. Everything they offer is free for commercial use (meaning, you can use it without paying royalties to whoever made the font). They have a gigantic selection. So there's one problem solved for you!
Second, choosing a font to use. Keep in mind what kind of book you have. YA, non-fiction, adult, paranormal, contemporary, sci-fi... All these play a role. Are you writing something dark? Fun? Stay away from really basic, typical fonts like Comic Sans, Papyrus, Thriller, etc.
Placement and Design
By now you should have downloaded a few comp images, cropped and sized them (they're comp images, so they'll look pixelated but that's okay for now!) to get an idea of what they'll look like on a digital self. You should have downloaded a nice arsenal of fonts you like. It's time to start figuring out where you want your title on that book.
Try multiple fonts. If your title has more than one word, don't be afraid to make each word a different font or size. Example:
Not only are the two words different sizes and fonts, but different colors as well. Experiment. I love this cover because it's so nicely balanced. The color of Quinn's name ties into the leaves, but doesn't blend in too much to make it hard to read. 'Grounding' has an elegant font and the loops on both the beginning and ending 'G' kind of frame 'Quinn'. It just looks nice, like everything was done on purpose.
I prefer a very simple font for author names. (Something I wish I had done on HOLLOWED's cover, but did on SUICIDE WATCH and two other unreleased covers.) I feel it looks more professional, is easier to read in small images, and detracts less from the title. Unless you're Stephen King or someone else very well known, your title needs to take center stage over your name. It's what people are going to be looking for.
Keep size in mind when messing with your fonts and title. You don't want it covering the image, however you DO want it to be large enough for people to read in small thumbnails like they'd see on Amazon or B&N. Steph's cover is a perfect example because even at half this size, it's easy to see what's going on.
Lastly, COLOR. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen self-pub covers with horrible colors. Try to keep your colors to a minimum. Don't make your font red just because it shows up brightly on a purple or black background. Find a complimentary color that--yes, like it says--compliments your image rather than clashes with it.
Now that I've droned on and on...I hope this helps and provides some resources and info to get you started on your new cover!
Today's topic: covers
I start with covers because I absolutely love doing them and because they're an extremely vital, often overlooked, part of self-publishing. When people are browsing Amazon or B&N for books, you have one chance to make a first impression. They aren't going to start by reading sample chapters or your blurb. They're going to start by seeing two things: your title and your cover. Which means both of these things need to really stand out.
Hiring a Cover Maker
Definitely a possibility...if you have the funds and aren't adept at making covers yourself. There are plenty of amazing cover artists out there for very reasonably priced. Allie Brennan creates beautiful covers and has done so for several friends of mine. She also has a great selection of posts about design if you're venturing into making your own cover.
Do your research. Look at your budget. Ask around to other self-published authors who either (1) know good, affordable cover artists or (2) make their own covers and might do one for you for a reasonable price.
Stock Images
In the event hiring a cover artist just isn't in your budget and you have the ability to make your own, there are some things you should know. Don't expect you can grab any image you want off a website for use of your cover. There are rules.
Personally, for any of the four covers I've made for myself, I have yet to use any other stock website aside from Dreamstime. Not because their selection is the biggest, but because they're the most affordable. Prices for stock images can go upwards to $100 on some websites, but Dreamstime keeps the cost remarkably low: around $7 to $20 for the size you'll want. Their basic licenses cover royalty free e-book distribution and (I believe) up to 50,000 in print. Any more than that and you'll want to purchase an extended license.
Another reason I like Dreamstime is that they allow you to download a decent-sized 'comp image', which is basically your photo with a bunch of watermarks on it but it still works for putting into an imaging program and messing around with to see if you like what you can do.
Sizes
So when you're buying that image, what size do you want? This post has a lot of really useful info regarding sizes for what each online retailer is going to want (yes, they're different). I work with an image that is 1672x2500, that way I have a high-resolution cover capable of being sized down to any other size I might need.
When you buy your image, keep size in mind. Purchasing the smallest size of something like 400x600 or whatever is NOT going to help you because when you size it up, it's going to look terrible. Get the biggest size you're willing to spend money on.
Filters, Effects, Etc.
If you aren't hugely familiar with or have access to a good imaging program, don't try to force this. I've personally been using Photoshop for over a decade, so I'm comfortable messing around and trying new things.
Look up tutorials online if you'd like. In particular and at the very least, learn how to adjust the levels of your image, and preferably the color balance. This can make a huge different in a photo that might otherwise be a little bland. If necessary, use an online photo editor like Pixlr. Don't slap on random filters like lens flares and weird brush strokes.
Fonts
Fonts are really overlooked but crucial to having a professional-looking cover. First of all, please note that not all fonts are free to use if you are selling a book. Just because it's free to download and use on a website, or even a free e-book, does NOT mean you can use it for free on a book you're going to sell.
FontSquirrel.com is an amazing site for this very reason. Everything they offer is free for commercial use (meaning, you can use it without paying royalties to whoever made the font). They have a gigantic selection. So there's one problem solved for you!
Second, choosing a font to use. Keep in mind what kind of book you have. YA, non-fiction, adult, paranormal, contemporary, sci-fi... All these play a role. Are you writing something dark? Fun? Stay away from really basic, typical fonts like Comic Sans, Papyrus, Thriller, etc.
Placement and Design
By now you should have downloaded a few comp images, cropped and sized them (they're comp images, so they'll look pixelated but that's okay for now!) to get an idea of what they'll look like on a digital self. You should have downloaded a nice arsenal of fonts you like. It's time to start figuring out where you want your title on that book.
Try multiple fonts. If your title has more than one word, don't be afraid to make each word a different font or size. Example:
Not only are the two words different sizes and fonts, but different colors as well. Experiment. I love this cover because it's so nicely balanced. The color of Quinn's name ties into the leaves, but doesn't blend in too much to make it hard to read. 'Grounding' has an elegant font and the loops on both the beginning and ending 'G' kind of frame 'Quinn'. It just looks nice, like everything was done on purpose.
I prefer a very simple font for author names. (Something I wish I had done on HOLLOWED's cover, but did on SUICIDE WATCH and two other unreleased covers.) I feel it looks more professional, is easier to read in small images, and detracts less from the title. Unless you're Stephen King or someone else very well known, your title needs to take center stage over your name. It's what people are going to be looking for.
Keep size in mind when messing with your fonts and title. You don't want it covering the image, however you DO want it to be large enough for people to read in small thumbnails like they'd see on Amazon or B&N. Steph's cover is a perfect example because even at half this size, it's easy to see what's going on.
Lastly, COLOR. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen self-pub covers with horrible colors. Try to keep your colors to a minimum. Don't make your font red just because it shows up brightly on a purple or black background. Find a complimentary color that--yes, like it says--compliments your image rather than clashes with it.
Now that I've droned on and on...I hope this helps and provides some resources and info to get you started on your new cover!
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