# Cover art.



## BreakingMyself (Jul 5, 2013)

Hey everyone, just a quick question on cover art for your books.

How do you pick your cover art and where would you go for it?

I'm into photography, mainly from a hobby standpoint and have piles of unique photographs which I can pick from. I'm almost 100% sure it will be one of my own photos on the front cover of my first book. If you might be interested in seeing my photos, let me know and I'll upload a few!

I know there are stock photo sites, with varying costs involved and 'royalty free' photo sites, although I'm not sure if they have any other strings attached.

This may belong in the publishing section, if a mod wants to smite me and move the thread, thats ok with me 

Hopefully this will make for interesting conversation and can pull me back out of 'lurk mode' for a while. I'm struggling with posts as I feel my advice is valueless, especially when I'm talking from inexperience.


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## patskywriter (Jul 5, 2013)

Since when has a lack of experience kept people from giving advice? Give in to human nature and speak your mind!


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## BreakingMyself (Jul 5, 2013)

Thanks patskywriter, maybe I will.


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## Gargh (Jul 5, 2013)

If it were me I would just go for what I like aesthetically. I suspect, however, that there would be some merit in taking a walk round a book store and having a look at what sells or is eye-catching.  

Please do post some of your work, I would be very interested to see it


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## BreakingMyself (Jul 5, 2013)

Gargh said:


> I suspect, however, that there would be some merit in taking a walk round a book store and having a look at what sells or is eye-catching.



Good tip Gargh, judging a book by its cover is still common, despite how wrong it is.

I'll get a few photos together and share them in a new thread shortly!


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## PiP (Jul 5, 2013)

I realise I am unable to comment re. choosing the right cover for your book from a marketing perspective, but I DO know what attracts me to a particular book, as a reader. The first thing to grab my attention is the title and then the picture. If both arouse my interest I will investigate further, if not I move on. I'm a dinosaur who still buys 'proper books' as opposed to using an e-reader, so perhaps choosing a book by it's cover does not apply when you download books. 

When my book is ready for publication the points I will consider are as follows:

- Who is my target market - adults, children, young adults
- Genre
For ex. If I'm choosing a book based on humour like a "Year in the Merde" by Stephen Clarke http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0552772968/ the cartoon aproach works well on this book. I'm not sure a photograph would have had quite the same impact.
I recently bought "The Lazarus Child" by Robert Mawson
The Lazarus Child: Amazon.co.uk: Robert Mawson: Books

I would also take colour and font into consideration.

I like your idea of using one of your own photos and would love to see what you have in mind.


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## BreakingMyself (Jul 5, 2013)

Thanks Piglet,

I'm not sure what is going on the cover just yet, but I have a few in mind for when the time comes


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## OurJud (Aug 3, 2013)

I was going to start a thread similar to this, but it's _too_ similar so I'll just post it here.

I've always wondered why, when studying self-published books, the covers are nearly always - how can I put this while observing the forum's rules on bad language? - _awful!_

I suppose it's because under normal circumstances, covers are designed by professionals - people who are paid to do that specific thing because they are good at it, but I've yet to see a decent cover on a self-published book. If I have seen one, then the fact that it had a decent cover means I didn't realise it was a SP.

I'm no graphic designer myself, but as far as I can tell the process involves finding a decent photograph and an appropriate font for the title and author's name. So why do so many people get it so terribly wrong? Doesn't being able to write give one a natural artistic bent that means they can at least _see_ when something looks bad?

I rest my case: Self-Publishing's Worst Covers

I quite often create mock-ups for books I've thought about writing, just to see how it might look if it ever got published.

I might even do it for the idea I have at the moment.


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## BreakingMyself (Aug 3, 2013)

I wouldn't say _all _self published cover art is bad, but they do generally have an amateur feel to them. Maybe they don't take the same time and consideration on the cover as the contents?

Edit: I was going to write something very cliché, I'm sure you know what


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## krishan (Aug 21, 2013)

I think a lot of self-published books end up with awful covers simply because it's hard to judge the merit of something you're so close to. And because most self-publishers are not experienced designers or illustrators.

When it comes to choosing your cover art I'd strongly recommend hiring a designer. The end result will be worth the expense.

Alternatively there are companies that provide generic (but high-quality) pre-made cover art. To find some of them, just Google "pre-made cover design".


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## Terry D (Aug 21, 2013)

For my first book I used Createspace's cover design function, and it came out OK. For my current book (the one in my avatar) I did 100% of the cover design, from photography through layout. I'm happy with it, but that's just me. I enjoyed the process because it gave me the opportunity to generate a cover which spoke to the tone, and atmosphere of the book.


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## OurJud (Aug 21, 2013)

I've just realised what it is I find so unappealing about SP book covers. They're totally void of any attitude or 'edge'. One of my least favourite fonts is Comic Sans - and I realise I'm not saying anything original there (the internet is cram packed with people expressing their own hatred of the font) - but in recent years another font is beginning to have the same affect on me, and it seems to be a very popular one for SP book covers. That font - and please don't hate me, Terry - is Papyrus. It's so... oh, I don't know... phoney.

More people need to be braver with their cover designs; give them some edge and originality. Minimalistic is a great way to go, but very few do.


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## Terry D (Aug 22, 2013)

No hate here, OurJud. I never realized folks had such passion for fonts. Short of designing one myself (which I would have no idea how to do, nor have an interest in doing) I chose one which I found appealing and which fit my concept for the theme of the book. I'm not sure how a font can be phoney, but I appreciate the feedback.


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## OurJud (Aug 22, 2013)

Terry D said:


> I never realized folks had such passion for fonts.



Oh, there's a whole heap of us and we're very passionate. A quick google search will show you how sa-- I mean passionate we really are.


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## BreakingMyself (Aug 22, 2013)

The past few graphic design projects I've done had custom fonts. If it was going to be unique, it wasn't going to have Times New Roman plastered over it! 

From memory, however reliable that is, every website or band logo I've designed had custom fonts made. Apart from my works website, I didn't do the graphic design, just the assemby.


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## OurJud (Aug 22, 2013)

Custom made fonts aren't necessary to ensure individuality. There are hundreds and hundreds of free font sites out there, all with thousands upon thousands of fonts, searchable by category. There's no real excuse for not finding a unique font these days.


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## BreakingMyself (Aug 23, 2013)

OurJud said:


> Custom made fonts aren't necessary to ensure individuality. There are hundreds and hundreds of free font sites out there, all with thousands upon thousands of fonts, searchable by category. There's no real excuse for not finding a unique font these days.



Sorry, I could've been clearer, now I sound like an insane font fanatic! I didn't invent a whole new typeface, I just made the text myself in 'Inkworks' (Primarily used as a tattoo designer) before loading it into a graphic design program, to create the logo or banner etc.


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## Myers (Aug 23, 2013)

The problem is, most free fonts aren't very good. Most of them are poorly designed display fonts. There are exceptions, but you have to slog through a whole bunch of them to find the good ones. I prefer to mostly stick with classic, clean designs that have stood the test of time. They usually aren't free. But you get what you pay for.


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## OurJud (Aug 23, 2013)

Myers said:


> The problem is, most free fonts aren't very good. Most of them are poorly designed display fonts.



This simply isn't true, although I'm not sure what you mean by 'display fonts', or for that matter what the process is for getting your design from initial concept to the finished product.

The fonts on this site are free, and as good as any of the classics. You can type in the title of your book (in the 'customize' field) and then browse the fonts of your choice to get an idea of how the title looks in each of the fonts. The search box at the top allows you to enter categories; grunge, typewriter, futuristic, etc.

Free business fonts - FontSpace


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## BreakingMyself (Aug 23, 2013)

OurJud said:


> The fonts on this site are free, and as good as any of the classics. You can type in the title of your book (in the 'customize' field) and then browse the fonts of your choice to get an idea of how the title looks in each of the fonts. The search box at the top allows you to enter categories; grunge, typewriter, futuristic, etc.
> 
> Free business fonts - FontSpace



That site is great thanks OurJud, I can even put some text in and it gives me an instant preview. 

I've clicked 'random' quite a few times and keep finding some awesome fonts that I would be far from ashamed to emblazon across my book.


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## OurJud (Aug 23, 2013)

BreakingMyself said:


> I've clicked 'random' quite a few times and keep finding some awesome fonts that I would be far from ashamed to emblazon across my book.



Go for it! Maybe you'll break the mould and be the first to create a SP book with a cover that doesn't totally suck


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## Myers (Aug 23, 2013)

OurJud said:


> This simply isn't true, although I'm not sure what you mean by 'display fonts', or for that matter what the process is for getting your design from initial concept to the finished product.
> 
> The fonts on this site are free, and as good as any of the classics. You can type in the title of your book (in the 'customize' field) and then browse the fonts of your choice to get an idea of how the title looks in each of the fonts. The search box at the top allows you to enter categories; grunge, typewriter, futuristic, etc.
> 
> Free business fonts - FontSpace



It's true for me, because I think the majority of fonts on that site are cheesy. Most of the fonts in categories like "futuristic" look particularly heinous to me. Most have limited options for weights, widths etc. 

Display font is just another word for decorative font, and I like fonts that are more simple and classic or inspired by classic fonts. Garamond, Gills Sans, Myriad, Frutiger, Caslon etc. These fonts have exquisite proportions and come in large font families with numerous options. 

But this is about personal taste. If you like the free fonts, have at them.


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## OurJud (Aug 23, 2013)

Myers said:


> It's true for me, because I think the majority of fonts on that site are cheesy. Most of the fonts in categories like "futuristic" look particularly heinous to me. Most have limited options for weights, widths etc.



Well if you search for font styles that don't appeal to you, then of course you'll find them heinous.



Myers said:


> Display font is just another word for decorative font, and I like fonts that are more simple and classic or inspired by classic fonts. Garamond, Gills Sans, Myriad, Frutiger, Caslon etc. These fonts have exquisite proportions and come in large font families with numerous options.



There are literally hundreds of 'simple' and classic style fonts there too!

I can't help but think you're being just a little blinkered here, Myers.


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## Deleted member 49710 (Aug 23, 2013)

I've never self-pubbed and have no plans, but I have seen a lot of stupid covers. Fair or unfair, when I see a stupid cover, I think the writer must have bad taste (or at least, very different taste from mine). Then I think I probably don't want to read a book by someone with bad taste. So I think it would be worth it to hire someone, pay for a font, etc. Or if you're totally broke, just leave it blank except for the title, Salinger-style. Frankly I'm more likely to pick up a book with a very plain cover than I am to pick up something that looks bad.

Anyway, here is kind of a fun site for fonts--it's a professional font design guy/company, but he offers some free ones, too.
chank


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## MJ Preston (Aug 23, 2013)

I do all my own cover art  using photography and Corel Draw. I enjoy this artistic end of the process almost as much as writing the book.

A couple examples:


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## Myers (Aug 23, 2013)

OurJud said:


> Well if you search for font styles that don't appeal to you, then of course you'll find them heinous.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



If I'm blinkered, I'm in good company, because I'm betting the majority of professional designers would agree that while not all free fonts are terrible, the majority are of poor quality.

Here's an article that sums it up nicely:

Free Fonts: Technical And Artistic Quality | The FontFeed

But if you can't see the difference, then you're all set.


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## Charlaux (Aug 23, 2013)

When I finish my current novel I will ask for help from a photographer and designer, but I have quite a clear idea of what I'd like. In a bookshop I'm extremely picky and judgemental (I judge a book by its cover) so I hope that will be to my benefit when it comes to designing mine.  

I will be looking to collaborate with design professionals but I'd look for a local freelancer who I can brainstorm with rather than sending my ideas to someone and hoping for the best. Ideally, if it was a photographer I'd want to go with them to take the pictures - I'd want to be able to peek over their shoulder and make sure we're on the same page. I don't think I'd go to an agency.


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## OurJud (Aug 23, 2013)

Well that article is anal beyond belief - the image of the microscope is proof of just _how_ anal. We're talking, here, about a typeface on the cover of a book, and for me it's more about having a unique style and originality than getting out your microscope and checking if the lowercase 'a' has 'poor transitions' or 'unexpected flattening'. No one is going to notice these things unless it's a truly awfully designed font, and most of them aren't.

However, I accept we're never going to agree on this.


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## BreakingMyself (Aug 23, 2013)

Charlaux said:


> I judge a book by its cover.



Sacrilege, sacrilege!


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## Myers (Aug 23, 2013)

OurJud said:


> Well that article is anal beyond belief - the image of the microscope is proof of just _how_ anal. We're talking, here, about a typeface on the cover of a book, and for me it's more about having a unique style and originality than getting out your microscope and checking if the lowercase 'a' has 'poor transitions' or 'unexpected flattening'. No one is going to notice these things unless it's a truly awfully designed font, and most of them aren't.
> 
> However, I accept we're never going to agree on this.



Well, so far, I'm blinkered and anal. Really nice chatting with you...


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## OurJud (Aug 24, 2013)

Never said you was anal, Myers. And beside there's nothing wrong with being anal.

Man there are some touchy people on this forum.


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## Lewdog (Aug 24, 2013)

People can touch me as long as they use hand sanitizer first.


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## BreakingMyself (Aug 24, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> People can touch me as long as they use hand sanitizer first.



No dirty shenanigans for Lewdog.


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## Lewdog (Aug 24, 2013)

BreakingMyself said:


> No dirty shenanigans for Lewdog.



As I was once taught in a health education class, "No glove, no love."


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## BreakingMyself (Aug 24, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> As I was once taught in a health education class, "No glove, no love."



Good advice. *puts on mittens*


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