5 Things You Need for a Great Book Cover (And 5 Things You Don't)

with guest Rogenna Brewer.


In 2013 I dusted off my interior design diploma to venture into the art of book cover design…

My budget going into self-publishing from traditional publishing was a big fat zero. But I’m a DIY kind of gal and learned cover design and formatting and then bartered for editing. I enjoyed making covers so much that stock sites soon became my #1 form of writing procrastination.

Once I discovered there was a market for premade book covers I put ten up for sale. Within a week I’d sold two and doubled my investment. Within a month I had my first custom client. Four years later custom cover work keeps me very busy. 

Thank you, Seekers, for inviting me to share some of the things I’ve learned along the way. But before I get into that checklist of 5 THINGS YOU NEED FOR A GREAT BOOK COVER (AND 5 THINGS YOU DON’T), let’s start with a visual of my very first book cover, it’s evolution and where it went wrong…

[Please forgive the pixelation in the first two images, as I no longer have the originals.]

In One Night in Reno, a single mom on the run is stranded in Reno when a Navy SEAL comes to her rescue. It’s a sweet short story with a marriage of convenience and no sex. If I were writing and publishing it today I’d rethink that title. And maybe I’ll do that in the future or change the story in some other way, but for now, it is what it is…

My vision for the cover was a stranded heroine by the side of the road (and if I could work in the kid and the puppy, even better).  But I couldn’t find a stock image to match my vision and I wasn’t able to manipulate images at the time. So I settled for the hitchhiker that became the first cover. 

The clunky border and my amateur attempt weren't even the worst of it. This cover actually sold well, but to readers looking for something a lot sexier. I didn’t take too many hits in the reviews, but one gentleman did call me out on the cover…

Cover #1 failed because the image and title didn’t fit the targeted genre. 

Back to the drawing board…

This time I included the couple, the kid, the pup and the city of Reno. The gentleman who called me out even changed his review to credit this new cover as a better representation of the story. But sales came to a screeching halt. Aside from the awkward title and mash-up of images, something else was lacking.

Cover #2 failed because a romance cover, no matter the subgenre, needs…well, a romantic image. 

That’s not to say headless couples won’t work, they absolutely do with the right body language.  So do those with heads and kids and puppies and landscapes and objects. But the image or combination of images has to evoke some sort of emotion that connects with the reader.

And for readers of military subgenres, the hero is that all-important emotional connection. Once again my cover stood out as different and not in a good way.  

By the time I got around to cover #3 I was working in Photoshop and had learned a thing or two about making book covers. But I still didn’t know enough and was trying too hard to make the text stand out in thumbnail.

Cover #3 (along with advertising) got sales moving again. It hit my target audience of military romance readers. But it didn’t quite fit my story and my personal fail here was the typography.

I was still trying to figure out my brand when I came up with the cover that’s been on One Night in Reno since 2014. In looking at it now I’d tweak a couple things, but I have no plans to change it anytime soon. The beach background might seem at odds with the title, but it works for the story. 

Cover #4 is the right romantic image because it gives clues to the story. This cover lets the reader know that it’s a romance, probably a sweet romance and a serious one at that.  

[Okay, I couldn’t resist making those needed tweaks. Here’s the before and after.]

Whether you make your own covers or hire a cover designer, there are 5 things you need to keep in mind so that you don’t have to go through the trial and error of getting it right…

Your cover has one job and that is to sell your book. In order to do that job, it needs to make an emotional impact in the blink of an eye.  

#1 – You need a great Image(s): 

You need to start with an image that reflects your story. But you don’t need that image (or images) to be a catch-all for the characters and setting or an exact scene from your book. 

There are limitations to using stock images, so unless you can afford a cover shoot you may have to settle for something slightly different that what you imagined. Trust your designer and keep an open mind when searching for images yourself. There are plenty of professional photographers contributing to stock sites where you can find affordable royalty free images that will be good enough for a great cover. Rely on your designer and photo manipulation to makeover an image so that it’s uniquely yours.

Tip: When using people on your cover look for characters that are engaged in their surroundings or looking at each other and not directly into the camera. 

#2 – You need to know your Genre: 

You need to know your genre conventions and stick to them. Except when you don’t. 

Your cover needs to let readers know where it belongs and what it’s about. Don’t worry that it looks like other books in your genre. It’s better to fit in than to stand out. You’d know the difference between a science fiction cover and a romance cover, right? Well, within those two genres there are multiple subgenres and reader expectations. 

Study the covers within your genre. Check out the subcategory bestseller lists on Amazon and notice the similarities between covers within a category. You want to copy that look. But take note of the ones that stand out. It’s usually an exceptional cover or an exceptional story.

Know when to stand out. 

Right now on amazon’s military bestseller list, for example, 14 of the Top 20 covers are bare-chested men. The rest are sexy couples and one bare-chested hero with a baby. The hero / baby cover gets kudos for being “the same, but different.” But they all still follow the norm set by reader expectations. 

If you want your books to sell it’s risky to go against what the reader wants, but there are times when you might want to do just that. I deliberately went against convention in branding my SEAL It With A Kiss trilogy in order to target a more general contemporary bestseller audience. 

#3 – You need a great Title:

You need a great title or you don’t.  

A great title is all you need to sell a plain book cover. The problem is most of us will never come up with a title that exceptional. So we need a great cover to tell the story that the title doesn’t. The typography needs to work with the image, not against it. A kaleidoscope of colors and tricks and crazy fonts won’t make a title more readable. Subtle spacing and shading is all that’s needed to do that job. Look at the books on your shelf and on the more traditional bestseller lists. 

Keeping typography simple is key. 


It’s great when a title is readable in thumbnail, but it doesn’t have to be, and shouldn’t be at the expense of the cover image. There are clickable text links that are readable with the thumbnail. It’s better to have a cover that attracts the eye and gets enlarged with a click than one that’s overwhelmed by text. 

Tip: Use keywords to create your title, subtitle, series title and taglines.

I used to hate it when my publisher would ditch my clever, well thought out titles to use a generic version of…

The SEAL’s [fill in the blank]

Until I realized their keyword loaded titling approach was kind of perfect. It tells the reader exactly what the book is about…a Navy SEAL, and what military genre reader doesn’t love a good Navy SEAL story. 

So figure out the keywords for your subcategory and don’t be afraid to use them in the title and repeat them in the subtitle/series title and tagline.

When are looking for a specific type of book or an author or a title they use the search engine. And when it comes to search engines keywords are king.

#4 – You need your covers to work for your Brand. 

You need your covers to work for you and your brand. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel with every book cover.

You don’t have to be a household name to be a brand. As an author, your books are your product and your name is your brand. You want to keep your brand consistent even if your name isn’t recognizable yet–especially if it’s not recognizable.

Start with a good titling font for your name and use it across your social media headers, your web banner and on your book covers. Some authors even design their own logo or have a logo designed for them.

Branding, on the other hand, takes on the much broader scope of promotion with a distinctive design in mind. For me, with my military background and Navy SEAL heroes, that means nautical and ocean blue themes. 

Take a moment to think about your branding. Are you being consistent? And if you haven’t branded yourself yet, what themes come to mind that will tie it all together?

Your covers should be a recognizable part of your brand. You can do that by having at least one or two consistent design elements, like the font, size and/or placement of your name, carry over through all your covers. Each series can have its own look/feel and still encompass your overall brand. 

Tip: In traditional publishing, if your name appeared above and/or bigger than the title you knew you’d arrived. 

Brand-Name authors don’t need great covers to sell their books. But they deserve great covers and so do the rest of us. 

#5 – You need a great Designer. 

You need a great designer or you don’t, it’s up to you.  Just don’t settle for less than the best cover for your book. 

[Some covers from my portfolio that you might recognize.]

Covers by Rogenna

Thanks again for inviting me. I’ll be here all day to answer any questions you may have about cover design. But let's go back to branding for a moment… 

How are you branding yourself as an author?  

If you're a reader, what's your favorite type of cover?

Leave a comment today for an opportunity to win a $10.00 Amazon gift card so you can buy MORE books. Winner announced in the Seekerville Weekend Edition!

Rogenna Brewer is a Navy Vet who got her start as a romance novelist writing long letters to her deployed husband. She's a bestselling author of contemporary fiction featuring strong military characters and is a member of RWAs prestigious Honor Roll.

We've Got You Covered!

We've Got You Covered!

with Missy Tippens and Lindi Peterson

Missy Tippens, here. And I’d like to welcome my very good friend and critique partner Lindi Peterson. Lindi had books published with Belle Bridge Books and is now publishing independently as well. She just released her first indie book last week, and it has an amazing cover that fits well with her brand and her Belle Bridge covers. I thought I’d ask her to share her journey in achieving that. But first, I’m going to share about some of my fantastic Love Inspired covers.

Several years ago, I shared a post about Harlequin’s Art Fact Sheet. (Click here, but please come back!) This AFS has been invaluable in helping figure out what will make a great cover. Now that I know better how to fill out the form, I’ve found that the art department has made the covers almost exactly as I envisioned them!

For my latest release, The Guy Next Door, I sent my editor a Word document with photos of a couple sitting by a campfire. I also sent a photo of a campfire beside a lake. And I even sent a photo of s’mores!

Here’s the description I typed with the photos I sent (Spoiler Alert for the story!):

Scene #2 – Roasting marshmallows for s’mores at lakeside fire pit. A big proposal scene where they declare love. Hero and heroine sitting on logs that surround the fire. Scene actually takes place in late afternoon/ early evening with light filtering through tall pines. But night scene might make nice cover.

I think they got it just right! And the heroine looks a lot like the photo I sent them (a photo of the daughter of a friend of mine).

On my previous book, Georgia Sweethearts, one of the scenes I described as a possible choice for the cover was when the hero and heroine shared their first kiss. I sent a photo of a man and woman sitting side by side with a note to meld two photos, the first one for an example of the pose.

Then I also sent along a second photo of a picnic table with this added:

Better setting/background--in back yard under a tree. (Add tulips):

 

Photo Credit: Crestock/ simply

Well, here’s what they came up with (and note the tulips, even!). They captured the heroine’s ponytail as well as the clothes that I described in the AFS.

For A House Full of Hope, I sent photos of each of the kids. I sent photos of black labs. I sent a photo of a white wooden farmhouse, adding this note:

SCENERY

Large farmhouse for three generations of Rykers (with porch and front steps and white railing but also has rocking chairs on porch)…

I also sent along a photo of a canopied drive and wrote this:

Canopied Drive to house scene (#1) (peaceful, dappled sunlight) and add black lab trotting down road as well as kids’ bikes tossed on side of road to indicate playing…

So the editors and art department did a great job showing all that. They even captured the pink that the oldest child always wore (a description I added in the AFS).

I’ve been blessed with covers that go along with what I’ve envisioned on the stories. So I’m sharing some tips that I think help.

--Use scenes that convey the overall theme of your story—romance or family or suspense…

--Consider using scenes that include hooks that sell well such as children, brides, pets, cowboys, firefighters, holiday etc.

--Use scenes that evoke emotion. Peace, fear, love, hope, danger…

--Use places that are important to the story but that are also visually appealing.

--Consider covers with people as well as covers without (landscape). Some genres sell better with one or the other.

--Study covers of bestselling books in your same genre.

I hope this helps you when you’re working on your own covers—whether traditionally or independently published. And now, I’m going to turn over the post to Lindi…

Hi all! So great to be back in Seekerville talking covers with Missy.

In my Indie journey I knew from the start I didn’t want to design my own cover. A lot of people do, and they do it well. But knowing my strengths and weaknesses, I knew I would be hiring someone to design my cover. Missy mentioned that I have published with Belle Bridge Books. The ladies there were great in giving me permission to have my series keep the same look.

But first, who would I choose to design the cover? There are so many great individuals and companies that are designing now. Just as I was delving into this journey I saw my friend Sherri Wilson Johnson’s cover.

I said, self, find out who designed that cover. Just so happened I was with Sherri. She gave me the number of the gal, Lynnette Bonner, who has a cover design company, Indie Cover Designs. 

I looked over the covers Lynnette had done and was impressed by the diversity and the quality of the work. Her rates were reasonable. I ended up telephoning her because of the situation with keeping my covers the same as the trad pubbed book. Lynnette looked up the first book and she helped me with the questions to ask my publisher to get the correct items.

Again, the gals at Belle were helpful and sent me links to purchase the template for the background and the dove that drapes down the side

Then my search began. I love people on the covers of books. So, I searched and searched and searched. Those who have done this know how many hours can go into finding one photo.

The perfect photo.

I sent Lynnette several examples and we decided on one.

Dreamstime.com/Kguzel

Then I purchased the template and the dove images and the beach girl. Yes, in Indie pubbing you do have to put out the money for the images. But it’s money well spent in my opinion. I bought $60 worth of credits and didn’t use them all. The stock photo site I used was Dreamstime.

Then I sent all the images to Lynnette. She put everything together and we tried a couple of different background colors before settling on the final blue.

When I saw it I KNEW it was perfect.

While this process is different from the Art Fact sheet Missy spoke of, it has a lot of the same elements. Your vision in someone else’s hands. Your ideas sent through cyberspace coming back to you in the form of a beautiful cover.

I enjoyed this part of Indie publishing. (Formatting and I aren’t best friends, but that post can be written by someone else.)

Lynnette and I have already decided to work together for book 3, Rich in Faith, which is coming out in February.

I feel like I’ve found someone who understands what I want in a cover. I found I worked well with Lynnette in the fact that we could email or message on FB. She let me know when she would be able to get to my work and I tried to keep her posted on my timelines and when I would be getting certain information to her. So a comfortable relationship is very important when choosing someone or a company to make your cover.

Thank you Seekerville for having me again! I always love hanging out here.

I’m giving away 2 copies of my current release, Rich in Hope. Kindle version or print. Your choice.

Missy, here again. I'll be giving away 2 copies of The Guy Next Door (print or e-book, your choice). But we need you to LET US KNOW in your comments which book/s you want to be entered for!

 Also, let us know what you think makes a good cover.

TODAY!!! HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS RELEASES!

CLICK THE PHOTO TO PURCHASE

TODAY! RICH IN HOPE SPECIAL PRICE OF 99 CENTS!

CLICK COVER TO PURCHASE

*****

Connect with Missy and Lindi:

www.lindipeterson.com

www.missytippens.com

Lindi on Facebook

Missy on Facebook

@MissyTippens on Twitter

@LindiPeterson on Twitter

YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER ... OR CAN YOU?

“You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

—   Bo Diddley

Horse biscuits!

As much as I respectfully disagree with Mr. Diddley, I just have to say the man knows “diddley” squat about publishing! Not only can you judge a book by its cover, but according to a “Cover Matters” survey conducted by The Book Smuggler’s Blog, a whopping 79% said that book covers play a decisive roll in their decision to purchase a book. Now when you figure that 3.13 billion books are sold every year, that’s a LOT of pulp, people!

First impressions are important, whether valid or not, and the first glimpse of a cover is a first impression to a potential reader. Which is why my covers are so very important to me and why my prayer partners and I have prayed about every single one well in advance.

So while I was cleaning out my files a few weeks ago, I came across the portfolio shot of the model who posed for Collin McGuire on the cover of A Passion Most Pure, and I thought it might be fun for you to hear some of the background on each of my covers because as high maintenance as I can be, each book cover has been a real trip.

Since A Passion Most Pure was my debut novel, I had no idea what to expect with the cover process NOR any common sense to know that I was a newbie who needed to keep her mouth shut. Fortunately for me, the artist I work with at my publishing company is one of the sweetest human beings on the planet, and she was kind enough (and patient enough) to work with me to get a cover I would be happy with.

As an author, initially I send my publisher my character descriptions and personality traits, along with pics of movie stars or models I think they resemble. For the Daughters of Boston series, my publisher actually did two different shoots—the first of the female model, then later another shoot with the male model, which they stripped into the first pics for the final cover. 

Initially, the artist sent me pix of Faith with her hair long and wearing a pretty, lacy top that was a bit off-shoulder and showed a lot of her back and neck. “Oh, no,” I said to my artist, “Faith’s hair looks like a prairie romance, and this is 1916 Boston, so can we put her hair up?” Yes, we could and did, much to my relief. “Can you make the hair a little redder and the eyes a little greener?” I asked. No problem. Then they gave Faith a high-neck dress, which I thought worked a lot better—more chaste and proper for a modest young Bostonian. And FYI, in the pics with Faith, keep in mind they used some guy on the set to stand in for Collin for placement purposes only. So far, so good, right?

  

And then the tears began. The artist sent me a pic of Collin with a namby-pamby smile, and I started to cry, telling my husband he looked like a wimp. “Do you have any other shots from the shoot?” I asked the artist. “Only one,” she said, “but Collin looks mad in it, and nobody thought it would work.” “Can I see it?” I asked, hope springing in my chest, and the rest is history! I took one look at the smoldering, moody face of Collin McGuire, the man who was angry because he couldn’t have the woman he wanted, and I knew we’d struck pay dirt.

On book 2, A Passion Redeemed, it was a real wild ride! When my artist sent me the pic of the cover model for Mitch, the gals in my office literally drooled. Although he seemed a bit young for Mitch, he had that gruff, grouchy temper thing going on, which was absolutely perfect because Charity makes Mitch … well, grouchy ... through most of the book.

Imagine my shock when I received the first cover in which this gorgeous male had slicked-down hair and looked like an English dandy. More waterworks, of course, and I begged my artist hubby to “play” with the cover for me, giving my wonderfully stubborn hero more of an iron jaw and an angrier look in the eyes (all my heroes tend to be angry for some reason … maybe because they have to deal with me!).

“Oh, babe, the hair has got to go,” I said to my husband, so I searched on the Internet for just the right head of hair—blond rumpled curls (can you guess the movie star whose hair I stole?) instead of slicked down—and my publisher artist agreed the changes worked. Did I mention before what a saint both my husband and publisher artist are??? Here is a before and after to show you what we did.

 

 Then I zeroed in on Charity and noticed that the very buxom, drop-dead gorgeous vixen named Charity O’Connor was not as buxom as I’d hoped and even less so than her sister, Faith, who was supposedly unendowed. So, as a final change to the cover, my artist graciously endowed Charity with a bit more “charm” as you can clearly see in the before and after. Sigh. Book 2 over and done.

Now, I will admit that I had given my poor artist so much grief on the first two books, that I made up my mind that I would take the cover for A Passion Denied any way they gave it to me, no complaints. And so, despite my utter shock at the model who looked NOTHING like the Lizzie in my mind, I kept my mouth shut and prayed. And guess what? Right before the cover was finalized, my editor intervened on her own and said this first model didn’t fit the character image, so she ordered a second shoot and VOILA — Lizzie was born, and I never had to say a word!

I can't thank my publisher and hubby enough for working with me like they do to address my concerns. I have since found out that most authors do not have the luxury of so much input on their covers, and so I am doubly grateful. Because  you may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but you sure can judge a CDQ by her reaction to it, and let me tell you—it ain’t pretty.

Most professionals in the publishing industry agree that an effective book cover is THE BEST marketing tool for any author, traditionally published or indie. And since indie authors are taking the publishing world by storm right now, I thought I’d pass on the best links I found online for great cover tips plus recommend a couple of cover designers the Seekers have used who are top-notch. Mind you, there are tons of great cover designers out there, so if you have recommendations, please feel free to leave their name or website in the comments section. But for brevity sake (and, yes, contrary to popular opinion, I really DO know what the word “brevity” means), I am going to list the three designers that I know several Seekers have chosen.

COVER DESIGNERS THE SEEKERS HAVE USED AND LOVED:

The Killion Group has produced wonderful covers for Ruth Logan Herne and have worked on my formatting as well—they’re wonderful!

 

Rogenna Brewer has done a fab job for Tina Radcliffe with the following covers and Audra Harder's sensational cover:
  

  

Lena Goldfinch collaborated with Amber Stokes to create Sandra Leesmith’s fabulous covers:
  

THE ONE BRAVE SEEKER WHO DESIGNED HER OWN COVER:

Check out Myra’s indie novel, Pearl of Great Price:

Top Websites I found online for great COVER tips:

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/designing-book-covers/

http://humblenations.com/2012/04/12/14-tips-for-good-kindle-cover-design/

FABULOUS blog on fonts by genre:

http://www.creativindie.com/300-fool-proof-fonts-to-use-for-your-book-cover-design-an-epic-list-of-best-fonts-per-genre/

BULLET TIPS FOR CREATING A GREAT COVER:

Regarding Fonts:

—Shoot for a short title.

—The title should be easy to read in size (big is good), font, color, and design.

—Make sure your spine can be read from five feet away.

—Go for a cover that impacts from 30 feet away.

—Keep jacket blurbs short and sweet.

—Choose a font that conveys the mood of your story (FONTS BY GENRE)

—Avoid overused fonts (TEN MOST OVERUSED FONTS).

—No more than two fonts per cover

—Avoid caps, italics, underline if possible.

—Choose a title that includes the most searched words according to Google (i.e. type in the word that best describes your book and see what top words come up, then try to include them in your title).

Regarding Graphics:

—Research favorite covers in your genre; learn from both good covers & bad.

—Poll various cover choices with your target group.

—Know your reader & research types of book he or she buys.

—Create a mood board for your book to create the feel you want.

—Know the message you want to convey.

—Keep it simple.

—Evoke curiosity.

—Promote natural eye flow.

—Utilize a strong focal point.

—Do thumbnail image to ensure easy readability on Amazon, B&N, etc.

—Never use cheap clip art.

—Never use your own artwork, children’s artwork, or anyone’s except professional artists or graphic designers.

—Do not put an image inside of a box.

—Avoid freakish color combinations.

—Use contrast wisely (i.e. light, never white, on dark for drama (novels, spiritual, etc.); dark on light for instructional (self-help, how-to, business).

—Allow .25” from trim guides to ensure a more professional look.
—Go bold & symbolic: Twilight, The Godfather, Hunger Games.

 

Finally, colors convey moods, so choose wisely:

• Red – Energetic, powerful, passionate, excited, strong, sexy, fast, dangerous.
• Blue – Male, Cool, conservative, trustful, reliable, safe.
• Yellow — Warm, bright, cheerful, sunny, cheerful, happy
• Orange – Warm, playful, vibrant, bold.
• Green — Natural, fresh, cool, organic, abundant.
• Purple — Royal, spiritual, dignified
• Pink – Feminine, soft, sweet, nurturing, secure, gentle.
• White — Pure, clean, bright, virginal, youthful, mild.
• Black — Sophisticated, elegant, seductive, mysterious
• Gold – Expensive, prestigious, affluent
• Silver – Cold, prestigious, scientific, clinical

GIVEAWAY:

Leave a comment to be entered for your choice of any of my books. EXTRA POINTS IN TODAY'S GIVEAWAY!! Suggest a good cover designer or a tip not mentioned, and you get an extra point for each. OR share this blog today on FB and/or Twitter and get  extra points for each share (up to 2 points).

JULIE’S BIO:

Award-winning author of “The Daughters of Boston” and “Winds of Change” series, Julie Lessman was American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Author of the Year and voted #1 Romance Author of the year in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards. She has also garnered 17 RWA awards and made Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction. Her book A Light in the Window is an International Digital Awards winner, a 2013 Readers' Crown Award winner, and a 2013 Book Buyers Best Award winner. You can contact Julie and read excerpts from her books at www.julielessman.com.