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Joined: 4/28/2011 Posts: 5
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I've got one novel all ready to epublish. My question is whether or not to wait a bit longer to create cover art. I'm a graphic artist, so I can make my own, but it'll take time as well as a bit of money (for models, etc.) Do you think it's worth it to wait for cover art, or should I go ahead and epublish?
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Joined: 3/11/2011 Posts: 156
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I'm not sure I'm fully understanding the question. If a novel is published, it really does need to have a cover. If you self-publish, then you need to provide the cover, either by doing it yourself or by hiring a cover artist. If a publisher accepts your work, they provide the cover. But you'd include cover with the novel when it's published. You don't add it later.
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Joined: 4/28/2011 Posts: 5
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I was wondering whether I should just put some 'temporary' art/design on there now or wait until I can do better.
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Joined: 4/26/2011 Posts: 4
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I would think you would want your best effort to be your first effort. I'm of the belief that buying an ebook is much an impulse buy and the cover needs to help trigger that response.
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Joined: 2/27/2011 Posts: 18
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BY ALL MEANS....WAIT UNTIL YOU CAN DO A GREAT COVER...the cover is your best promotional tool. Since you're a graphic artist yourself, you likely won't need my services, but you might find my article on the BOOK COUNTRY BLOG interesting - 'Collaborating to Make a Great Book Cover' http://bookcountry.com/Industry/Article.aspx?articleId=123728
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Joined: 4/26/2011 Posts: 54
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Once you start promoting your book, people will start to recognize it with whatever cover you use. So use your best cover. At least use a cover with which you are happy for the long term promotion of your book. Good luck.
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Joined: 1/22/2013 Posts: 2
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Do the cover ASAP. But make it the best that you can to get your work out there. A great cover will sell the book on its own merits.
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Joined: 11/17/2011 Posts: 1016
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Ive been kicking ideas for a cover around for an long, long time. I say, about all of them, this could do it, but none of them has set my heart on fire. I just got a glimpse, on the web, of a page (of text, folks) in Playboy, and I'm sold on that direction. When my heart leaps, that's the deal-closer. The playful use of type is a solution that always turns me on. I've done a thumbnail in twenty seconds that I am excited about. It's bold, it's graphic. It demands a style of illustration at odds with my natural bent, that has never married happily to my default approach to design. I'm always fighting with myself in terms of visual concept. That's been a big road block for me.
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What I have in front of me is really fun and, best of all, the art will be highly edited, in other words, something of a cartoon. Okay, I may push it in the direction of Louis Wain. That would be a good compromise. Still, I don't want the art to overwhelm the type. I'll mock it up and make a decision. This is a cover I'm going to submit to The Book Designer for their cover contest, if they take covers for books not yet published. I feel that strongly about it.
--edited by Mimi Speike on 6/4/2015, 2:21 PM--
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Joined: 4/8/2015 Posts: 49
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it's gotten pretty easy to find pre-made book covers for under $100. i was really happy with mine from thecovercollection.com other good sites to try:
thebookcoverdesigner.com
rockingbookcovers.com
beetifulbookcover.com
paperandsage.com good luck!
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Joined: 6/7/2013 Posts: 1356
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Katie--these sites are amazing! Thank you for posting. I am a *total* cover art geek--I could look at jackets all day.
On Book Country we also offer custom cover art. This is especially useful if you own an image that you want to use (such as a personal photo for a memoir, or a picture of a place for a travelogue.) You can find out more about that here.
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Joined: 8/8/2014 Posts: 8
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Shardel from http://www.shardelsbookcoverdesigns.com/ or http://www.selfpubbookcovers.com/ has done three or four sci-fi/fantasy covers for my WIPs (under $100 for pre-mades) and they've been awesome.
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