I was hoping we could start a thread about book cover design, since we have so many great self-styled covers here on BC.

Tell us about your process as you created your cover, whether in the cover design tool here on the site, or by using other software.

Or, post links to covers you love!

Here's a gorgeous cover that I adore on BC: GOLDEN by Rachel Anne Marks!

Lucy

Book Country Community and Engagement Manager

Lucy, I think this thread is an excellent idea.

.

The cover image for Golden is indeed lovely, but I feel that a cover should connect more powerfully with the story. This image screams Romance to me, certainly not live-by-your-wits futuristic assassin, startling green eyes or not.

.

I can make out that the city skyline is a bit funky, that's something. Visually the look doesn't wow me and as far as promoting the world-gone-wild narrative, it doesn't speak to me. If I were to sum up what I would wish to see, I would say, something much more disturbing.

--edited by Mimi Speike on 10/24/2013, 12:33 AM--

I spoke with a really awesome cover designer, Larry Rostant, on the phone the other day, in order to do this blog post about cover design. Our chat reinforced for me how important genre is in cover design--in fact, Larry said it was "fundamental."

I am starting to have a growing appreciation for how cover designers make a cover that works within the conventions of a genre. That's one of the reasons I respond to the GOLDEN cover so much--it's not just beautifully designed, but it let's me know what I am getting into!

Mimi--what are some examples of covers you like in the genres you are writing in?

--edited by Lucy Silag on 10/24/2013, 9:28 AM--

I don't know about covers for my genre. I'm not sure what my genre is, other than anything-goes literary humor. I'll have to do some research. My cover will be tricky. I'll have to convey that while my MC is a swaggering, boot-wearing cat and the humor is playful, it's also very sophisticated. 

.

I did go through our conference room/library at work last night and I grabbed half a dozen covers that caught my eye, to see what sort of solutions particularly excited me. They were all highly atmospheric. Fantasy does have the more (heavily tweaked at times) photo/painterly-realistic covers. Of course, our selection of titles is packed with sci-fi/fantasy, so it's not a level playing field. We do not get free samples from the more literary-oriented presses. The Orson Scott Card stuff, we get by the boatload.

.

I am intrigued by the statement, 'genre is fundamental to cover design'. Can you elaborate? 

.

I'm trying to think, when I go fishing for a book on Amazon, does a cover really matter to me? I generally have a title in mind, or an author's name. Obviously, a cover would matter much more for an illustrated book. A striking piece of design would impress me more than any depiction of post-apocalyptic heroines. 

.

The dreadful covers really stand out, and there are plenty of them. 

Larry was telling me about how important it is for a cover to reference, or feel related to, other books in the genre. Almost like using design as a communication tool with the consumer (reader). There's a reason romance covers all look a lot alike--because romance readers need to quickly find a book that they like.

Nevena, Brandi and I talked about this a lot when we were thinking about this post about Thriller vs. Mystery. The thriller covers are all of a piece (bold type, hazy imagery, lots of red), and while it's not immediately apparent, the mysteries have much in common, too, appealing to that "intellectual" part of us that wants to thoughtfully puzzle out a story. Check out the collages I made of covers in those genres, see what you think.

Brandi and I have also talked about dated covers. Sometimes, you don't mind, of course. I'll read JANE EYRE no matter what's on the cover. Brandi just loaned me her prized childhood copy of FUNHOUSE by Diane Hoh, and we both laughed nostalgically at the cover. Look at the updated version--it shows you how publishers really try to keep up with design trends to keep backlist titles relevant. And look at all these covers of PRIDE & PREJUDICE that have been on the market in the last 20 years--the version that has sold the most is the one that looks the most like the iconic TWILIGHT cover (though a new one that looks A LOT like the cover of AMERICAN WIFE and other popular literary women's fiction has sold really well so far, too).

So, publishers see a uniformity of looks as a marketing tool. I see it as a gigantic bore. Granted, I'm not particularly attuned to covers. Most of what I buy, tattered treasures at the cheapo library sales, have shed their wrapping, if they ever had one. 

.

Conformity is not an issue for me. My story is odd, rigorous fun, and I'll have to figure out how to convey that on the cover. It will have to have an off-balance feel: This isn't what you think it is, not by a long shot.

.

At those gargantuan book sales, rummaging quickly, after the author's name on the crumbling spine, I pick up books on the appeal of a title. How about starting a discussion about titles? The Sixth Left Foot, that's damn interesting. The Path of the Diman-ji, Book One of the Outlandisher Chronicles, this says same-ol'-same-ol' to me. Seems everyone's planning a trilogy. Are they out of their minds? Score with your concept before you start construction on your series castle in the clouds.

.

My thing, which will (sigh) end up as two books, started as a short story and got away from me. I never intended it to take over my life. I don't think of it as a literary project. I think of it as a mental illness. 

.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

.

About that title, The Sixth Left Foot. What would I do with that? I'm playing with ideas. I'll create a solution of my own, then take a look at the cover that the author has put together. Fun!

.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

.

WOW! Something I have never seen before! On a book I'm working on (I'm at work again) the jacket is a two-layer fold out poster. Spectacular! I love it! No good for an e-book, but, for a hard copy, a real eye-catcher. I can see this gimmick for the entire range of fantasy. The front cover is the lower right hand quarter or so of the piece (the flaps are included). Unfold it and you have a gorgeous poster-like image.

--edited by Mimi Speike on 10/25/2013, 4:22 PM--

I never really thought much about book covers when I started writing, other than how I felt when I looked at them--would I want to pick it up and discover more? And still, a lot of my design work today is based on that idea, I think. But I really like Larry's points on the cover being a sort of signal to the reader. Patterns are important in marketing to make sure you're communicating right with the potential readers. I'd love to chat with him! I feel like I need to learn so much...

Personally, I'm attracted to covers that evoke an emotion. I want to feel  it: sweet or passionate or frightening or personal--depending on what sort of core emotion is in the book, I love it when I see that on the cover. 

A friend of mine does amazing cover work: John Picacio His Site

Thanks for all your sweet words, Lucy!

John’s work is certainly beautiful. An illustrator generally has a signature approach (Maurice Sendak being the exception that comes immediately to mind), and this work is for the fantasy genre, and these factors would result in a uniformity. But this photoshop-enabled look, however gorgeous, is getting to be a bit tiresome. My thinking runs in another direction. I don't say to myself, I would sell my soul to be able to do work like this, as I do while thumbing through the best-of-the best-design annuals, which are both inspiring and intimidating. I do really love The Mountain vs. The Red Viper, which is less techno-dazzle, more Golden Age of Children's Books, and has a nice water-color feel to it.

.

I am more a designer than an illustrator, but I have hope. I still draw by hand, far more comfortable with a pencil than with a mouse, being of that vanished world of pre-computer fine-arts-oriented training. For design work, the computer is a marvel. For my comfort-zone style of imagery it is, so far, difficult. My work is linear, with great variation of stroke and tone. Illustrator does not accommodate my impulse. I'm about to try one of those tablets. I do admire those who have made their peace with technology. I have not yet found my digital way. Pathetic, huh? I do agree.

--edited by Mimi Speike on 10/28/2013, 5:09 PM--

@Rachel--I do like John's work--especially this one. Immediately caught my eye, and I think it would make a gorgeous book cover! What a wonderful gallery of awesome artwork! Thank you for sharing!

What do other members like in covers? What do you hope for in your own cover design (whether it's a cover you're currently designing, or just the cover you dream about)?

I'm going through my files, looking for samples of my work to post. I have character studies for Celestine and Her Sisters, my version of Cinderella. I have a full color dummy for Gaudy Night, I may put up a spread to show my thinking on that front. None of this is finished work, although you will think it is, for my character studies are highly rendered. It's time to adapt my hand-drawn style to the computer, hopefully retaining a good deal of the original flavor. Put a pencil in my hand, I can do marvelous things. A mouse doesn't give me the same control. It doesn't feel right. This is going to be painful, I'm afraid.

.

Pressure-sensitive tools do best for me. I bear down, I ease up. I smudge. I scrape away. (I sometimes work on mylar.) So why don't I work in colored pencil? I tried it. I layered on the pigment so heavily it ended up looking like an oil painting. It was beautiful, but I can't do a whole book that way. It will take forever. 

.

I took that piece to a paper doll convention (I used to collect) and a paper doll publisher (the one who puts out all those Tom Tierney books) wanted to buy it for a flat fee, all rights, forever. I couldn't see it, not for the time invested. I saw that technique as a dead end. I've got to work in Illustrator, throwing color onto my scanned artwork, or adapting my style to those damn vectors. Sure, you can do fine things with them. But they don't allow the same spontaneity or subtlety of line. Or the ease of motion of an unbeatable technology, the wrist. Or maybe it's that I've been drawing for sixty years, goofing around with Illustrator for less than ten, easily discouraged. Old, dog, new tricks, etc.

--edited by Mimi Speike on 10/30/2013, 5:06 PM--

How have I missed this thread?? 

I'm a visual person--I'm definitely more right-brained than left-brained (I have a theory on that with writers, but I need to do a survey before I put my thoughts out there). Covers are very important to me, and I spend a lot of time in Photoshop playing with images and manipulating/compositing them into something marketable. I spend a LOT of time in the bookstores and online, just looking at covers. When I have a client in a genre I'm not intimately familiar with (i.e., not a genre I read a lot in or write in), I obsessively look at those covers to make note of the trends. After all, if a Big 6 publisher is using that trend, it's because it's selling the books. Whether I agree or like the trend or not, they have the statistics to back up their choices--not me. 

Having a good idea of where your book fits is HUGE. You don't want to focus on the thriller/mystery aspect of a plot (such as the image of a bloody knife or gun) if your story is ultimately a romance, even if it's romantic suspense. You want a cover that will evoke an emotion, or give an idea of what the book is about. In the workshop I'm planning, I use the covers of Twilight and Hunger Games of examples. 

Twilight, to me, is a great cover. It's simple (I'm a minimalist, so I prefer single-image and uncluttered-type images), and the image speaks of temptation. Even if it's not conscious, a girl holding an apple immediately brings up thoughts of Eve. Vampires or not, this story is about something forbidden and the possibility of having it. The cover is subtle, but that much, you can get. 

The Hunger Games...I'm not as big a fan of. Sure, the symbol means something to the story. But if you've never heard of it before, and haven't seen the movie or read the news or have been living under a rock, that symbol doesn't tell us ANYTHING. It's not a universal symbol. It makes more sense after the book's read, and to me, that's wasting cover space. At least, I hope it makes sense after reading the book--I don't know, I haven't read it. *ducks and hides*

Um...I got a little chattier there than I meant to. It's a big topic for me, since I design them and am currently writing a non-fiction for self-publishing authors about cover design (a la the ... for Dummies® type books). 

 x♥x

ok good idea but what happens to it once it is posted? can it be copied? before we put it on our book? help

Hi Ross--not quite sure what you are asking. Are you worried that someone would use the cover you create for their own book?

Lucy

Covers...oh my.  With my reader hat on, I react strongly to covers, both negatively and positively.   Back in the late 60s, early 70s, I hated some covers for books I knew I wanted to read so much that I had trouble buying them (anyone remember those stupid blob things, or the globular weird-colored trees on wands?   Had nothing to do with the story.   I am turned off by cover art that is inaccurate for something I know about (animals, mostly, especially horses and tack for the setting of the story) but also people who don't look real, whose arms wouldn't bend that way, etc.  Blame early exposure to good art and a mother who was a very skilled draftsman and pretty darn good painter.  

With my writer hat on, like many writers I believe I know what my readership will like in a cover and what they won't--that's because of the decades of feedback from my readers.   For my own books, I've had both "good covers" (defined by me as "attracts the right audience for that book") and ones I knew instantly would cost me sales.  (Do not believe the publishers are always right about covers that will sell. Sometimes they're wrong.)   Three books in particular saw lower than expected sales with reader feedback that supported my opinion the cover was at least partly to blame.  (Two of the books, with other covers,  picked up in sales and are still in print; the third is still in print with its original cover, but its print sales were much lower than expected and I was explicitly told, by male readers, that "I can't be seen carrying that around and I don't want it on my shelves."   They bought the e-book, which is OK, but...they'd been buying hardcovers.)  As a female writer, there's a tendency for covers to be aimed at the presumed female readership of female writers; covers tend to be "softer" and if there's a female character, someone will decide to make her too sexy.  (At least I won the argument on the most recent incidence of this.)   Half or more of my readership is male, and any hint of a romance element on the cover sends even men who read female-written books away.  However, four bad covers out of 26 novels puts me in a lucky situation, not a bad one.

I'm working on the cover design for what will be e-book short-fiction collections related to my fantasy world, and have run into what I think is a bad presumption--that because the photographic-type image is prevalent on fantasy books now, it should be the standard for indie-published fantasy.  Personally--I'm not that fond of it anyway, and I don't want it.   What I went for (and many, but not all, my fans who've seen it like a lot) is an older, "antique" look in keeping with the feel of the setting and the existing books.   Spare, using a border element I commissioned for the Paksworld website, and had the artist create in a completely scalable format--and thus connecting the collections to the related novels.  I did some preliminary work on it in Paint Shop Pro, then my web designer and I worked in Illustrator, tweaking this and that and finding the right textures and fonts and so on.   Name & title in embossed gold, in a mildly (but not hard to read) "antique" font,  leather-look background, a different color for each volume, in colors that were used to bind books (and still are, in some cases.)  Uncluttered, with negative space used as in many antique books (especially leather-bound), which enhances the readability of the words even in small versions. 

Some  have criticized it for having too much space (a feature, not a bug) and being "too simple."   They would add artwork in the usual-for-now fantasy cover style.   I'm frankly tired of that, even in books I'm buying.   I want a classic, quality book look, something you might find in the library of an antiquarian.  The next person who tells me that's "amateurish" because some self-pubbed e-book writers put a geometric border around their cover design will be snarked at.  Ahem.  Anyway.  Writers, readers, artists, and publishers all have strong opinions about cover design and I'm no exception.

Longtime BC member Marshall Maresca is on our blog this morning with the cover reveal for his book THE THORN OF DENTONHILL, which was originally workshopped on BC and was picked up for publication by DAW Books. Check it out--the cover is gorgeous and I love the post about editing the manuscript that goes with it.

Congrats, Marshall!

Lucy

Just came across a quote from an interesting book I am reading about typefaces called JUST MY TYPE by Simon Garfield:

"A font on a book jacket should merely pull you in; once it has created the desired atmosphere, it does well to slink away, like the host at a party."

What do you think?

A striking image catches my eye and compels me to investigate, whether on a cover, in a magazine, on a billboard, wherever. It might be an illustration, or a type treatment, or an interesting integration of elements. Especially in thumbnail view on a sales site, a strong look is so important, to get you to stop in your tracks and zoom in.

.

Type exceptionally well done is art. I hang outstanding examples on my wall for inspiration. Much extraordinary design leans heavily on type. Check out any design annual. So I guess I disagree with that statement.

.

Yellowcake's a designer. Let's get him in on this.

.

How do you send an invite? I don't see how to do it.

--edited by Mimi Speike on 8/19/2014, 10:55 PM--

Hmmm an interesting statement. At the risk of getting splinters in my bum, I'd have agree and disagree at the same time.

I guess it would depend on what type of book, or publication were talking about. If it was a novel then absolutely. The choice of imagery and typography needs to be striking, attention grabbing and set the tone/atmostphere ... however once your reading it, how often do you look back at the cover._the inside just needs to be a novel. Choice of font just needs to be legible.

Also, what target are trying to go for - a cover for print is vastly different to something iBooks on a phone ... (goes back to the bad old days when album covers (remember those?) were HUGE and then CD's came out and cocked it all up

However if we're talking a coffee table book, font usage is vital, along with positioning, clear space, colour, size of page - everything.

You wouldn't have an black and white image of a Bently Continental, photographed besides a lighthouse, with storm clouds brewing over a surf torn beach, 48 pt comic-sans-bold-italic-outline-dropshadow would probably not be the ideal choice. You would choose something that compliments the picture, has a bit of class and timeless appeal.

• NO JUST NO: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/08/08/article-2719598-205918D600000578-618_634x864.jpg
• NO http://38.media.tumblr.com/fbfb60747df09d9c487cfbf5fef94abe/tumblr_nam71uW4AN1r4dtnao1_500.jpg
• NO http://lousybookcovers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/drowned-500x799.png
• YES http://flavorwire.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/goldfinch.jpg?w=664&h=1024
• YES http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2013-12/enhanced/webdr05/16/11/enhanced-buzz-31327-1387210106-1.jpg
• YES http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2013-12/enhanced/webdr07/16/11/enhanced-buzz-952-1387213044-7.jpg
 

OK I'm done being opinionated now ... I'll go back to fence sitting

--edited by Yellowcake on 8/22/2014, 7:45 AM-- ah that's how the link tool thing works

--edited by Yellowcake on 8/22/2014, 7:49 AM--

Yellowcake and Mimi - I agree. I've been trying to get my authors to understand this for a long while. Many of them think the image is the most important part of a cover, and that they can just slap some text on it and be done (like Yellowcake's second--I think--example). Fonts can say so much about what's between the covers, too. 

I'm actually going to be taking my forced, 2-month, unpaid sabbatical to write a book on Things to Know About Designing Your Own Book Cover (title needs MUCH work). I have a whole section on typography, as well as why it's important to not just slap some images together (a la Yellowcake's third example--MY EYES!). Because I'm making my own "bad" cover examples, I'd love to get your weigh-ins about your cover pet peeves. It's unbelievably hard to make a bad cover, much like it's difficult to write in poor grammar. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I have an album of some on my FB page. Sadly, the Elementals one is an actual attempt when I first started playing with GIMP. *hangs head*

x♥x

Noelle

Noelle, this is a topic dear to my heart. I am going to think about it, and give you my input.

.

It breaks my heart (at least when it's done by a friend) to see authors shooting themselves in the foot with the handling of type. It may look easy. It's not, if you want to excel.

.

I had a job years back. Everyone in my department tried to copy my style. I do have a sort-of style. That may not be a good thing, I admit it.

.

Anyway, they would mimic my scale, balance, choice of font, but I never saw anything produced that wasn't awkward. The slightest change, the amount of text, a tiny tweak of weight or point size, can upset a delicate equilibrium and the result is an effort you would never see in a national publication. 

.

There are so many variables. To copy an example you admire is not enough. You must have eyes to see.

I don’t want to mislead you. I am a small potatoes designer. I flirted with a graphic design major in art school and decided I didn’t have the stuff. I think now it was mostly a lack of exposure to possibilities. Until I got out of school I'd never seen a design annual in my life. Can it be that they didn't have them at that time? It was the mid-sixties. The arrival of the computer was, of course, a great boon. To be able to almost instantly produce a layout that closely approximated a final, what a difference it made. Many ideas look good in squiggles, and are discarded after being firmed up.

.

I did do some free-lance work early on, at the very start of computers. Then I settled into production jobs, a steady paycheck and benefits. Most of what I have to show, or would want to show, are mock-ups of ideas for my own books. I have four going. All but Sly will have to be illustrated. I have a good number of preliminary drawings for proposed illustration, and some involve type. For my direction of choice is generally an integration of image and text.     

.

I’m not at Yellowcake's level, but I have strong opinions and would be glad to share them.   

--edited by Mimi Speike on 8/22/2014, 7:40 PM--

yeah, I'd be happy to have some input Noelle. I also wouldn't be so bold as to call myself an expert, but I've made my living out of designing "stuff" since 89, so I guess I must be doing something right.

Most of my work has been travel related, but I've also worked on some international brands and big blue chip clients. I've done annual reports, catalogues, brochures, packaging, kids cartoons (for lego), TVC's ... pretty much everything, except book covers LOL. But I'm up for anything and love a good challenge, so yeah count me in

re your title, how about "A word is worth a thousand pictures"

with the sub head of "an in-depth look at book cover design"

These days graphics has become a bit of an, Hmmm 'interesting' trade to be in. I guess some similarities can be drawn to the self pub revolution that's going on now with writing. Back when DTP first came out there was so much dross being produced it was embarrassing, but over time things settled down and the general populous realised that indeed it wasn't that easy.

Lastly, you say "It's unbelievably hard to make a bad cover, much like it's difficult to write in poor grammar." just checking, I absolutely agree with the first bit, by have you read any of my stuff ... I find it very easy to write bad grammar ;-P

--edited by Yellowcake on 8/22/2014, 8:04 PM--

Hi folks.  Here it is October and Lucy suggested I say something here about my cover (or covers in general), this because she enjoyed those of my two books and also because they were executed by my wife, here in Japan. 

My work is comedic - both parodies, in fact of the detective and sci-fi genres, so the comic illustration seemed appropriate. One is of my character in Ancient Egypt, the other, the same guy in New York in 2094, together with his android girl friend and the other primary character, Detective Feral O'Farrell of the NYPD.  

Obviously, the second is a satire of the naked-chest genre of romantic covers.

Also obvious, I think, is that with the limited font selection and our own limited awareness of cover design, the result, if charming, still lacks the conceptual polish a pro cover designer might add to put it over the top.  I'm perfectly satisfied with the art itself.  It's great fun to work with my wife Iko, she's flexible and has good judgment and when she decides it's not where it should be, she'll start from scratch. All I have to do is put food in the refrigerator and help manage our rambunctious seven year old.  She also has a terrific sense about fonts and layout.  As I say, working just in the BK cover app, we're limited, but it's still a great resource to get the general concept across.   

I'd be interested in any comments about what any final touches might be to make it work better.  I haven't ordered a hard copy yet.  I do know that covers seem to always look better in person than they do as thumbnails on line.  Maybe where we're at now isn't all that bad.

(Hi Mimi!)