How To Create The Perfect Cover For Your Novel
I had a blog post all lined up for today, but then I found out that my publishers were going to do a cover reveal for my novel, BEAUTIFUL LIAR. So along with showcasing my gorgeous cover - which you can see on my tumblr - I also decided it was the ideal opportunity to look at how writers can ensure they have the best possible cover on their novels. Because let’s face it – even though we’re told not to judge a book by its cover, your potential readers will be doing just that!
1) Make sure the cover accurately reflects what your book is about. It may seem like a very basic point, but it’s definitely the most important one. If your light, fluffy romance has a picture of a knife dripping with blood on the front, it’s probably going to attract the wrong audience. Look at other books in your genre, and make sure your cover fits in with them. You could try posting a draft of the cover on social media sites that you use – without the title or any hint of what the book is about – and ask people to guess what kind of book it is.
As a reader, I recently had an experience with the cover failing to match the contents. I’d read great reviews of Mia Sheridan’s KYLAND, so I looked into buying the book. Frankly, when I saw the cover – a black and white picture of a semi-naked man – I assumed the novel was going to be some kind of erotica. I probably wouldn’t have bothered buying it if I hadn’t already been told that it was an amazing book. And I have to confess, it was fantastic – a beautifully written story, that vividly brought the impoverished setting to life. This was definitely a case of the book being short-changed by its cover, and I think it was only because the author was already established that she could get away with it.
2) Make sure the cover looks professional. I’m lucky enough to have a publishing team behind me, who put the covers together and just show them to me, but I know more and more people out there are self-publishing. The good news is that the explosion in this area means there’s been a corresponding increase in the resources out there to help you get a great cover for as little cost as possible. I’m not an expert in this field, and it’s not something that I can discuss in the space of one blog post, so what I’ve done is put together a few links that should hopefully be helpful for anyone who is starting out. I’ve tried to include a mix of advice, from hiring a professional designer to DIY-ing your cover.
http://diybookcovers.com - apparently easy to use, customisable cover templates
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2013/10/20/book-cover-design-ms-word/ - a detailed and informative article on how to make your own free cover design in MS Word
I hope these links prove useful. As for my own cover, I was thrilled when my publishers emailed me the first draft. A few people have said it looks a little like erotica – which my book most certainly isn’t! But I think it accurately reflects the dark, twisted romance between my main characters, and the somewhat sinister world that they inhabit. I suppose I won’t find out if readers agree until the reviews start coming in. But meanwhile I’d be interested to hear your initial thoughts / impressions from just looking at the design, and what you would assume the book was about just from that picture.