Should You Hire a Book Cover Designer?

Packaging is everything. The bookstore browser spends just eight seconds looking at a book's front cover and fifteen seconds on the back cover. If you don't capture their interest immediately, chances are they will put your book back on the shelf.

Everyone judges a book by its cover. No one reads the book before they make a buying decision. Sales representatives only carry book covers and jackets to show bookstore buyers. Wholesalers and distibutors just want to see the cover copy. The fact is that all book buying decisions are made on the illustration and design, and the sales copy on the outside of the book.

So should you hire a cover designer for your book? Here are some great reasons to say yes.

Book cover designers work with color and type everyday. They know where to place the title and barcode. They not only lay out covers, they work with printers to make sure their design and colors are faithfully reproduced. Cover designers provide more than art - they provide a much needed service. But to gain the most out of your cover designer, here are a couple of ground rules you should follow.

1. Do not give too much direction. If you do, you run the risk of stifling the creativity you are paying for. Provide only general direction.
2. Provide a model book you like and tell the artist you want your cover to be classy or rustic or one that says mystery. Let the artist give you his or her best interpretation with just a little input from you.

Since everyone from the distributor, to the wholesaler, to the bookstore buyer, to the ultimate customer, judges a book by its cover, it's imperative that you give them what they need - a compelling cover with art and a sales message that will encourage a positive buying decision. And the best way to do that is to hire a book cover designer.

[This post was created, with permission, from excerpts taken from Successful Nonfiction by Dan Poynter.]

Comments

[Michele DeFilippo]

Great advice! Everything you say in this post would be endorsed by the cover designers I know.

Michele DeFilippo, owner
1106 Design
Book Design and Self-Publishing Advice. With Hand-holding.