Category: Publishing

Book Covers: Hiring a Designer

Posted on by Sonya Dalton

You have your book written, edited, and you’re now prepping to publish it. Previously, we spent some time discussing how to design an appropriate book cover that will keep your self-published masterpiece from going unnoticed. If you read over our summary on how to design a book cover yourself, you likely have a better idea of whether this is a task you can take the time to handle yourself or not.

If it doesn’t seem like the DIY option is the right fit for you, don’t fret! There is another way. There are thousands of trained professionals out there who would love to help you design an eye-catching and unique book cover – for a price, of course.

Where to Look to Hire a Graphic Designer

The biggest question when it comes to hiring a professional designer is where to start looking. You could start by searching social media using terms such as cover design, book jacket design, or a specific hashtags like #bookdesign. These terms may lead you to some smaller artists whose work you enjoy. You can usually either find a link to an artist’s portfolio through their social media accounts or get a quick snapshot of their work through their posts, which makes for an easy vetting process. Social media allows for direct, quick, and open-ended contact as well when you approach someone about their commission prices.

Other options that might help you quickly sort through many artists and designers who can provide the exact services you’re looking for are platforms like Fiverr, which exist solely for artists to advertise their skill sets and prices in one place. Freelance marketplaces like this cut through a lot of clutter that exists on social media. You can filter your results by whether you need only a book cover or whether you need help with the typesetting process as well.

Beware of Prices that Look Too Good to Be True

With these kinds of services it’s important to note there are people who advertise cheap prices and make use of premade templates, free stock photos, or, at worst, steal and recycle designs completely.  It is my firm belief that when it comes to commissioning a book cover you ultimately get what you pay for. Expect to pay upwards of $300+ depending on whether you want spine and back jacket designs included in your design. Adding in the cost of typesetting will also make the process more expensive. A unique, custom designed cover will cost you more out of pocket, but it will make your book stand out amongst the millions of self-published titles that are released every year. While browsing through artists’ portfolios, make sure to keep in mind the current trends and aesthetics of your chosen genre. Choose a designer whose aesthetics match these trends. You still want the outside of the book to reflect the tone of what you’ve written on the inside.

Basic Etiquette for Hiring a Designer

I’d also like to speak on some basic etiquette for how to approach an artist and inquire about their rates. Most artists are friendly people who want to work with you to see your vision come to life. Start the conversation with a polite greeting and ask them if they are currently open to taking commissions. This is especially important if you have found them through social media instead of a freelance marketplace. If they respond positively, feel free to explain your project and what you’re looking for in a cover and to ask them how much they would charge for it. If their rates are too steep for your budget, it is not impolite to thank them and say it is out of your range. It is impolite, however, to try and haggle with a designer or to criticize them for charging too much.

If you find an artist you like and who you can afford, make sure you read and understand their terms of service before agreeing to payment. Freelance designers often require payment upfront. There may be a no-refund clause in your contract once they have started to work on your design. Always bring something up with the artist if you find there is an issue with their work and make sure you mention any kind of deadline you may have upfront.

Working with artists to bring your concept to life can be an exciting and fun experience. Designers love to hear input about their work when it is a paid commission, and they want you to be as satisfied as possible with the result. So, if the DIY option is just a bit too daunting and you’re ready to start searching for a designer to hire- happy hunting!

Book Cover Design: DIY

Posted on by Sonya Dalton

Previously we discussed two possible options when it comes to book cover design for your self-published book. The first option proposed was the DIY option, where you design the cover yourself. This option is more complicated and time consuming than hiring a designer to create a book cover for you. While it certainly isn’t impossible to create a great cover yourself, it is probably best to steer clear of this option if you have never dabbled in any kind of design at all or if you’re unwilling to spend time doing research. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s dive into the DIY option. 

Step One: Brainstorm Ideas for Your Book Cover Design

The first step is brainstorming ideas for what your cover should look like. You may have a strong idea already or you may be entirely clueless. Either way, I urge you to take time and study other book cover designs of best-sellers that specifically match the genre or tone of your book. If you wrote a murder-mystery thriller, look at other books that are traditionally published within that genre.

Angel Wings Book Cover DesignPay attention to the general style of fonts used, the color palette, and the overall feel. These will vary widely between book subjects. A self-help book cover will be different from those of romance novels. Even if you do have a strong idea of what you’d like to present on the cover, take into consideration what other novels are doing. Remember, the main point of the cover is to bring in an audience that wants to read what’s inside. Your cover needs to quickly convey what kind of book it is through its visual language.

Step Two: Find a Graphics Program

The second step is finding and familiarizing yourself with a graphics program that suits your skill-level and needs. If you have access to Adobe Photoshop or InDesign, then those are the preferred industry standard for designing graphics and you should be all set. However, these can be expensive options for a single project. It is worth considering other options, since there are many programs out there that are cheaper or, better yet, completely free! 

If you have experience with design and using image editing software, try programs like Clip Studio Paint, GIMP, Procreate, or Krita. You may need to supplement these programs with things like stock photos or fonts. However, you need to keep an eye on their usage rights.  

If you’re less experienced with design, it might be preferable to choose a program that comes pre-loaded with tons of templates, fonts, and stock images that make designing a cover less of a headache. Try programs like Canva, Adobe Spark, BookBrush, or Placeit. These are only a few of the available options and a quick search will lead you down the path to finding the best fit for you.  

However, most of these programs, aside from InDesign, are not suited for typesetting. If you’re planning on working with the interior of your book yourself as well, InDesign may be worth the investment.

Step Three: Consult with Your Publishing Platform

Doug Wood Book Cover DesignOnce you’ve come up with the idea for a design that is both aesthetically appealing and tells people about your book at a glance and you have a program of choice that you plan to use to bring it to life, it is important to consult with your publishing platform. Wherever you choose to publish and sell your book from, whether it’s solely digital or from a print-on-demand publisher, these platforms usually have specifications that you will need to follow concerning image dimensions, file size and type, and color profile. Keep these in mind when creating your design. 

Best of luck on your journey designing a brilliant book cover if this seems like the right path for you! However, if all of that was entirely overwhelming and you’re considering exploring the second option of hiring a designer instead, we will be talking about that in-depth soon as well!   

Designing a Book Cover: DIY vs Hiring for Self-publishing Authors

Posted on by Sonya Dalton

If you’re familiar with the concept of self-publishing, you’re also probably familiar with some of its criticisms. It’s not uncommon for someone to scoff at a self-published book on sight and label it as unprofessional, or a work in progress- even if that isn’t true at all. If you’re planning to self-publish a book, those kinds of reactions might make you nervous. You most likely don’t want to invoke that kind of disdain from potential readers. So, how do you keep an audience open-minded when they can be predisposed to making assumptions about self-published books? Design a professional book cover.

Designing a Book Cover

The key is to make your self-published book look professional at first glance. The old saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover” is great advice when it comes to the metaphor for how we should treat other people, but when it comes to actual books, people do judge them by their covers. That is why it’s so important to get your cover right. In a world where tens of thousands of new books are self-published annually, there’s no faster way for people to make the snap decision to swipe left or right. Your book cover’s quality needs to reflect the quality of its contents, so you can attract the audience who will enjoy all of your hard work.

When you begin thinking about your cover, there are essentially two options: you can give yourself a DIY project or you can hire a designer to make the cover for you.

You may know yourself well enough to already have an idea of which one will suit you better, but there are pros and cons to both when you’re considering your options for designing a book cover. This is just a quick and dirty guide to helping you make the initial choice.

The DIY Option

This option is more complex. You will need to find a graphics program that suits you- there are plenty out there that are low-cost or free. Some web-based services even provide premade templates to follow that can make the process simpler. Making your own cover will involve a lot more of your time. You will need to handle all of the steps from doing the initial design thumbnails to formatting the image properly for print. On top of that, these things will require research, especially if you’re a total newcomer to digital design. However, there is a positive side- the result will be a lot more cost-effective and it is completely customizable. If you have a strong vision for what you want your cover to be and are willing to do the legwork, this could be a very rewarding option.

Hiring a Designer

The initial step for this option might take a little time, but once you’ve found a designer that fits your budget and style, the rest of the work will fall on them and you can focus on other things. All you need to do is message them, discussing the project and their rates, until you find someone who meets your needs for designing a book cover. Expect to pay a minimum of $750 for an original design that doesn’t follow a template or use stock photos. Despite the downside of being more expensive, this option can save time and stress, leaving you with a more professional, eye-catching book. 

If one of these options interests, you- great! We’ll be going more in-depth into both of them in future blog posts, so keep an eye on this space! Until then, please check out our Not-so-Sexy Side of Book Publishing blog to learn about the technical parts of publishing that will help prevent you from missing out on opportunities. 

Taking Advantage of a More Equal Selling Landscape for Indie Authors

Posted on by CMPR

What do all independent authors and publishers want most?  (Okay, other than an Oprah recommendation or a New York Times book review.)  Book distribution to booksellers.  But what if all of a sudden there are no bookstores and all publishers, indie and traditional, are vying for the same online sales?  It’s time to step up and take advantage of a more equal selling landscape for indie authors.

The Advantage for Indies

Indies have had to come up with ingenious ways of marketing themselves online for years.  While traditional marketing departments have certainly been utilizing digital marketing tactics, indie authors have developed their skills without the benefit of a big brand behind them.   And, in most cases indies aren’t promoting dozens of books at one time.  In an age where specificity, target audiences, and niche development are key, indies have the edge.

Also, from what I’ve been reading even after things “get back to normal” there may still be distribution problems such as supply chain issues, printing delays, and paper shortages while manufacturers and distributors try to stabilize their workforce and operations.  If you haven’t considered that this could be the time to take advantage of a more equal selling landscape for indie authors, start now by optimizing all of the aspects of your publishing and marketing tactics.

Five Things for Your To-Do List

  1. Book Product Presentation:  How does your book look?  Is your jacket professionally designed?  Is your interior designed?  Do you have a standard copyright page?  Did you have your book copyedited? Proofread?  Make sure your product can stand up to a traditionally published book as far as the quality is concerned.
  2. Website/Social Platforms: If you don’t have the money or time to revamp your entire website.  Or if your site already looks fabulous the way it is, make sure you have your new book on a page with all the requisite “buy” links and a synopsis.  Also, check all of your site’s social links to make sure they are working.  So many times I’ve gone to a website and tried an Instagram link and found it broken.   Be ready for any traffic you’ve generated to have a good experience and these basic things will go along way toward making that happen.
  3. Content Marketing/Social Media:  Go back to the basics of managing your shared media by posting at least two blogs per month and sharing on social media.  Facebook/Instagram at least twice a week and Twitter at least once a day.  Engage with followers and do a Google search every day on your topic/theme to see if there are any articles, quotes, or related content you can post in real-time.  Everyone loves to have their content retweeted or commented on, so be a friendly social user and engage, engage, engage.
  4. Bloggers/Podcasts: Reviews and interviews are still happening on these venues, even during this national emergency.  However, you should check the websites to make sure they are still accepting review copies the same way.  Some places may need you to contact them first and then send an e-galley to minimize contact points.
  5. Traditional media: If you have a topic that relates to what is in the news, can support a current story, or offer something new and credible, then, by all means, ping some journalists and producers.  But if you aren’t sure you should, don’t pitch people.  Also, subscribe to HARO so you can get a list of different stories/sources the media are working on.  You can respond directly to the HARO links to present yourself and your work.

To read more about the changing face of publishing today, check out these two articles:

New York Times, March 16, 2020

Interview, Nathan Bransford and Mike Shatzkin, April 1, 2020

Good luck and stay safe!

 

Claire McKinney Launches Plum Bay Publishing, LLC

Posted on by Keely Flanagan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PUBLICIST AND NOW A PUBLISHER

Veteran New York Book Publicist and Entrepreneur Launches Indie Press

May 21st, New York, New York, after over twenty years working as a publicist and book marketer in New York, and as the owner of her own public relations agency, Claire McKinney enters the growing independent book publishing community with the launch of her new company Plum Bay Publishing, LLC.

“Since starting my own public relations business in 2011, I’ve been impressed by the number of great writers whose books are not being published by the bigger houses,” says McKinney. “My goal is to provide a transparent environment for authors and retailers that allows good, quality books to enter the marketplace at competitive prices and discounts.”

Plum Bay Publishing will publish traditionally and cooperatively depending on the needs of the authors and their books. Their intent is to create a model that allows for printing and warehousing books for the trade, while allowing online retailers that work directly with indie presses to order via print-on-demand. Currently, the Plum Bay list consists of six titles, two of which will be published this summer. Their goal is to publish up to 20 titles per year.

“I love this business,” McKinney says, “and I feel that I need to do my part to preserve its integrity and to bring qualified, untapped voices to readers.”

For more information, visit www.plumbaypublishing.com or call Keely Flanagan at 908-955-7580.