Judging a book by its cover
Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
I've been spending some time lately looking at book covers. I've had a
feeler from someone who expressed interest in having me design a cover
for a self-publishing project. As a result, I've been looking at fiction
books (novels, collections of short stories) that were either
self-published or published by micro presses. One part of me is
confident that I can do better than much of what I see. Another part
isn't so sure. Still, I've learned some things:
- Cover art should have what I would call a "less busy" spot or two
for the title, author name, and possibly the semi-obligatory review
quote.
- Text may need a hairline outline or a bit of a drop shadow to make it "pop" out a bit from the background.
- Avoid overly decorative fonts, or fonts that are overused by POD publishers. (If I see Benguiat or Poster Bodini on a book cover any time soon, it had better be used in a humorous or ironic manner.)
- Watch where shadows fall.
- Take care that the text color "works" with the art.
As a matter of fact, I have seen a few very hideous covers over
the last few days. Personally, I'd rather see appropriate (as in
appropriate for the subject of the book) clip art than art that looks
half-finished. I see stuff that was clearly created using a software
package like Poser that just doesn't look "finished." It's as if the
artist said, "oh, I generated a face. Who needs details like wrinkles or
pores?" or "I got the stock look of surprise!" I see shadows that don't
match the light sources, or I don't see shadows at all in spite of a
strong source of light.
I can't imagine why someone would get their manuscript critiqued,
edited, and beta read to within an inch of its life only to slap on any
old piece of art on the cover. Yet, I see it all the time. I go to SF
conventions and see POD SF books that have different covers, but they
all use the same typeface. Why? Is it convenience? Is it just because
the publishing service allows you to upload cover art but limits
typeface selection?
I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm just trying to understand what goes
into POD cover design. If I get this commission, what choices will I
have to make? Am I going to be forced to settle for something both I and
the author won't be happy with because we have to fit into some
publishing service's mold?
I haven't really designed a cover since my fanzine days, and when I look back on those, they look hideous to me.
Well, I did do this one a couple of years ago, but it was an April 1 joke:
So, if you self-publish or are with a micro publisher, what do you do to
make your book cover stand out? Do you hire an artist? Do it yourself?
Tags: Publishing
Filed under: Publising Covers
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