You’ve heard the cliché “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This is especially true in the publishing industry. The cover is the first impression a reader gets of your book. Therefore, it needs to be appealing and professional, but it should also reflect the tone and style of your book. If you have a specific vision of your book’s cover, you are probably considering a custom cover. However, there are two different types of custom covers. Here are the basics.
Regular Custom Covers vs. Illustrated Custom Covers
Regular custom covers are created with photos from a photo image site. Illustrated custom covers are drawn by professional illustrators. If you take a trip to the bookstore or browse book covers online, you will see that covers with photos and covers with illustrations are two very different styles. Also, illustrated covers offer more unique designs. The type of custom cover you choose depends on your vision.
Choosing a Cover
When deciding whether to choose a regular custom cover or illustrated customer cover, consider these questions:
- What do I want my finished book to look like?
- What do other books in my genre look like?
- What insight has my market research provided about cover art?
- What is my budget for cover art?
I’d love to know, do you plan on using a regular custom cover or an illustrated custom cover?
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ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Jodee Thayer can put you on the right path. |
I paid about £120 for a high quality digital image from Getty Images for Chronovisor, then set the text myself. I’m pleased with the results…self-indulgent links follows! http://justinedotallendotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/chronovisorcoversmallb.png
tough call, some kind of drawing, or photo for your cover ??? I prefer the photo… reason … because it’s REAL… THANX NCK