DIY Book Covers –When to Step Away.
Guest Romance Author and Graphic Designer: Loretta Kendall
You’ve written this epic tale and it’s time for everyone’s favorite part of self-publishing; designing your book cover. You have so many ideas and just know you can do it yourself to save some money. After all, who could create your vision like you? But is that true, or do we as authors get too caught up in our emotions of bringing a book to life to see the big picture?
I have been a graphic designer since 2003, and my early work was hard on the eyes, to say the least. After years of practice and work, I have come to the point that designing book covers for myself and others is something I’m confident in. Though some authors have the creative talent and know-how to make quality covers, it’s a skill set that doesn’t carry over for everyone.
Sometimes is good to know when to pass the work to someone who can bring our vision to life. Even as a professional photographer and graphic designer, I know that at times I should commission someone like an illustrator if I want to convey my true vision. Although the idea of making our own covers might sound great in theory, when it comes down to the details, it can be harder than it seems. Below are five reasons an author may want to step away from app templates and hire a pro.
Time Management
The truth is, making a marketable cover takes time and experience. Both of which most authors don’t have. It takes a special skill set for graphic design and the time to learn those skills are not something we can do overnight.
Designing a good cover can take hours if not days if done correctly. That doesn’t include the time it takes for illustrations or flipping through thousands of images on stock sites and fonts. Time spent making that cover could be used to start your next book, work out a marketing plan, or finish those last-minute edits.
Quality Print Copies
In the world of technology at our fingertips we find ourselves looking for shortcuts straight from our phones. Why not? It’s right in the palm of our hand. While apps like Canva may save us time and money, they may not be the best option when designing an amazing-looking print cover.
The most important reason why hiring a skilled cover designer is to find someone well-versed in commercial print specifications.
Bleed lines, cut lines, book size, high image resolution, font position, and word count for spine size play a part in the final result. Often apps reduce image size and have low-resolution quality that is poor for printing.
There is also the matter of print colors and monitor calibrations important to keep your cover colors crisp and clear. When RGB is converted to CMYK, colors can look muted in print, so even if you have some design skills, additional image property factors are also important.
Design and Fonts
Font types and overall design is probably the biggest reason to not DIY your book cover unless you have experience in the digital arts. The wrong font and image can make or break the success of a book. While a pretty picture of a flower may look nice, it may not fit the genre or the story you’re trying to portray if you’re writing a book about serial kills. In addition, fancy calligraphy script may work for a sweet romance, but it may not go over as well for a horror novel. It all comes down to context and what’s trending in the genre.
I’ve seen a lot of potentially great books fail by simply having a poorly designed and outdated cover image. The one issue I see with using template programs is you fall into having hundreds of authors having the same book cover. The goal is to stand out and be seen.
Copyright and Pirates
I’ve found a lot of new authors understand their book could be pirated but have no problem grabbing a copyrighted image off Google and Pinterest to use as their cover. I’ve seen some even go as far as stealing other authors' covers and cropping out the names and titles. The fact is those images are not free use. They are someone’s copyrighted material that can cost an author to be sued by the rights holder.
Even using free image stock sites, you run the risk the person who posted them may not be the copyright owner. Many free image sites don’t support their images being used for commercial use for this reason and do not require proof of ownership. As a photographer, I have found my images stolen and placed on free stock sites.
The best option if you do decide to DIY your cover is paying for a high-resolution image from paid stock websites such as Adobe and iStock. It’s better safe than sorry. Paid stock sites require the photographer to provide copyright and model release information and do a solid vetting on quality control.
Hooking the Reader
Let’s face it. Even when writing our book we get so connected to our writing that it’s hard to be objective about our work. After all, we are supposed to be our biggest cheerleaders. Even so, we need to step back and think, what is best for my book? That may come down to something as simple as our taste vs the reader's expectations. I find myself having a hard time separating myself from my work as I tend to micromanage every aspect of my writing. When I started to step away and let others share with me their views on what would work, it opened doors to new readers enjoying my books. In the end, we must step out of our own way for the book’s success.
In conclusion, if you do decide that DIY is your best option, take time to find readers and other authors in your genre for critique, study graphic design basics online, and practice on several mockup projects before diving into the final product. Even if you decided not to hire a pro, you can learn the skills and techniques of making a great cover.
Ghouls and Gals
Book One
Loretta Kendall
Genre: Monster Romance, RomCom
Publisher: Loretta Kendall
Date of Publication: April 16th
ASIN: B0BZJXVWZZ
Number of pages: 306
Word Count: 89,000
Cover Artist: LK Creative
Tagline: “I’m a rockabilly love’n, hot-to-trot mechanic with a need for speed. A little sass and not much class, but I'll keep you entertained and your car in the lane.” ~ Gigi Stein
Book Description:
Take a wild ride with Gigi, the former bride of Frank N. Stein, as she navigates the world of rat rod racing and explores the unfamiliar territory of understanding love. With a sassy rockabilly style and a lot of attitude, this stitched-up bad girl will capture your heart with lots of laughs along the way. Join her and her misfit friends, including an adorable Venus flytrap who can be a little naughty. Be careful and read the warning signs in the lobby - Molly Sue bites!
Get ready for motor-revving action as Gigi discovers the truth of the lost romance of her human past, uncovering a hidden agenda for why she’s not like others of her kind. Made for humans and monsters alike, Frank-n-people are nothing more than entertainment and sensual gratification for their owners, created by a madman. Not accepting that as her fate, this undead girl is blazing a path of her own.
With the mad scientist Victor’s decision to grant Gigi free will, she has mustered up enough strength to part ways with her abusive ex-husband, following a cataclysmic event that forces vintage horror monsters into the human realm. When she crosses paths with Fox Adams - a lonely human drifter, he wants to work alongside the beautiful, green-skinned drag racing icon in her infamous monster garage. Confused by the attraction to a man with dreams of racing stardom, it forces her to look into who her host body really is if she wants a future with Fox. Together, they form an unlikely bond that will show her she wasn’t just made to be a living Frank-n-mate doll. She was made for love.
Excerpt 1: Steamy Scene
“Mine,”
she roared.
Whatever
strength was within her from long ago, took hold at the very moment her body
was about to go over the edge. Flipping him over and slamming him to the bed,
the power he had given her took lead. With her monster taking over, she held
his arms to the bed, her lip snarling from lust.
Fox didn’t
seem to mind when she growled at him again as if about to go on the attack. He
just laid back and let her freely take control. When she finally let loose,
there was a brief instance he saw his life flash before him, and that oh-shit
feeling of clear and present danger was a little too real. Before then he had
almost all but forgotten she was a monster, but now he knew for sure.
Reaching
for his member lingering between her legs, she snarled. “Whose cock is this?”
“Y-yours,”
he stammered out.
“I’m going
to fuck you hard and fast, pretty boy. I want you to come inside me and own
this pussy. You want to play with a monster. Well, let’s play.”
When
finding her eyes changed at the hint of the newfound monster's rage, Fox
suddenly got a bit scared. He’d never seen this with the vampire woman, but
Gigi was a whole other breed.
When she
grabbed his face, purring against his cheek, a dark side of her seemed almost
to take over. With a slow deliberate lick up his jawline, she felt him shiver
beneath her, giving her more thrill than she’d ever felt before. It was
empowering, exciting, and even thoroughly erotic.
“Don’t be
afraid, little pet. I always wanted a little bitch of my own. Who’s my good
little bitch?”
“Gigi, I
think you need to slow down,” he begged, his voice shaking.
He hadn’t
been afraid of monsters since he was a young boy, hiding from the dark shadows
under his bed. Yet here he was, frozen in fear of a woman he loved. Some part
of him was not only terrified, but immensely turned on by her innate ability to
overpower him. It was then he started to understand the allure of monster
fetishes.
“Are you
scared, human? Don’t deny it. I know you are. A monster can smell a man’s
fear,” she hissed, as she slid down onto his thick girth. “You feel so good
inside me. Such a good boy.”
Rolling
her hips to keep his arousal, she was loving every moment. It was a brief peck
of her cherry lips to his own that showed Fox all he needed to know. She was in
control, but she wanted to play. Like a feral beast set free, she was enjoying
this newfound sexual freedom. Despite that bit of fear that he harbored; he’d
let her have the freedom she craved.
“Do you
want to play with your prey, Mistress Georgina? Can I be your little pet?”
Leaning
against his cheek, she smiled devilishly, humming in his ear, “What’s your safe
word?”
“Red
flag?”
“Mmm. Just
like a good little racer.” Biting his lip, she rocked her hips again before she
said, “And green… means go.”
“Green.”
Loretta Kendall started her life with a dream and a story in her mind. For as long as she can remember, she was a storyteller, sharing tales with her friends from her overactive imagination.
After twenty-two years as an image consultant in the beauty and entertainment industry, the Indiana native revisited her childhood love for books while continuing working in photography and graphic arts. As a graphic designer she also spends her time creating book covers and marketing materials for advertising for clients.
She has been writing full time since 2017 following an amazing writing journey that led to the completion of several novellas, novels, serial stories on popular book apps, and anthologies. An award winning, traditional, and self-published author, Loretta has a passion for creating happily ever after romance stories with the perfect mix of steamy and slow burn moments. A hopeless romantic, she lives her own happily ever after of twenty-seven years of wedded bliss with her husband being a plant mom to her favorite Venus flytrap, Molly Sue.
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