This is the preface to my revised book marketing guide, download the free PDF. Book formatting is the bane of my existence. It’s tedious, and time-consuming, and there are always typos and mistakes, but it’s also a crucial part of the publishing process. That said, it’s possible to do a decent job yourself, if you learn how, and...
I started this series of videos from a quick list of 7 book cover design tips for indie authors. That’s a 40 minute video you can watch if you want. But I lost my list and tried listening, and only found six. 1. title font = genre. 2. colors = mood 3. setting = place
I haven’t talked specifically about cover design in awhile, and I usually ignore those raging Facebook diatribes where everybody has loud opinions and gives bad advice, but I got involved in one tonight that is important enough to share. The reason authors get their covers wrong is not just an educational gap. They’ve never designed...
Quick Answer Epic fantasy: Cinzel or Trajan Pro. Urban fantasy: Bebas Neue. If you can’t read it at thumbnail size on Amazon, it’s the wrong font. I’ve designed over 1,000 book covers (hundreds of them fantasy), and the font choice makes or breaks the cover more than almost anything else. A great illustration with the
Book cover design has changed a lot over the past few years, and I’ve seen a rise in high-quality covers for a much lower price than what was available in the past – however, some of the best designers aren’t well known, are booked out a year in advance, and only sell through Facebook (often
Indie publishers are slowly coming to realize the importance of an amazing book cover. Since many self-publishing authors are starting out on a very small budget however, homemade, DIY book covers are still a popular choice. But be forewarned: although book cover designs come in a wide variety, publishers consistently use reliable, time-tested...
Tari Akpodiete made this awesome chart of cover design resources. Click the image to view the PDF in Dropbox, then zoom in to see all the links and content. Follow Tari on Twitter Derek MurphyI’ve spent 15 years helping authors write, publish, and sell books. When I’m not writing, I’m probably in a castle
Today I redid some of my covers. I’ve actually gone through at least 5 covers for Shearwater (my YA mermaid romance novel), and since publishing part one I haven’t been happy with it. Even though most people like it, and it performs OK, I wanted something stronger. But people are asking me why – why switch
I see a lot of authors asking for feedback between a few cover design choices. This always has mixed results, since people on Facebook don’t know anything about book cover design, they probably aren’t your target market, they probably aren’t ideal readers of your genre, and they aren’t designers. So what inevitably...
I talk SO MUCH about book cover design, but I thought it would be easier to just see all the important stuff in one simple book cover design checklist. So before you publish (or if you see someone’s hideous cover and want to gentle encourage them to make a better one) please share and use
All the designers I know who are decent at book cover design charge over $500 – but the majority of indie authors think paying $200 or so for a cover is “reasonable.” I don’t like setting a price threshold on publishing, or saying that if you publish you HAVE to pay a lot of money
This is the cleverest book cover / marketing / design I’ve seen in a long time. Somehow it’s a moving video/gif of the book cover, with two moving balls in the maze. How amazing would it be to have the scene of your book cover be a “movie” that actually moves, where pictures could dance
