~Dick's Cover Art FAQ’s~
Dick Claassen, editor-graphics@awestruckebooks.net
 | Many authors ask us questions about cover art. Great looking covers set us apart from the amateurs. Snappy covers will greatly enhance your chances for snappy sales. But there are some things you should know before deciding on a final cover for your book. The Q’s and A’s below should help clear up many issues for you. |
NOTE: I will need you, the author, (or your cover artist) to send me your book cover at least 4 months before publication date. In an emergency, we can manage if you don't give us that much lead time, but a 4 month lead time is what we prefer.
Q: Just how important is cover art to the success of my book?
A: The cover of your book is the single most important promotional element. A surfer won’t see how well you write or even if they like your story when they are in the early stages of investigating your book. They look at the cover, and hopefully the picture on it will interest them enough to continue investigating. Remember when your parents told you not to judge a book by its cover? It’s very good advice, but few follow it. In the initial stages of investigation, a potential customer takes a very quick look at your book cover and then reacts. And, for the sake of your book, that reaction had better be favorable. A bad cover is the surest way to kill your book. Visitors to our site or to the site of any of our distributors will either be turned on, or turned off by that single cover they see on the site. You have but one chance to get their attention. If the cover is good, it’s likely a surfer will dig deeper. They’ll be drawn in to read the book’s description. Then they might read the book’s excerpt. If you can get them that far, it’s likely they’ll buy your book. But if you can’t get them through the front door, (the book cover), they’ll never know what a good book they didn’t buy.
Q: What’s a "bad" book cover?
A: A bad cover is one that looks like it’s been done by an amateur. You see bad covers all over the Net. The book covers displayed on some publishers’ sites are atrocious, and those bad covers set into motion the self-destruct mechanism for both the publisher and the authors. The publisher won’t be around long and the author, sadly, will have to look for another publisher. Surfers should expect to see the same quality of cover they see at the Borders or Barnes and Noble brick and mortar stores, (stores on the ground). Potential customers won’t pay money to buy a book that doesn’t look "hot"; especially since the cover will be posted on our big distributor sites like Barnes and Noble, Fictionwise, and Powell’s. Customers associate the quality of a site with the quality of the cover, so it’s important for both Awe-Struck and the author we live up to a customer’s, and the site's expectations.
Q: But Dick, I’m an artist! I’m perfectly capable of making a professional looking cover for my book.
A: Okay, so you’re an artist. Maybe you’re an accomplished artist. Maybe you have your Master’s or PhD in Fine Arts. But are you an illustrator? There’s a huge difference between illustrating, and painting or drawing. There are the fundamental elements of graphic design to consider. A pretty picture won’t look good on the front of a book unless its elements are simple and uncluttered. Too many details get lost in a muddy snarl when you try to see them in the limited area of a book cover; especially when you consider that the width of the largest cover we post on the site is only 2 inches wide by 3 inches tall. The treatment of the title-work is also extremely important. Can you add depth to the title? Can you make it glow, or sparkle? Can you make the title pop off the page, screaming, "Buy me, you fool! Buy me!" <g> Do you know how to choose a font that fits the background image? Most important, can you convincingly draw or paint realistic human figures--characters in the plot that will draw the prospective buyer into a story? And do you own and know how to use a high-end graphic editor like Photoshop? Bottom line: most authors who try to make their own covers don’t have the software or the knowledge or expertise to make an effective and attractive book cover.
Q: Okay, for the sake of argument let’s say I don’t want to make my own cover. What are my options?
A: Since we are a full-service publisher we will make you a free cover. This is an option, but it’s not your best option. There is a far better alternative. You owe it to yourself, at this stage of your book-making effort, to consider the services of a professional freelance graphic designer. Although I can make you a professional cover, I don’t do covers full-time. I put book covers together very fast. This means you will have no input into the cover’s design. No time. <g> With a freelancer you have input. In fact, a freelancer will be able to put your imagination into the cover.
Q: Let’s say I’m considering a freelancer. How do I find one? How much do they charge? What kind of instructions do I give them?
A: Go to-
http://www.awe-struck.net/asubmit/cover_art.html
On this page I have artists along with sample covers, their email, and their website. An artist’s website will give you a wonderful idea of what kind of cover you can expect from him/her.
Q: Okay, okay, I don’t get this. Do the freelancers work for Awe-Struck? Aren’t you guys just getting money for a cover under the guise of a freelancer?
A: No. We have nothing to do with the freelancers. They offer me their services. If I like their work, I post their particulars on our website. The dealings are strictly between you and the artist. We receive no money from any of them: I post the freelancers because I want our authors to end up with dynamite covers. So it’s to our advantage, as well as yours to make good freelancers available to you. If you don’t want to pay for a cover, I can make you one. If you have definite ideas about your cover and want those ideas to be reflected in it, you should seek out one of our freelancers. They’ll do a great job for you. BTW, if you should have a different freelancer in mind, by all means seek him/her out. I don’t care who does your cover. I just insist on your cover looking professionally rendered. Important: You should tell any freelancer you work with to scroll to the bottom of-
http://www.awe-struck.net/asubmit/cover_art.html
The cover specs I require are there.
Q: Well, I must say you’re certainly opinionated about this!
A: Yes, I am. My opinions are based on considerable experience, both as a publisher and as a graphic designer. We’ve been publishing for five years plus, and during that time we’ve come to know what works and what doesn’t. Good covers are effective. It’s important we communicate this to our authors. I’ve seen wonderful books with poor covers sell poorly, and I've seen wonderful books with wonderful covers sell well. Of course, there are exceptions to any rule. But on the whole, good covers on good books are a potent combination. And since we choose only good authors who tell good stories, the only variable, here, is the cover.
Q: Well, what if I’m not impressed by a book cover? What if I don’t judge a book by its cover? What if I think my writing will carry the day?
A: An essential part of your promotion package is a good cover. Your book will not succeed without a good cover. You can have the best book on the planet, but if the cover is poor, the majority of potential customers won’t give it a second look. To illustrate, think of a beautiful car. Shiny paint job. Candy apple finish rubbed to a deep, glossy glow. Now picture a duplicate car without the candy apple paint job. Let’s give this second car a primer gray paint job--the dull, gray paint used as an undercoating before the car is given its final coatings. Put the cars next to each other on the showroom floor: one has the drop-dead candy apple finish; the other has the dull primer gray finish. Which car do you think will sell? Case closed. :-)
Q: If I decide to go with a freelancer, would you suggest one?
A: I can. But I prefer to leave that up to you. There are lots of links on the freelancer page. A bit of browsing will help you find just the artist you want.
Q: How much do freelancers charge for a cover?
A: They vary, but none are outlandish. The easiest way to find out is to email them.
Q: Suppose I want to try to make my own cover. Then I could use this cover to see if people buy my book. If the book doesn’t sell, I can always hire a freelancer to make me a new cover. Right?
A: Wrong. I won’t accept a let’s-see-if-this-one-will-work cover, so this is a non issue from the git go. How about we build our own boat and paddle out into deep water. If the boat leaks, we'll know to have a pro build us a boat. *glub* <g> Be aware that us getting a distributor to post a new version of your cover after we’ve already sent them the first one is like pulling teeth. Distributors are overrun with ebook publishers wanting their ebooks posted. The very last thing on a distributor’s list of to-do items is to put up a newer cover. I will put up alternative covers on our site. In fact, I've done this more than once. But the majority of your sales will not be from our site. They are generated by our many distributors. Further, your cover design appears in the following ebook formats: PDF, Mobipocket, Microsoft Reader, REB1100, Hiebook, and Palm Reader. And we will not make new books that include this new cover. The only cover change will be on our site. Make the right cover decision up front so you don’t risk poor sales at the outset.
SUMMARY: Let’s summarize-
1> A well done cover is essential to the success of your book.
2> We will make you a free cover.
3> A stronger alternative to a free cover is to enlist the services of a freelance artist.
4> You may use any artist you like, not just the ones we have listed.
5> You can check out our freelance artists at-
http://www.awe-struck.net/asubmit/cover_art.html
Remember to ask the artist (regardless of whether they are ours or yours) to scroll to the bottom of the page to see the cover specs. Covers must be made to these specs in order to be accepted by Awe-Struck.
6> Awe-Struck has many distributors and your book cover will appear on the site of every one of them. So it’s crucial to your book we show the surfer a cover that will make them want to investigate your book further.
7> Candy apple red is a great paint job for a car! ^_^
Click here for an important discussion on COVER BLEED
I hope the Q&A’s above have been informative. If you would like to email me with questions other than those covered, my email is-
Dick