Hey Hey and Welcome back to the CEO Author Podcast. I am your host Sharlrita Deloatch and we will chat about all things Book Covers and Layout designs.
I am a firm believer that your face doesn’t need to be on the cover of your book and I tell you why and give you an example.
I want you to keep in mind a few tips when it comes to your book cover and layout design of your book
Importance of a compelling book cover. A professionally designed and eye-catching cover can greatly impact a book’s success.
Understanding your target audience: You want to research and analyze the preferences, trends, and expectations of your specific readership to create a cover that resonates with them. I love to use amazon as a guide to let me know a few things.
What’s popular and to also look at the other covers on my topic. What does the design speak to and how can I make sure I am not copying but I stand out.
Reflecting the book’s genre and tone: Your cover design should align with the genre and tone of the book. You want to use appropriate color schemes, typography, imagery, and overall design elements to convey the essence of the book and attract the right readers.
Engaging and memorable visuals: This is why you need a professional. You want to create a visually engaging book cover that stand out on the shelf or in online listings. Explore the use of high-quality images, illustrations, or artwork that capture the essence of the book and evoke curiosity or emotion. IF in fact, you use your picture you want a high-quality photo. I am “team photo shoot” and let your photographer know that some photos may be used on your book. You want your DPI to be high. “Stand for “Dots Per Inch.” DPI is used to measure the resolution of an image both on screen and in print”
Let’s talk about Typography and layout considerations: Your book covers typography is important. The typography and how font choices can convey different tones and themes. When hiring a professional book cover designer it is great to hire someone who can design a cover and format the inside of your book so that you have consistency.
Hiring a professional designer or DIY options: Hiring a professional is the best. Have a publisher such as myself and my Team we have vented our designers and the company we highly recommend is Formatted Books
I love this company because they specialize in both book covers and formatting. You will have consistency with both.
I will acknowledge that DIY options can be viable for authors with design skills or limited budgets. Canva has come with amazing designs however from my experience I’ve only designed my ebooks in Canva. I hire professionals for all my covers.
Your ebook and print formats have different formats. Your ebook cover is all you need for the ebook however for print you need the front and the back cover. Most professionals will make sure you have both. Your ebook cover format should be in a jpg file and your print should be in a pdf file.
For your print, you have the paperback, hardback, and hardback with a dust jacket. I list some examples below.
With your book covers, I want you to consider your brand consistency. You don’t have to use your brand color but it all depends on where you are going with your book and the subject matter.
I hope that this episode helped you and some things to think about with your cover.
For book covers I highly recommend
Formatted Books: https://formattedbooks.com/
99 designs: https://99designs.com/book-cover-design
Invest in professionals. Going the cheap route will NOT serve you in the end. Check out some of my favorites cover below
