About Covers

There are times when I think I should give up writing and design book covers. It drives me nuts when I see clumsy layouts or poorly rendered art.

For those of you new to my blog, I used to be an art director--and before that a graphic artist. But until I did my first cover, I had no idea what was involved since my experience had been solely with advertising layouts. It turns out, it's very much the same thing. Once you've found a good art database, the rest is just a matter of Photoshop expertise.

But this is where a lot of people get into trouble. There is so much more to a good cover than just merging a couple of photos. There's typography, layout, and legibility. The cover has to look good at 6 x 9 as it does at postage stamp size.

This week, I've seen no less than three covers that would not have passed inspection if they had crossed my desk. One was from a major publisher, the second from an electronic publisher, and the third from a self-publisher.

I give no slack to big publishers. None. I expect them to hire the best of the best.

Electronic publishers get a little leeway. Because they produce so many books, they're on a tight deadline. There's no time to make every cover unique. Plus, they're probably working with a 'house' look. I'm willing to settle for formulaic as long as the layout is executed professionally.

When it comes to self-published work, you see a wide range of caliber. I've seen some phenomenal work, some better than the pros. But there are also plenty of shoddy covers--the kind that make me feel the author got taken for a ride. On the same token, the author has to take responsibility for his decision in choosing the artist (or doing the art himself).

A bad cover won't destroy your credibility as an author, but neither will it help. Be honest with yourself. Get outside opinions from people whose aesthetic opinion you respect.

If you're going to hire an artist:

• Examine their portfolio carefully. Better yet, show that portfolio to someone with no vested interest in your work. Do they get the same giddy feeling?

• Do the covers look similar? Most e-press covers are remarkably generic. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but since this is your money we're talking about, steer toward an artist whose covers look custom-made for the book.

• The artist's skill level is hard to gauge without the benefit of experience. I can tell at a glance if the artist missed something or did a sloppy job merging the art. You're paying for expertise. Get your money's worth.

• Please do not give the artist an inventory of items to put on your cover. If you crowd the cover, you lose the message. Less is more--most of the time. There was one series that deliberately used a crowded cover, but it was very well done. And considering the theme and genre, it worked.

I hate to see people get taken--or worse, fall in love with an ugly 'baby' because it was designed for them. Cover art can be expensive. If you're paying for it, demand quality.

Collecting great cover art has turned into a hobby for me. I'm always on the lookout for the next awesome cover. Are there any covers you've especially liked?

PS  If you have any questions about cover art or choosing an artist, feel free to leave them in the comments. I'll help if I can.