Creating your Cover

For the last few months I've been playing around with Photoshop on my Mac. There are tons of tutorials online, explaining how to do anything you would ever need. I decided to use this program for my cover design.

A couple months ago I got some quotes from printers. I let them know what I was looking for and asked them to quote me based on my suggestions. I got a few back, but Transcontinental was the cheapest. I decided to go with them and met with a representative. He acquired some samples for me and sent me the design templates because I was interested in laying out the book myself.

I had previous designed a quick cover to post on websites and facebook, but never finalized anything. Since the printer will be using these files to print the cover and the pages, they need to be at a higher resolution and quality. My book is going to be 5.5 inches wide by 8.25 inches high. I searched for answers about creating covers and found this site, Wordclay. It answered most of my questions.

I created a canvas on photoshop using CMYK color instead of RBG. Apparently the colors print better that way. I also made sure that the resolution was set to 300 dpi (dots per inch). This makes the file very large, about 25 MB. Remember, you'll have to design a front, back, and spine. Get the measurements from your printer and go nuts.

People do judge a book by its cover so don't just slap something together. If need be, hire a professional. I intend to create a few variations, then email subscribers of my newsletter, asking for feedback. I also intend on setting up a table at the local shopping centre, offering entrance to a raffle draw for anyone who gives comments on their choice of cover. The prize will be a gift basket designer by my finance and a signed copy of a first print book.

The cover should have your title, subtitle, an author name on the front. On the back it should have your ISBN barcode, your publisher (in my case Fozzbooks), your price, BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) or subject heading, and a summary of your book that closes the sale. Look at other popular book covers and take notes. You may also want to include your website and a photo of yourself. I will be getting Krystal (my fiance) to take one with her fancy new camera. Don't rush the design, I plan on taking a few days to get it right, then ask for feedback.