marketing / writing

#IWSG Book Covers

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This post is for Alex Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Support Group (click the link for details on what that means and how to join. You will also find a list of bloggers signed up to the challenge that are worth checking out. The first Wednesday of every month, we all post our thoughts, fears or words of encouragement for fellow writers.

This month’s question — If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?

The awesome co-hosts for February IWSG are Jacqui Murray (me), Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Gwen Gardner!

I am an Indie author of mostly prehistoric fiction, some thrillers. I hire professionals to do my covers. Don’t get me wrong. I have made hundreds of covers for my education books, booklets, and lesson plans, but that’s mostly because the cost of my current 140 publications would be prohibitive.

What do I like about hiring it out? My designer is clever with blending pieces and can find photos in places I don’t know about (that I then purchase if needed). She has never disappointed me and always delivers on schedule.

How about you? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this question. Just add them in Comments.

#iwsg #amwriting

@TheIWSG

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Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, reviews as an Amazon Vine Voice,  a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Savage Land Winter 2024.

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168 thoughts on “#IWSG Book Covers”

    • I’d be happy to share. It took me years to decide agents weren’t interested in my writing. I used to send 100 queries out for each new book and then self-pub. Then I gave that up and just went Indie. I’ve never regretted it.

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  7. It sounds like you have a great person for the covers you need – and it can be such a luxury and gift to sometimes hire out for various things
    –
    I have had help with covers and have paid for editing help –
    But usually I prefer to do it –

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  11. Hello! Indie press published author here.
    I usually have input on the cover, but not always. It had happened a couple of times that the publisher and his graphician chose something I did not like and did not take into account what I had said.

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      • Yes, the publisher’s choice was approved by objective people familiarised with design to whom I showed the cover, saying that it was a better esthetic choice (another painting than the one I chose, by the same painter in the public domain). My problem was that the portrait he chose… was not my character, he did not live up to the 40s, how the one on the cover looked to be, while the one I chose was closer to my character.

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    • They’re mostly lesson plan collections from 25 years of teaching, organized as curricula or collections. I just wrote down what I did for a year!

      Bated breath over here. Tick tock tick tock…

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  19. Interesting that you’ve had the chance to go both routes, designing yourself and also hiring a creator. You definitely have something good to add to this topic! And thanks so much for co-hosting this month. Happy IWSG day.

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  20. I love the covers of your pre-historic fiction, Jacqui. Your artist does an amazing job!

    For my one memoir, I hired a cover artist as well, because I wanted this first book to be as professional as possible. While I’m a super frugal person (as you know :)), I’m also a perfectionist and that meant trying to do every facet of the book as well as possible.

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    • They’re all tied together with the bright light of hope and the great fonts. I doubt that I’ll switch until I switch genres.

      Your cover was worth whatever you spent on it. It’s such a unique book, it’s worth investing in it.

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  23. Just thought of something very fun about doing my own covers. The title ‘keys’ are photos of keys that I actually own, and I wear them on a necklace when I do live promotional appearances. I love the privilege, as an indie, to customize branding in interesting personal ways. I suppose one could ask a cover designer to work with items like that too.

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  30. You’ve garnered some excellent feedback here – thanks for sharing 😉
    I’m better off hiring out and saving myself the frustration. I don’t mind the process, but keeping up with legalities and such is better left in more knowledgable hands. Your book covers are outstanding.
    Thanks for co-hosting!

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    • That is true, about the legalities. I always pay to get permission to use the images in other ways than a cover. I don’t expect any of my books to go viral, but don’t want a problem if they do.

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  31. Hey! Your covers look so cool! And I think it’s awesome you have so many education books as well (former teacher here). I haven’t quite gotten to the cover stage yet, but will have to see what I can create vs what I can find that’s cost effective when the time comes. Thanks for hosting!

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  32. Thanks for co-hosting today, Jacqui. The covers for your prehistoric series have been great. I’ll worry about cover design when I have to. I hope you have fun visiting around.

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  34. Your designer does do a good job. In trad pub, you normally get no input on covers. With my third book, however, I was very disappointed with the original cover they chose. I did push back (probably not an option with big publishers, though.) I asked them to try a second option. A staff member polled coworkers with the two options, and the second, new option was unanimously chosen. I was glad I fought that battle.

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  39. Hi Jacqui, I design my own covers for the children’s books and use my own artwork. I use a designer for my adult books and the anthologies I edit. Michael and I designed the cover for my new poetry book, Lion Scream, which I’ll release in March. I am very happy with it. Generally, I am always delighted with my covers. I have a lot of input into the ones that I get designed and love working with designers who can convert my thoughts into a cover.

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  40. I’ve hired out for covers and it has always impressed me how some can take a body part from one model and blend it seamlessly onto another model. My skills at graphic design aren’t there yet, but I have made a few that don’t require body part swapping and I love the end result.

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  44. Thanks for co-hosting. Trite sayings are truisms and people do judge a book by its cover, so I defer to a favorite cover designer. We work well together, just as you do with yours.

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  52. Since I mostly read books made with paper and not digital, a good cover does help me want to get into a book. That said, I actually like designing covers and posters and such. And I have years worth of photography from which to draw.

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  53. I love professionally done covers, Jacqui. Cover designers are good at what they do! But I’ve also made my own covers and for the same reason as you – cost. If I have to choose between services, I’ll go with a professional edit over a cover. Your prehistoric fiction covers are spectacular by the way. 🙂

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    • BTW–you probably don’t know, but your Gravatar links to a dead site rather than your blog. I’m not sure how many people use the gravatar link, but I always click there to say hi when people visit my blog. Just wanted to let you know!

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  58. Thanks for co-hosting today! I like to create temporary covers for my WIPs using photos found on Pixabay. Then creating the covers on Canva.com.
    I’ve worked with a designer to update the cover of my poetry chapbook. Found them on Fiverr.com. They were able to take my ideas and found/created an image beyond what I was looking for. I was very pleased.

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  60. I love your book covers. They convey what your stories are about. Book covers are the real estate people look at as they drive by to see if they like what they see and will buy if the cover draws them in. I hire cover designers too. My novel Einstein’s Compass received a book cover award and many more awards in part because of the professional cover. The EC cover was expensive. For Poseidon’s Atlantis Adventure I hired a graphic designer on Fivver. The turnaround was twenty-four hours. The cost was $70.00. For a novella I thought it was excellent value. The cover is stunning. The young man lives in the middle east. We communicated through the Fivver portal. Easy, peasy.

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    • Another good review about Fiverr. I’m seeing their name a lot. You were brilliant to spend on Einstein’s Compass. That book has won so many awards. The ‘curb appeal’ (to steal a term from real estate) makes people read and they fall in love with the book.

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  61. Great covers; they certainly capture attention. You mention creating covers for your education books, booklets, and lesson plans,. You might investigate using artificial intelligent (AI) to create covers and illustrations. The apps are free and do a pretty darn good job.
    Lynn La Vita

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  64. For those willing to do the research and who have an eye for what makes up a magnetic cover, you have many options. Matching cover to genre expectations is essential. With a bit of tweaking, self-publishers can produce remarkable images that draw readers. Affinity Designer and Photo are my go to image tools, but Canva has templates that work, too. If you lack the skills, the designers can do the job, but shop before you spend big bucks. The outlay for a custom designed cover can run into the hundreds and sadly, book sales are often hard pressed to offset the expense.

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  65. I’ve done all three of these—worked with a traditional publisher who allowed me cover art input, I’ve designed a few of my own, and I’ve also worked with a cover art designer. I’m getting ready to release an indie title soon and am currently working with a cover designer.

    Jacqui, your books always have exquisite covers!

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  68. Pingback: #IWSG Book Covers — – uwerolandgross

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