Professional book covers? Yes, I changed to professional book covers for three of my last four books, even though I thoroughly enjoyed designing my first four book covers. I still controlled the photos use. See the change.
A Time to Grow Up: A Daughter’s Grief Memoir
I hired a professional book designer from fiverr.com to do the cover. A friend of mine took the picture outside of Branson, my hometown, making sure the mesa behind Branson was captured. I love how a landmark, Saddlerock, appears on the back cover and shows over my left hand.
After he designed the cover, this friend suggested putting Mom and Dad in the clouds. The designer had finished the cover, so I added it, and yes, it looks amateurish. I should have paid him to blend the added graphic into the clouds.
This one may need to be redone!
THE ONE EXCEPTION: Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo
I did not hire a professional book cover designer because I knew what I wanted to do with the cover. I had selected the iconic picture of Flippo calling with a live band during the 50s and added the dance floor background. On the back I added snippets of his favorite places to call.
Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better?
As before, I knew my husband, Lin, and I would take the picture. We did two photo shoots in his garden. The first one we struggled with using a stand mirror to get some sort of a reflection, but it didn’t work. So, for the second shoot, Lin suggested I concentrate on a reflective look on my face. We took 100s of pictures and ended up with the one we used.
Also, I selected a picture for the back of the cover that had a bird bath in Lin’s garden with a bird sitting on the edge. Why for a book about the coronavirus?
During the pandemic, we found Spring Watch, Autumn Watch and Winter Watch. We learned that many people around the world became avid gardeners during the forced stay at home. I thought the garden on the cover and the back highlighted this amazing discovery.
I selected the teal background that looked like barn wood to me and you know my country background.
Then I hired 100Covers.com to do the cover, and what a wonderful company to work with! They accommodated my desire to use my two photos and the teal wood background and designed the cover you see.
Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir
After such a great experience with Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better?, I returned to 100Covers.com. I went out to a professional photograph site that they work with, and found the Christmas angel but she had a phone in her hands. They aptly replaced the phone with a candle which played a vital part in the poem about my hair and fire.
They provided two options because I had emphasized the poetry in the book to start with, but after talking to my book coach group, I realized there was poetry and prose in the book, so I didn’t want to focus on only the poetry.
In the end, I love the professional book cover they produced. At holiday fairs last year, many people remarked about how attractive the cover is, and I agree!
Finally, my journey in self-publishing and book cover design has been an adventure. I have eight covers stockpiled with 100cover.com when they had great sales to redo three of my older book covers and for my five books in the queue.
My final decision: professional book covers make a difference!
If you’re an author, do you hire a professional book cover designer or design your own?
~ Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir available in audiobook format at the following places:
~SHOP TODAY FOR YOUR AUTOGRAPHED COPY! Shop at my Etsy Shop or my Shopify Store
