Book Cover for Self Publishing, How to Design a Cover

Wordclay DIY Self-Publishing FAQs -Book Cover

How important is the cover of a DIY book?

Never underestimate the importance of a book cover. Nearly 200,000 new titles are published each year, which provides readers with an outstanding selection, but leaves authors with a highly-competitive market. Even if you can successfully write the next literary legend, you still have to capture the reader's attention with a great cover, or they are likely to pass it by without a second glance.

A great cover captures the attention of a book buyer, but it also needs to do more; it must actually convince the reader to purchase your book. Consumers often gauge the value of the book on its visual appeal, so if it looks like a million bucks, they will be more willing to give up their hard-earned cash to purchase it. A professional-looking cover is also necessary in marketing, especially if you plan to promote your book or push to have it reviewed professionally. First impressions and opinions of your book are formed instantly from the cover and impact whether or not a reviewer, reader or consumer invests time or money in your book.

Can Wordclay give me any advice about covers?

With the advent of desktop publishing and digital printing, the design of your cover is only limited by the ability of the designer and the digital assets at hand, which is why we offer cover design services through Wordclay. Our designers can create a custom designed cover specifically for your book. Check out all the options through our Services Store.

When you're ready to start brainstorming ideas about your cover, get started by doing some research. Spend some time at a local bookstore. Record the elements of books that catch your eye, as well as observing other customers. Identify the book's audience and genre – the cover should be designed to attract the people in your targeted audience. The design should fall within the norm of the book's genre, but stand out enough to draw attention and intrigue.

The main theme of the cover should incorporate metaphors that interrelate and unfold as the story progresses, taking on new meaning with each page. The cover's full meaning and value slowly becomes more apparent as the story is revealed to the reader and is only fully appreciated when the last page is turned.

Attaining equilibrium between simplicity of theme and detail of the overall design is key. Unnecessary elements decrease the overall efficiency and aesthetic appeal of a design. A simple design is often much more affective than a design with a lot of details that ultimately make the cover look "busy."

Color choices also make an impact. Consider the psychological affects of certain hues. Warm colors, such as red, orange and yellow, tend to be high-arousal colors that stimulate the senses, while cool colors, such as blue, green and purple cause feelings of relaxation, calmness and tranquility. The degree of saturation of a color, and the combination of colors also can convey a specific ideas.

While the front cover is necessary to attract the attention of the reader, the back cover is extremely important to supply more details about the book and convince the reader to actually purchase the book. Most people spend twice as long reviewing the back cover than they do looking at the front cover. The back is a critical selling point for your book. Wordclay offers a Back Cover Text Copyediting service to ensure your cover text is designed to sell.

Overall, make sure that your cover reflects the content, style and mood of your book. You don't have to tell the entire story on the front cover, you just need to get a feeling or idea across in an appealing manner.

What are the different cover design options available to me through Wordclay Self-Publishing?

There are three basic cover design options available: 1) Choose from our free cover options through the wizard, such as a solid color combination or an image from a variety of themes 2) Completely design your own cover using the technical specs we provide, submit your cover as a PDF through our DIY Cover Conversion service, or 3) Let one of our cover designers create a professional, customized cover for you. We have a wide variety of design services to choose from using our professional services, from basic graphic design to original illustrations. These include the Stock Art Cover, Front Cover Custom Design, and Custom Cover Design. For more information about the cover design options we offer, visit our Services Store.

Can I design the cover myself?

Yes, you can design your own cover and submit it for a small fee through our DIY Cover Conversion service. The cost of the service covers the time involved to make final adjustments to ensure that your book's cover meets our printer's standards.

On the other hand, if you simply want to submit your own artwork or an image as the background for a cover, but don't have the time, patience or skills to layout your entire cover, then you can purchase the Stock Art Cover and submit any images you'd like to use.

But if you have expert design skills, you can purchase our DIY Cover Conversion service and submit a print-ready PDF of you completed cover. Keep in mind, however, the file you submit must meet our cover template guidelines. We will evaluate your cover file on a case-by-case basis and additional charges may apply if extra work is needed to ready your cover. For a quote, please contact a customer service representative.

What are the dimensions of the cover?

Download the cover dimension template for your particular book size.

Can I use an image on my cover that is a photo I did not take, or an illustration I did not create?

You can only use an image that you did not personally create if you have permission to use it from the copyright holder. Any image that you found on the Internet, in a book, magazine, newspaper or was taken by a professional photographer is most likely copyright protected. Please see the FAQ selection about copyright laws or visit www.copyright.gov.

What are CMYK and RGB color schemes?

These are two different color schemes or modes that describe how colors are created. RGB stands for red, green and blue. This category of color uses light to produce color: the more illuminated light involved, the lighter the image. RGB produces the widest range of color. RGB colors are typically used on computer monitors, digital cameras and televisions – any device that uses light to produce an image.

CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and black. This category of color uses the combination of ink pigments to produce color. The less ink used, the lighter the image; the more ink used, the darker the image. Printing projects typically use the CMYK color category.

If I design an image for the cover, should I design it in RGB or CMYK color mode?

Set up your cover design in CMYK color mode, not RGB. Although we are able to convert a cover file from RGB to CMYK, the colors will not look as close as they should to the original file you submit. In order to have the best control over the end product of your cover, use CMYK color mode because it is the mode used by our printer.

What should I know about the difference between CMYK and RGB color modes?

The difference is important if you are designing your own cover and also should be kept in mind when approving the cover proof.

There is a difference in the "gamut," of CMYK and RGB. The gamut, or range, is the specific complete subset of colors within the entire color spectrum. Although large areas of the RGB and CMYK gamut overlap, there are other areas that do not. For this reason, it is common to create colors on a computer screen in RGB that cannot be reproduced when printed out in CMYK, so the colors are lost in transition.

If I design the cover, what resolution should it be?

The cover image should be 300 dpi (dots per inch) or higher at the size needed for the cover. For instance, if the cover is 300 dpi at 3” x 4.5” for a 6” x 9” book, it is not high enough resolution. It needs to be 300 dpi at the size of the template required for your book. If the resolution is lower than this, the image will not appear as crisp and clear as it should, and will often appear grainy or pixilated.

If I purchased an ISBN to include in my book, will Wordclay add the ISBN and barcode to the back?

Yes, we will add the ISBN and barcode to the back cover when you purchase the ISBN. It will be automatically added if using the publishing wizard to create a free cover, or if we design the cover for you through our cover services.

If you work with a cover designer and submit your own back cover image, leave an area free (about two inches up from the bottom of the cover) where we will place the barcode. The area does not have to be actually blank or white, but if there are important design elements, such as pictures or text in that area, they could be covered up by the barcode.

How thick is the spine going to be?

The width of the spine will be determined by the number of pages in your book. We will calculate and adjust the spine width for you. However, if you are concerned that your self-designed cover would be affected by changing the spine width (such as a wrap-around cover image), then you can download our spine width chart in order to get an exact measurement.

Can there be text on the spine of the book?

If your book has 80 or more pages, then yes, there can be text on the spine of the book. You can choose to add the title and author name to the spine. Any book less than 80 pages will still have a spine, but there will be no text on it. The reason we cannot include text on books 79 pages or less is because when the cover is wrapped around your book at the printer, the text could appear crooked, off centered so that it's on the edge of the spine, or falling onto the front or back cover.

What should I put on the front of my book?

Depending on the cover design option you choose, you have a variety of options. If you choose from one of our templates, you can place the title of the book and author name on the front cover, along with a front cover design. Before you decide what design to have on the front cover, see our FAQ about advice for covers. There are many things to consider that you may not have realized.

If you choose to create your own cover or have one of our designers create the cover, you have a lot more options about what can be included on the front cover, regarding the layout and design elements. For example, some authors place a short phrase or quote on the front cover along with a pleasing design, the title and author name.

What is usually on the back cover?

On the back of the book, there is typically text that describes what your book is about and piques the reader's interests to want to read more. Endorsements or quotes from other readers, reviewers or notable people are also often placed on the back cover. Just make sure that if you use a quote, you have permission in writing from that person to use their quote. Keep the permission for your own records and legal protection.

If you choose to design the cover yourself or have one of our cover designers complete the cover for you, there are a lot more options as to what can go on the back cover. Many authors include on the back cover another picture or a short author biography and picture of themselves along with information about the book .

Can I print text or pictures inside the cover?

No, our printer does not allow any text or pictures printed inside the cover.

Can people buy my book in hardcover?

No, at this time we only offer paperback books.

What kind of paper is the cover?

The cover of the book is 100lb, offset, white enamel and laminated paper. It is printed in full-color, CMYK color mode printing.

(Note: The term "laminated" does not refer to a typical lamination you might find documents or menus encased in – it just means that it is glossy on the front side, but white paper on the inside.)

Before I approve my cover, what do I need to review?

By approving your cover, you are verifying that the downloaded proof copy is exactly as you wish for it to appear in the published version of your book. This includes all aspects of the design, formatting and content for the cover, such as: the text on the front, back and spine (including grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.); layout and design; font style and size, illustrations, images and captions, paragraph spacing, justification and indents; and title and pen name.

It is possible for some color variation to occur from the version approved online, and the color can vary from print to print due to the method of printing in individual print runs.

What are the causes of color variation in printing the cover?

While it seems unsettling that color variation can occur and we cannot guarantee a 100 percent color match, this is actually very common. In fact, it is true for any image viewed on a screen or when printed. There are a number of factors that affect how a color looks from printer to printer and monitor to monitor. The image you see on the screen will never look exactly the same as it does in print for a variety of reasons.

Every monitor is different. The mechanics and construction of monitors differs based on and brand. Also, there are adjustable settings through which you can alter the color settings, brightness, and contrast on your monitor. Both these factors play into the inconsistency of colors.

Colors displayed on a monitor appear differently when they are printed. This is because monitors create color using light, while a printer creates color using ink. Other factors also play a role, like the difference in a monitor and printer’s mechanics and range of colors it can accommodate.

Individual devices do not speak the same language. A camera, scanner, monitor and printer all “talk” about color differently, using different ink formulas and values. They do not necessary use the same values or measures to record or describe a color.

What should I consider regarding the color of my cover proof?

Do not completely rely on one source when viewing an image. Try a variety of printers and screens to get an idea of the possible variations.

Our printers prints in CMYK color. Therefore it's best to print and view your images or cover in CMYK, not RGB to get a better idea about what the finished version will look like. Extremely bright reds, yellow or blues, will appear slightly more subdued because they are not included in the CMYK gamut.

Additionally, since we use print-on-demand technology, which enables any number of books to be printed at any time, covers and images in the book can vary from book to book, print to print. A variety of factors can affect the colors slightly, such as toner levels, variations in the mechanics of the printing press that day, and variations in paper.

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