With NaNoWriMo ending in just a few days, some of you might be starting to think about a book cover. Even if your manuscript is far from done, a book cover--even a temporary one--might give you the motivation you need to make it to the finish line.
I've scoured the NaNoWriMo forums for resources that can help. First off, you'll want to browse other covers to see what appeals to you. I wrote about a site called the Book Cover Archive where you can do just that, and I listed four tips for creating your cover.
During NaNoWriMo, different designers choose participants at random and create book covers. To see the results of their creations (and maybe find a designer you'd like to hire), check out 30 Covers in 30 Days. For those that didn't get picked for a free cover, the NaNo Artisans thread has posts by many designers offering their services.
One participant recommended the free Cover Creator software over at CreateSpace. You do have to sign up for a free account, but once that's done, they walk you through the process of making your own cover, using photos that you import. There are all kinds of templates to choose from to make your cover as professional as possible.
Have you given any thought to what your cover will look like? Are you the do-it-yourself type, or would you hire a designer?
Book cover designing is something pretty new to me, but I did use the CreateSpace free option when formatting my proof copies. Won't be doing that this year, sadly, as the free proof isn't as free as it used to be. But it's still a good option for designing a cover at least.
ReplyDeleteI used the createspace cover designer for my short story collection and it turned out well. For my next self-publishing effort, I'd like something a little more detailed, so I'll be buying photoshop or a similar programme and giving it a try for myself.
ReplyDeleteHopefully it won't be too difficult!
Trisha- thanks for the heads up that the cover creator isn't totally free. I wonder if there's something else out there?
ReplyDeleteSonia- I loved The Dying God cover. Didn't know you did it on CreateSpace. I'm hoping to beg my sister-in-law for a cover design someday. She's in advertising and graphic design and knows Photoshop inside out.
~Debbie
When I ran a novel group years ago, this was one of the things I had us all do to create and build excitement. That and book blurbs and words of praise from our favorite authors. ;) It was fun! I still have one of my covers pinned to my board in my office, though I long ago let that book go.
ReplyDeleteThat's such a cool idea, Angela! I'd like to create a cover just for inspiration, but I'm afraid my level of skill would mean it would be less than inspiring!
ReplyDelete~Debbie