CREATING A BOOK COVER
- Daniella DeChristopher
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
A great book cover matters! Many books are purchased simply because the cover was enticing.
Designing a Book Cover
How I learned to create a professional cover — and what you should know before you begin. The right cover can absolutely sell a book. There are too many options to cover them all, but we can certainly review a few good, affordable ones.
I wanted to save money. I saw numerous “design your own cover” sites and other options. I spent endless hours trying to create the right one by myself. I finally found a photo I liked and built my cover around it. I published the book with my homemade cover. But when it was listed alongside other books on Amazon, it was clear that mine looked like it had been created in Publisher by an amateur.
I called CreateSpace. They gave me a few companies and routes to consider. I went to one of the suggested designers on 99Designs. When I saw Mila’s portfolio, I knew she was the one I wanted to hire.
To my surprise, a designer was not as expensive as I expected. I gave her the photo I had selected and asked her to work her magic. I had some concerns because we were doing everything via email — Mila with 99Designs lives in Australia. I told her what I was looking for, and I was amazed at the options she provided. She tweaked my cover and gave it a truly professional look.
I wish I had known about Mila when I first tried creating the cover myself. She would have saved me weeks of frustration. In the end, she was worth every penny. Later, I hired her to create my business cards, postcards, and my audiobook cover.
What You Need to Know About Cover Art
Things are different today than they were years ago. Previously, I could purchase software with thousands of photos I was free to use. Now, many of those images are copyrighted and protected by the photographers. If you find artwork online, always check the licensing information.
Here is one example:
NOTE: Whatever you do, make sure you follow their terms. Do not violate them.
Book Cover Designer Sites
Listed below are companies that offer great tools and software to help you create your own book cover:
99d by Vista
My personal favorite is Mila
https://99designs.com/profiles/meella
Canva
https://www.canva.com/create/book-covers/
https://www.fotor.com/design/book-cover/
NOTE: Some of the companies above offer FREE art, depending on the plan you select.
Free Art Resources
(Not all of the art on the sites below is free, but many offer free choices.) Listed below are a few reputable sources for cover art:
iStockPhoto
NOTE: Even if a site states that the art is free, always verify licensing. Make sure you do not need to acknowledge the photographer or artist in your book unless you are willing to do so.
Saving Money
If you need the assistance of a cover designer, I suggest doing what I did: find a photo that suits your book and your style, and make sure it meets all copyright requirements. Give the photo to a designer and let them create the cover for you. I discovered that hiring a designer was far less expensive than I expected—especially since I found the artwork myself.
The designer handled everything: polishing the image, laying out the cover, and formatting it correctly for print and e-book. She also used the same photo to design my cover, postcards, business cards, and audiobook cover. Having a professional do this saved me time and resulted in a much more professional-looking cover than I could have created on my own.
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Summary
There are many more sites out there, but these are some of the most popular and reliable. They should give you a great place to start. Wherever you obtain your art, make sure it is not copyrighted. If it is, you must get written permission to use it.
Congratulations! You’re done! Now you get to decide what to do with this wonderful piece of art you’ve created.
Open the Publishing tab, and let’s get started!