Hey friends! Today, I’m going to be discussing a sensitive subject. As an author on a limited income who wants to re-release a couple of books, and as a former executive editor and creative director who’s worked with professional designers on dozens of covers, I have a lot of thoughts on this.
Do indie authors need to hire professional designers?
The other week on Instagram, one of my mutuals posted to say that yes, they do. In the caption, she wrote, “I love my indie authors, and while I’ve seen some absolutely stunning covers since entering writergram, I’ve also seen some absolutely horrible ones, too…”
This Bookstagrammer had good intentions. She also wrote, “I just want the best for you.” I don’t think she deserved all the flak she got—though many people agreed with her 100%. I’ll share a few of the responses below.
“I reached out to a new author who had lost followers after revealing her cover.
I was honest while being as polite as possible that her cover wasn’t good. She ended up getting a new cover made and has since gone viral, and was picked up trad in a 3 book deal.”
“I’m sorry, but what kind of gatekeeping nonsense is this?
So if you don’t have money you shouldn’t publish is what you are telling? Self publishing is an incredible test as it…requires courage and a lot of hard work, telling people they shouldn’t do it because you have an opinion is not okay.”
“Absolutely agree. An eye catching cover speaks volumes and catches the interest.”
“I make my own covers. I’d never be able to publish if I didn’t.”
“I think we should probably just support indie authors regardless 🤷♀️”
“Sorry I 100% agree with this post a cover can really make or break a book – why not give yourself all the advantages?”
It’s true: book covers are very important for sales.
And so are book titles!
Most readers make quick decisions. That’s one of the reasons so many agents and editors (and movie producers) are looking for high concept stories. A great title with a great book cover will make readers pick up the book in a bookstore…or click on it on a website to read more.
There’s an old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but when it comes to literal books, most of us do.
Some authors are great at cover design; many aren’t.
Authors aren’t always the best judges of the covers they make themselves. Many authors don’t have a background or training in art direction or in design. They may not consider the expectations of their own genre. Even if they’re good at all these things, they may find it difficult to see their own work objectively after they’ve been messing around with it for hours and hours.
But as I say, many authors are excellent designers!
If you do design your own book cover, run the design by friends who can be honest with you. Don’t ask, “Is this okay?” Ask, “How can I make this better?”
If your writing is a business, your book cover is a business expense.
High-quality book designers aren’t cheap, and with good reason: you’re paying not only for a lot of hours, but also for talent and for years of education and experience. Even though I have a limited income, I can justify the expense of excellent book designers both because it’s an integral part of the finished product and because, for me, it’s a tax write-off.
Premade covers can be a great option for self-publishing authors on a budget.
With a premade cover, you typically pay $80 – $200 for a cover that’s already been designed. The only things that change are your title and the author name. When you buy a premade cover, the design is not sold to anyone else. It’s worth noting, though. that stock images may be used by other people.
I find it so inspiring to peruse websites with premade covers. A couple of good premade book cover sites to check out are BookCoverZone.com and BeetifulBookCovers.com, but there are many others. I always think that someday, I’m going to just buy a gorgeous cover I love and then write the novel.
If you enjoy reading and reviewing steamy romance, join my private Facebook group!
My private Facebook group, Brynsiders, is also a writers’ club and a great place to discuss your own writing. To join, click here!
Do you have an opinion on homemade book covers…
As a reader, or as an author? Have you ever commissioned a book cover, or designed one yourself? Let us know in the comments below! Thanks so much for reading, and have a great week!
I have an idea for the one for my current work, but trying to make it myself is another matter. I’m terrible at drawing. I at least want to someone bring said idea to life, as I think it would work well with the story being told.
Hi Raya! I’m the same way…I usually have a concept in mind, but execution? Nah. I need a professional! 🙂
My husband makes my covers. He’s a PhotoShop expert. I find my pictures, tell him my idea and let him put it all together. He’s really good at making a background and the character(s) look like they fit together. Then I give my feedback and he makes the adjustments. It’s not something I could do.
I have used my daughter’s cover design for one book (she has a fine arts degree and works in media). I was very happy with it. For the next book, I asked a friend whose cover I really liked and he gave me the link to an American company that was very affordable. This cover did look more polished.
Hi Naomi! It sounds like you’ve found some great solutions 🙂 Thanks so much for commenting!
Debby, I always tell writers that my best advice is to marry a good editor (which I did)…but marrying a great designer was an equally smart move! 🙂 That’s fantastic that you have his help!
I have made my own in Canva for Bookfunnel giveaways. I have made a couple I use for paid novellas. But mostly I use professionals. I’m not great at saying what I want, I can’t always verbalize it. I have a friend who tests covers with ads and I wish I had the resources to do things like that. Covers are definitely an area I struggle with. I’ve also had designers stope returning messages. I’d never make a big public stink but it’s frustrating. I have a series I’ll probably have to get new covers for if I write another book because they don’t all match and the designer doesn’t respond. But I’ve also found folks who are brilliant and so conscientious to work with. Thanks!
Hi Ro! Ah, that totally makes sense, for novellas and BookFunnel giveaways! Testing covers with ads…whew, there’s an idea. I don’t have the resources for that yet!
It is really frustrating when designers, or any contractors, aren’t good about communication. My husband and I run an editing service, LuckyAuthor.com, and we respond to emails every weekday at noon except on holidays. People need to hear back!
I’m definitely in the camp that a good cover is an essential part of indie publishing. For my next book, I did a lot of initial brainstorming, came up with 12 different ideas using coverjig.com and then put them all together in one graphic through Canva and used it to poll readers at book festivals and in FB groups about their favorites. And I also post about covers, trends in covers, and cover clones over on Instagram. It helps to draw attention to the way the right cover can help with discoverability. It won’t sell the book – you still have to write a great story – but it can hurt or lose you a sale.
Hi Maggie! Someone else mentioned a poll, too, and I think that’s so smart. At Hallmark Publishing, we sometimes did a cover A/cover B poll on social media. I need to check out more of your Instagram posts! Thanks for the comments here!
I’ve been on both sides of this question. I’ve bought self-published books with terrible covers and I’ve also seen some books from publishers that had amateurish, off-putting covers. I love how you’re willing to consider both sides of the argument. I think they’re all valid for different people in a variety of circumstances.
Hey Rachel! It’s so true…I’ve seen weird covers from both indie and trad, and brilliant covers from both, too. Yeah, there are just a lot of variables that go into designing and budgets.
Exploring my books visually is something I enjoy. I have had two covers designed from my own pictures – one from my photo and one from my painting. Having the expertise of professionals to take my art one step further was very important for the final covers.
I love your advice about both sides of the question.
Hi Jessie! I agree…it’s such a fun part of being an author. 🙂 It’s amazing to see what designers can do with one’s ideas!
I do believe one should pay for a quality cover. Surely, one can find a good cover on a budget. There used to be a popular hashtag, coverbuybooks in the early days of bookstagram, and it’s true.
I was with a small press for a couple of releases, and they made some horrible covers in-house. I had no say. The cover I did have some say in was the best.
denise
There really are some good options available on a budget! I never heard of that hashtag, #coverbuybooks. I love that! I’m sorry you were disappointed in your covers, and glad you at least had input on one of them.
The hashtag was popular pre-pandemic. I used it in the past, too.
One of the covers is truly embarrassing. I give it an eyeroll.