Though we say, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’, we actually do it often than we care.
Book covers give a glimpse into the book. It has the ability to make a person to look twice at the book. Believe it or not, I have picked up a book or two just because I loved the book cover!
As a reader keeps scrolling through Kindle or walks around in a bookstore looking for their next read, the book cover and the title of the book catches their attention. You can say that book covers are the pickup line of the book that gets the readers interested.
So, when you are self-publishing your book, you will be faced with the greatest question of all? Should you design the book cover for self-published books by yourself or should I hire someone to do it for you?
Well, instead of telling you what you need to do, in this article, we will walk through the pointers that will guide you to make the decision yourself. By the end of this article, you will get an idea of which is suitable for you.
So, let’s start!
Choosing The Best Option to Design Book Covers for Self-Published Books
Why Going The DIY Way Is Best-Suited for You?
Authors generally fall under the creative category and this implies that the creative sense of authors are more developed than a normal person. So this creative mind is one of the advantages which can come in handy for you if you decide to design your own book cover. Another added advantage of designing on your own is that, nobody knows the book better than you and nobody is better-equipped to deliver a suitable book cover than yourself.
Now that we have got it out in the open, let’s see the big ‘if’ if authors decide to design book covers for self-published books.
A major requirement is that, you need to have prior knowledge working with the designs stuff online. It can be as simple as creating a blog cover, but the hands-on experience is necessary to at least have a grasp of what is in store for you. The next important ‘must’ is your creative knowledge in terms of designing. Some authors maybe good painters, illustrators or digital designers. You don’t need to professionals; it maybe something you are dabbling on your side or just doing it as a hobby.
When you are already tapping that side of your creativity, it is a given that you can design your book cover for self-published books by yourself.
If you have just tried a few designs out for your blogs and for any personal use, then you know what lies ahead of you. You maybe doubtful if you can pull it off. When you torn between doing it yourself or hiring someone, the best way is the practical way.
Get it all out. You can open any free editor like Canva, sit down for a few days or few hours – however long it takes to make up your mind – and try your all the designs that have been running in your mind. At the most, you will waste your time and realize that hiring someone is best.
But on the bright side, you would have put out your ideas in form of a design and we know that nobody knows your book best than you. The book covers you have tried to design are the best ways to depict your book and those materials are valuable for the designer you hire. No matter how bad you think it is, these scribbling are the best reference the designer can get and can build on it better.
Why Hiring Someone Is Better?
Let’s see a few instances when hiring someone to create the book cover is the best option for your book.
Instance #1: As seen above, when you have tried your hand at designing a book cover and have failed, it is time to move on. Don’t spend more than a few days trying the designing part when you don’t exactly have the proper experience to design a book cover.
Instance #2: When you have absolutely no idea about the ABCs of designing a book digitally, you know it is time to look for other options.
Instance #3: When you have a little money left out from the budget and know a good designer who can design an appropriate book cover at an affordable rate, you can pick this option.
Instance #4: Some authors publish two or three books together at the same time or sometimes a few weeks apart. During such times, you can get a good designer to design book covers for all your self-published books together at a nice discount.
There is nothing wrong with hiring someone to design the book cover for self-published books especially when you do not want anything to go wrong with your book. And best part about self-publishing a book is that you have the control over what kind of book cover you want and do the best by your book!
If you have already published your book, participate in the AllAuthor’s Cover of the Month Contest and get your attractive book cover in front of hundreds of readers.
