HIRING A GRAPHIC DESIGNER FOR YOUR SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK
A lot of my clients come to me looking for guidance on the next steps of the publishing process after their editing is complete. So I brought in a guest, Becky Bayne, To give a quick run-through of the design process and next steps. Please ask any questions you have about self publishing in the chat.
Take it away, Becky!
Congratulations on writing a book! You’ve accomplished a major goal and it’s time to celebrate!
The next step is to get it published. We recommend self-publishing for our clients as it is a much faster method to get your book to market and you have the creative control of the process.
Does that seem overwhelming? No worries—“Self-published” doesn't mean you have to do it all by yourself...
Our team at Becky’s Graphic Design®, LLC, provides the expertise to design and self-publish your book while you retain all the rights, creative control and all the profits!
We have been in business as graphic designers for over 30 years and have been working with self-published authors for more than 15 years, even before Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) existed. We have the design and print experience to create beautiful covers and professional interiors and the technical knowledge to upload your book to the printer/distributor of your choice.
Stand out as a professional author
Did you know over 2,700 new books are being launched every day? You’ve just spent months, maybe years writing this book, how will your book rise above all the rest and get noticed? By making sure you give your book every chance to be the best book on your subject in every way possible.
Be noticed for the right reasons not the wrong reasons.
No matter how many books you’ve written, you should always hire the following people before you publish.
· An editor – to polish the manuscript to professional standard
· A cover designer- to create a well-designed cover to catch attention
· A copy writer- to create the description on the back cover that sells your book
Why you need a professional cover designer
Readers are very aware of what a good cover looks like. This is not the time to skimp and try to do it yourself. Hiring a cover designer or graphic designer is essential to have a cover that will sell your book consistently over time.
There are many things a designer has to know to create a book cover. These include:
· Understanding your genre
· Typography expertise
· Managing color for print
· Knowledge of stock photography and photo-editing software
· Setting up files for print
Notice I haven’t even mentioned understanding good design at this point! These are just the technical requirements to have a professional cover created.
The actual front cover artwork must catch the target reader’s eye. The title has to be clear and the genre obvious. You don’t want anyone confused by what they see and read—remember reviews can be sale ending if a reader is misled.
Hiring a cover designer
The best method for hiring a designer is by reviewing their portfolio. A good designer will have multiple covers available for you to review and testimonials that support their work. Find a designer with covers that you like and then check them out on Amazon or other online retailers. Do their covers stand out? Do they appear to be professional compared to the other books in a similar genre?
I’d recommend finding two or three designers to choose from and contact them. The initial conversation will give you good idea if they will be easy to work with.
Here are three things to ask a cover designer that will give you an idea of their talent and experience working with authors and self-publishing platforms.
· What design process do you use to create covers?
· What software will you be using to create the cover?
· Do they know how to obtain the templates for the final distribution channels?
What design process do you use to create covers?
The designer should have a solid answer to this question. My response would focus on researching other titles in a similar genre, using a collaborative Pinterest board for ideas, and always creating at least three options for the design. A fiction book will need to be skimmed to understand the storyline as the cover must elude to the story.
What software will you be using to create the cover?
A professional cover designer will be using a combination of photography software, such as Adobe Photoshop and/or illustrative software such as Adobe Illustrator, to create the background of the cover. The full cover will be prepped in a layout software such as Adobe InDesign. This is where the front, back, and spine are laid out in a spread with correct print bleeds. Finally the typography is added over the background layer. If the cover is not done correctly at this stage it will be rejected by the distribution channels when you upload your files.
Do they know how to obtain the templates for the final distribution channels?
When your book is finished and you are ready to publish, you must follow the distribution channels specific guidelines for setting up the cover and interior files.
For example, the self-publishing platforms KDP (Amazon) and IngramSpark offer templates on their websites. Each template is customized for the number of pages, the book size and the paper choices you’ve made. Your designer should be familiar with these and know how to download them correctly for your specific needs.
The book interior
At Becky’s Graphic Design, we work with authors to design the cover and the interior of the book. We always bring design elements from the cover into the pages of the book and use similar fonts to keep a consistent design. A nonfiction book should be an extension of your brand and marketing materials if you have one or the base of your brand if you don’t have one established.
The interior is divided into three sections; the front matter, body and back matter. The front matter includes the title page, copyright page, and table of contents, plus any sections before the first chapter begins. Then the body of the book, which includes all the chapters. And finally the back matter which is where any end notes, bibliography and author biography would be.
As graphic designers, we are very experienced creating long documents. We know how to create charts and graphs, and place photos in text. These graphics should flow smoothly within the text for a pleasurable reading experience.
Creating a book requires technical knowledge of publishing and printing which makes all the difference between a DIY self-published book and a professionally designed self-published book. It’s obvious to the reader when a book isn’t well done and this can harm credibility and future sales for the author. It is well worth the investment to hire a designer for both the cover and the interior files of your book.
Work with us
We’d love to chat with you about your next book. You can see our website and portfolio here. Our appointment calendar is here feel free to find a time that works for you so we can speak to you one-on-one.
Thank you, Laura, for letting us speak to your readers about book designs.
Becky Bayne, President/Founder, Becky’s Graphic Design®, LLC
