Designing Imperious Realm’s Cover
I'm excited to talk about cover design!
People really do judge a book by its cover so your cover design is a major marketing tool, along with the title and book blurb. The cover needs to be attractive and reflective of your book's content and genre.
Creating the cover is one of the last steps for your book (other than proofreading) because you need to have your final book dimensions. So why am I talking about it now? Because putting together a cohesive visual representation of your book is fun!
As an indie author, I controlled the process with my cover designer whereas an author has less control through traditional publishing. I have seen some gorgeous indie book covers.
While hiring the right professional cover designer is a great investment, I appreciate and respect it's not something that an indie author can always afford. I keep this in mind now when I'm considering whether to read a book. For independent authors, I choose to pay greater attention to the book blurb.
If you hire a designer, then it's important to hire someone familiar with book design. This is because certain design characteristics are associated with certain genres. For example, adult fiction tends to have simpler fonts, while Young Adult (YA) fiction tends to have more elaborate fonts. Research your genre and trends to make sure you know what to consider.
I utilized Reedsy, a self-publishing platform for independent authors, where you can contract editing, cover design, marketing services, etc. I knew I needed an experienced cover designer because my novel is:
science fiction/fantasy,
dystopian,
space opera,
futuristic,
political/social justice themed,
written primarily for adults but can also be read by teens,
comprised of characters who are "adult-like" children (whom I refer to as "Antisenents"), and
the first in a series.
Ah! How was I supposed to come up with a cover for such an unusual, genre-blending premise? I needed expert help. I reviewed candidates' portfolios but it's difficult judging a cover designer solely by their portfolio because the result is driven by the client (author) and book. I hired someone who had extensive industry experience in both cover design and general graphic design.
From what I gathered, cover designers all appear to go through a similar process:
They gather information about your book, usually through a questionnaire.
They ask for examples of book covers you like.
They draft concept options and you would select one.
They have a revision process; usually up to three included within the quoted price with an option for more revisions at additional cost.
(I should note that you may be able to purchase additional products and services, and the key is to have clear terms up front to understand exactly what you will be getting. I paid for different versions of various social media banners including a 3-D book mock-up. I received ebook, paperback, and hardcover versions of my cover but I formatted the book interiors myself. I also designed my own website and created my own book trailer.)
To start the process, I explained my book's themes, major symbols and structures, and tone as much as I could. I knew I needed to include a blue forest, two moons, and a tagline to give a hint as to what the book is about.
I'm pretty sure I'm terrible at crafting a cover design, but I have an eye for refining it. My cover designer closely followed my vision for the first two concepts, but they didn’t reflect the book well. He drafted the third concept himself, a basic version of Imperious Realm's current design. From here I provided specific feedback for all the concepts, even though I was using only one, so he could effectively translate my vision. I told him what I loved and what needed improvement. I did this for all three revisions. And by chance, he happened to incorporate my favourite shade of blue.
I also sound boarded off one of my beta readers, who is familiar with my fictional world and understood what I was trying to achieve. Her suggestion that the two moons should be coloured gold is my favourite detail of the entire cover.
I think we nailed it. I love my cover!