DEAR WRITER: Book covers are really important!
Okay, I wanted to say something more snappy, but that’s basically the gist of this post:
Picking a good book cover is ABSOLUTELY important to your book’s success.
According to book publishing statistics, a good book cover can increase the chance your ideal reader picks up your book by 50%! In a crowded and fickle market such as ours, a powerful book cover can make all the difference.
Now, I know we “shouldn’t judge a book by its cover” but let’s be real.
We all do.
And it’s not even all the way bad too.
Like, what would you think this book is about just by looking at this cover?
Or what about this one?
Or this one?
I’m sure for the first you’re clearly thinking romance. The pastel colors. The fancy curvy script. The two half-dressed beautiful people embracing in bed. Maybe for the second you’re thinking independent, clear, personal, and introspective due to the washed color and the modern illustration. And maybe the third you automatically think literary fiction because of the abstract-ish art and bold typography.
Here are two of the inspirations for my book, Honey Is the Knife:
I was deeply inspired by the books my mom kept around the house when I was a kid and I remember my mother owning both of these. I also really (really) love so much of seventies inspired design: that bold and juicy typography, the luscious pointed in-your-face-but-in-a-cute-way color pairings and flourishes, and the femme-ness of it all.
At first, my book cover and interior design came wrapped up in an inclusive self-publishing package but I wasn’t deeply feeling the art direction so I had to outsource.
My initial book design was by Poche, a Black woman owned design studio located in LA and here’s the beauty they came up with.
I really loved (and still love) this design. Look at that K!
Le sigh…
But like many of you all know, I went through a deep (read Dark Night of the Soul) inner journey and many a rewrite for Honey Is the Knife. I started writing this book in the winter of 2019 and we all know what 2020 and 2021 were like…
As I wrote and revised, I changed and the book changed and my design desires also changed.
I knew I still wanted the boldness, but I wanted something a bit more celestial, something a bit moodier.
I found Luísa Dias, a designer based in Portugal, via Reedsy, a platform for book design, editing, interior design, and all you need to publish well. (Here’s the link to Reedsy, thank me later…)
I loved her eye and her willingness to really hear out my direction.
Here’s one of her first designs:
You can see that I kept some of the elements from before.
But I also knew this design wasn’t the end of the road.
I wanted some elements to stay (that font!) but was also in a period where I was deeply inspired by the angelic realms, adire cloth (a form of Yoruba tie-dye), and the higher chakras.
I wanted an integration of my Yoruba-ness.
I wanted some more personal touches.
adire
I wanted purples.
And thus, the final cover of Honey Is the Knife was born:
So, here we are with the Purple Book Who Could.
She’s got the bold seventies font, the subtitle (Or How I Learned to Stop Fixing Myself and Love My Bliss) is in a very personal script (many thanks to Luisa for that suggestion!) and we have the adire design decorating the bottom of the book on the back cover.
I feel really good and proud of this cover.
She is way more reflective of what’s inside and she’s gorgeous as hell.
If you are looking for book cover design help be sure to check out:
IngramSpark (they are a major self-publishing platform and have great information about book formatting guidelines)
Reedsy (you’ll need to create a log-in to access their treasure trove)
Instagram (such a delightful abundance of really awesome illustrators! Even if they don’t do book design, you can always ask and/or search under the hashtag #bookcoverdesign.)
Know that book design takes time and often is a $500+ (this is the low-end) investment.
I knew professional and seasoned book cover designers who charge $2-3K without blinking and their work and experience details why….
If you are a self-publishing girl, you have 100% access to choose your cover so be sure to do your research, have a lot of fun with Pinterest boards and collages, pay attention to the book covers you are drawn to and pick up, know the trends (but don’t be afraid to buck them), and advocate for your vision.
It’s your book and if you don’t like the cover, it’s really not fun.
Even if you’re a traditionally published author, there are many imprints and publishing houses which are open to your feedback and your desires, so never feel hesitant to communicate and even draw out what you want even if you’re open to their feedback.
Happy book cover-ing!
May you (lovingly) judge a book cover from here on out.
Love,
Hannah