Should Authors Create Their Own Book Covers? by Susan J Bruce

Nikita-the-ShiChi with her copy of Running Scared

One of the things I noticed when I first began hanging out in author-focused online groups was the strong advice against authors creating their own book covers. One response I read said only trained graphic designers should ever even attempt to this. Only they had the knowledge and experience. 

Did I head this advice? Nope.

 

Why didn’t I? There are several reasons.

Because I’m Scottish and therefore stubborn

One of the most endearing traits of the Scots is their stubbornness. Just ask my husband . How else could my ancestors cope with freezing weather, howling winds and Summer that only lasts one day a year? Don’t get me wrong, I love my homeland. Its stark beauty is breathtaking and the people are generous and welcoming. But most Scots I know have this stubborn streak–which I share.

 

If you want to design your own book cover, you don’t need to be Scottish, but you do need to be stubborn. You need to decide to do this and do it well and not settle for a bad design. 

I love being arty

I love immersing myself in art projects–especially ones focused on animals. I can spend hours tweaking the work. It's the same with book cover design. I can get lost in the process. I don't think I'd have attempted to create my own cover if I didn't love visual art, and if I didn't have a general idea of what looks right. My biggest problem in cover design was developing the skills needed to make the picture in my brain look right on the page. I had no idea about typography, nor did I understand how to use photoshop.

I gave myself time to experiment

If you want to learn cover design you have to experiment to find out what works/ doesn't work. Here is one of my early attempts at cover design for Running Scared.  I was still thinking of writing as Sue Jeffrey then.

Early version of Running Scared

 

When I shared this with friends there was this uneasy silence… Which was gracious of them because the cover was pretty bad.

 

It was basically just a stock photo with a filter slapped onto the image with a bit of text. The title font wasn’t too bad just too small and not in the right place, but the author font was awful :). It didn't suit an author name and the font colour didn’t appear anywhere in the image.

 

This happens a lot in writerdom.  The novice book designer tries to use an unsuitable font in a colour that clashes with the image. Contrast is fine, but if you want to design your own book cover, please use a font colour that complements the image. Ideally use a colour that’s already somewhere in the image, that way the font will feel one with the image, and not fight against it.

But remember it's completely okay if your early attempts at cover design aren't great. Just as with writing, you have to start somewhere. Make a hundred covers if you need to until you find something that gels.

I was willing to learn from others

I must admit that this project sat dormant for a long while between cover attempts. Every now and then I’d bring it out as an ‘art project’ and try some things. 

 

A big shout out to Ben Morton of Immortalise Designs. Ben is a personal friend and writing group buddy who showed great patience when I’d suddenly throw a random design at his messenger inbox.

 

Here are some of the other concepts I tried. Note I experimented with different titles too.

(Warning, there are images of spiders in the next two book covers.)

This one looked too young and… spidery. Arachnophobia is a key theme in the book, as Melinda fries to overcome her fear, but it’s not the sole focus.

This cover looks too young and too spidery!

 

The next one looked more like soft horror. There are scary bits in the story but it’s not horror.

Too much like a horror story? 

 

I didn’t mind this next one aesthetically, but the genre wasn’t clear. Maybe too romance-like?

Genre uncertain?

Along the way I discovered that the cross-genre nature of my book (it’s a contemporary YA, coming of age AND romantic thriller 😀) made cover design difficult. I needed to somehow incorporate an image that highlighted the story of my main character, Melinda, yet gave a taste of the danger she was in. 

I pondered for a while, then one day I was browsing through stock photos and found an image that epitomised her. A girl with butterflies in her hair. You'll have to read the book to discover why this fits so well. I combined this with other elements and eventually came up with this cover.

 

Nearly there!

Then after some further advice (thank you Rowena Beresford and Cecily Paterson!) the final cover became a reality. I was happy, and those I shared the cover with loved it.

Final Cover of Running Scared

But would I have got there without listening to people who could help? 

Nope. 

I did a lot of research too. You'll probably notice my typography improved as I went along. If you are going to learn cover design I’d strongly advise you to research the kinds of fonts used on book covers your genre. And check out the top 100 bestsellers on Amazon in your chosen genre. This will give you a good idea of the fonts and images used in books that are currently selling well. There’s a lot of information out there in internet-land—make use of it.

 

I needed to up-skill. I had virtually no photoshop knowledge—although I mainly used Canva initially. This was a process of trial and error but I highly recommend the SPF Cover Design course by Stuart Bache – a top UK cover designer. All the SPF courses are fabulous if you want to independently publish books. They are pricey but worth the dollars. The Cover Design course gave me some simple pointers that made all the difference. 

How long did this process take?

This whole journey took a gazillion years—or it felt like it. I think I started the cover in 2016 and it’s now 2022. To be fair, I originally wanted to traditionally publish the book, and during this time I sent it out to various publishers. I had lots of nibbles, but no publisher committed. 

 

Maybe it was because the book is a mixture of genres. I think the book just wasn’t ‘ready’ when I sent it to some publishers, but the most frustrating responses went something like this:

 

I really enjoyed Running Scared, it’s commercial and you have a gift for writing suspense. I found it hard to put down. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fit our list. 

 

Aargh!

 

So instead of rewriting Running Scared to a publisher’s satisfaction I rewrote it to mine. And created the cover too. That’s the joy of independent publishing. 

A book—and its cover—can be a labour of love.

Should authors design their own book covers?   

Having said all of this, what would I advise authors who are thinking of designing their own covers?

 

I’d say go ahead if all of these conditions apply:

• You are either Scottish or extremely stubborn and not willing to settle for a substandard cover 😁
• You love being arty and learning new skills
• You have the time to do this and get it right

But if the above criteria don't apply, then commission a custom cover or use one of the many pre-made covers available online. Some premade covers are amazing. I would have used a pre-made cover if I’d found one that fitted my book.

The big question: Would you be better off writing? 

In one writing forum I follow, they have a saying: WIBBOW—Would I be better off writing?

 

The truth is, I probably would have been much better off typing words rather than nuancing cover art. But for a while there I had more time available than money to pay a cover designer—and I really wanted to give this a go.  

 

And now I have a new skill. I still have a humungous amount to learn but I'd like to get to the stage where I can design covers for other authors.

 

But that might take a wee while. Life is busy at the moment. The print version of Running Scared had a soft launch in February but the official launch is happening after Easter. I’m joining with three other authors in a book launch party at North Adelaide on April 20. 

You are invited! Here is the flyer, courtesy of Stone Table Books, who are launching two books and hosting the event:

The ebook of Running Scared* is currently on preorder—although I'm having some hiccups with Apple Books, but that should be resolved soon. So you can buy now if you would like a copy .

 

It's an exciting time!

But back to cover design. Have you ever tried to design your own book cover? How did it go? What lessons did you learn? Pease let me know in the comments below.

Pssst... BTW!

You can find out more about Running Scared on my website https://www.susanjbruce.com. Please sign up for my newsletter because you'll get a free short story and all of my updates! 

Pssst again.... Even though some of the covers documented above are a wee bit crappy, they are still copyright Susan J Bruce.

 

Susan J Bruce is an author, artist and animal addict who writes mystery and suspense books—with heart. Susan is a former veterinarian and animals often run, jump, fly or crawl through her tales. Her writing group once challenged her to write a story without mentioning any animals—she failed! Susan's debut novel, Running Scared, won the 2018 Caleb Prize for an unpublished manuscript. You can find Susan online at www.susanjbruce.com.

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