tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post7950384962520548853..comments2023-08-28T03:11:38.347-07:00Comments on The Scribblers Cove: How Do I Cover Thee?Rebecca J. Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-75140007482480851582013-02-26T13:40:41.156-08:002013-02-26T13:40:41.156-08:00All good tips, Susan, and timely, as I am about to...All good tips, Susan, and timely, as I am about to figure out a cover design.Catherine Stinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08131569196977321229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-10109524927318788052013-02-26T09:14:40.453-08:002013-02-26T09:14:40.453-08:00Awesome as always, and hey! Thanks for the shout o...Awesome as always, and hey! Thanks for the shout out! In my experience, a great cover is #2 in line next to a great story... sometimes it can even sell a not so great story. Not that I've ever bought a book just for the cover... ;o) <3LTMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239077455322030275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-7258418489109083992013-02-26T06:30:32.984-08:002013-02-26T06:30:32.984-08:00Thanks Jonene! I'm in constant awe of artists ...Thanks Jonene! I'm in constant awe of artists and the work they do. :)Susan Kaye Quinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07348197999397141067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-87761260027244277682013-02-26T06:06:22.566-08:002013-02-26T06:06:22.566-08:00Great post, Sue! I've been on three sides of t...Great post, Sue! I've been on three sides of this one. As a reader, I can't help picking up a book with an awesome cover. It does raise the appeal. Tremendously. I know it's just art and the book might disappoint, but the tantalizing promise is worth it. As a writer, it's a serious worry to not have a cover that makes people want to read your book. And then, as an artist, I've done three covers. It IS daunting, because so much goes into it, and you want to make the cover spectacular on every level - and that's a high order for an artist - all while keeping it affordable. I've decided I'm much happier writing books. By the way, you did an excellent job describing the factors! Jonene Ficklinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13414949303542133724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-12669097715876386142013-02-26T05:53:47.807-08:002013-02-26T05:53:47.807-08:00Forward what I said onto them, because not everyon...Forward what I said onto them, because not everyone does it, I gather!Emily Mahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11058371468029680332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-82376877828771010992013-02-26T05:41:40.610-08:002013-02-26T05:41:40.610-08:00This is why I have a cover designer, EM! I have no...This is why I have a cover designer, EM! I have no idea what you just said. :)Susan Kaye Quinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07348197999397141067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-30885968018446505702013-02-26T05:33:42.332-08:002013-02-26T05:33:42.332-08:00And there's one more trick. Make sure your cov...And there's one more trick. Make sure your cover designer (or do this yourself if you have Photoshop) does the ebook cover in 72dpi and runs the "unsharp mask" filter at 50% on it. That makes the image and title clearer when it's little.<br /><br />Or I can do this for anyone, if you just ask and email the file.Emily Mahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11058371468029680332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-28497220234200933582013-02-25T17:23:27.051-08:002013-02-25T17:23:27.051-08:00Very true - which means several things. Fonts have...Very true - which means several things. Fonts have to be bigger. Contrast has to be higher between image/background/title/authorname. With the (fabulous) artist I'm working with for my fantasy steampunk cover, he does AMAZINGLY detailed work. Gorgeous! And it would be totally lost in thumbnail. So we're working on a simpler design - something that will still be beautiful and awesome, but not have as many details/elements, so that it works well for ebook.Susan Kaye Quinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07348197999397141067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-69396145165056920232013-02-25T17:16:59.543-08:002013-02-25T17:16:59.543-08:00One thing I learned at a workshop last year was th...One thing I learned at a workshop last year was that your book cover needs to look good as a thumbnail image. People used to go to bookstores and scan a row of spines. Now they get on line and scroll down through thumbnail images of book covers.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-40044070836938813592013-02-25T17:11:32.582-08:002013-02-25T17:11:32.582-08:00It really is an emotional reaction, which is hard ...It really is an emotional reaction, which is hard to parse sometimes. But I've found that looking for that "wow" factor or emotional response from lots of people helps to gauge if it's getting across or not.Susan Kaye Quinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07348197999397141067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-65903494594235020872013-02-25T17:09:25.705-08:002013-02-25T17:09:25.705-08:00Excellent points, Susan. Some covers I love, and I...Excellent points, Susan. Some covers I love, and I don't really know why. But I think you've summed it up perfectly.Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-52065394162365422352013-02-25T16:45:22.935-08:002013-02-25T16:45:22.935-08:00As tempting as using family for covers (especially...As tempting as using family for covers (especially when they're talented) is that it's really hard to say "no, this isn't what I was looking for." The first cover designer I contracted with for Open Minds didn't work out. AT ALL. (He was a great guy, just the cover wasn't coming together the way I wanted.) We parted amicably (I paid him for his time) - that would have been much more traumatic if we were friends/family. Then I lucked into having Dale to my cover and my high bar was significantly raised! <br /><br />This is all a learning process. Live and learn. :)<br />Susan Kaye Quinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07348197999397141067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-91678995224559497502013-02-25T16:15:03.407-08:002013-02-25T16:15:03.407-08:00Great post!!! Your covers are fantastic, and I thi...Great post!!! Your covers are fantastic, and I think that next time (there will be a next time), I'll be putting my money into a professional cover. My niece did a great job, but it was a learning process for both of us. Tyrean Martinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15356604721537744361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-21648867468431046652013-02-25T10:11:42.035-08:002013-02-25T10:11:42.035-08:00I agree that it's very unlikely a publisher wo...I agree that it's very unlikely a publisher would deep six any book when they could instead not acquire it. I much more readily believe that midlist authors make this claim when their sales disappoint! It always helps to blame someone for doing it on purpose.<br /><br />Great post, Susan! It's cool how many awesome indie cover designers there are, too, who, like you say, do a better job than the in-house trad designers.Emily Mahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11058371468029680332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-12072341605192640092013-02-25T10:08:32.421-08:002013-02-25T10:08:32.421-08:00Fantastic post. I love the idea about having a con...Fantastic post. I love the idea about having a concept for the series.Eliza Tiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00765731038856226730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-68917304266412900772013-02-25T10:00:45.292-08:002013-02-25T10:00:45.292-08:00I imagine it's lack of time-money-effort put i...I imagine it's lack of time-money-effort put into the cover, rather than deep-sixing a book on purpose. After all, they could just not acquire it, if they wanted to do that. <br /><br />I think you can make fantastic covers for not a lot of money - it's as much an art as anything else. But it requires actually CARING about the cover, KNOWING the book, UNDERSTANDING the market, and having top notch graphics artists available. I see a lot of indie covers that are better than trad-pub ones, simply because they have all those components, whereas a trad-pub author is at the mercy of the publisher being willing to bring those to bear on their book. Susan Kaye Quinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07348197999397141067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-81856007556437973912013-02-25T09:31:08.091-08:002013-02-25T09:31:08.091-08:00Excellent advice, as always. I don't think my ...Excellent advice, as always. I don't think my cover is something I'd trust in the hands of just anyone. Crystal Collierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03912469552483168148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962109490336177665.post-514874521253900042013-02-25T09:25:10.488-08:002013-02-25T09:25:10.488-08:00Great post, Sue. Book covers fascinate me. One of ...Great post, Sue. Book covers fascinate me. One of the most important things a cover can say is, "I am a real book!I've got quality! The marketing department believes in me!" People who think they can create their own fabulous cover with no training or experience are probably like those people who think they can just sit down and write a novel.<br /><br />I've heard rumors, but can't tell if this is some kind of paranoia, that publishing companies will purposely submarine their mid-list authors with bad covers so that the front-list book won't have competition from their own house. Of course I think this is less of an on-purpose thing as a natural consequence of unequal distribution of resources. Mid-list books don't get the same budget for the cover as the front runners.Rebecca J. Carlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13266492065285468391noreply@blogger.com