We work really hard on covers. generally the manuscript is in outline form or I’m still writing and already we’re tossing back and forth cover ideas. I would say that each book I’ve done has had about 6 to 12 iterations of covers and about 70% of the time a close runner up becomes the EBook covers.
There are some truly, truly atrocious covers out there that look amateurish so I take my time in considering elements.
Element #1: Colors
There is a color wheel and there are complementary colors. It is important to get this, know it and have it by your side/desk as you’re emailing back and forth with a graphic designer clarify what you mean and want.
Element# 2: Colors Have Meanings
When we look at colors we tend to have a near universal lock in to them around certain emotions. This leads into several areas of consideration in relationship to the book itself. Blue conveys authority, trustworthiness. Silver and burgundy are colors of elegance. Black is a strong emphatic statement. Then I’m playing around with which ones to combine with and I have to go back to my wheel.
Element #3: Various Iterations of The Same Thing With Slight Alterations
This is the progression of the cover to Tranny below:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
You can see that the there are two main images we had—-Face and No Face with androgynous body.
The character is Black and Greek so we wanted a mixed face, mixed hair and at the same time we wanted a slightly unusual facial structure because the main character is trans—-so it had to have the element of possibly used to be male, transitioning to female. We went through a lot of stock photos, pics, etc.
(Stock photos are your friend though it might cost you a few dollars to buy a good one—it’s worth it.)
In graphic design (I was one for a brief time and I’ve found that in publishing I’ve done more research and classes into art now compared to then to understand color and space and such) you’re looking for your central eye point. You’re looking for teh image or color that you’ll pull together the whole schema off of. Here it’s Nicky’s hair.
Pic # 1 works because the parchment complements teh hair and then the Text color does as well. Complements make a cover work to the eye as a unified picture.
Pic # 2 includes the back cover and that fuchsia-purple complements all the other book elements and since it’s not on the front cover to distract, works.
Pic # 3 and 6 were attempts at the body pic—-first in b&w and then colorizing the pic—-but it lacked personality from a face. Though the back and for the discussion was that the character is body obsessed, perhaps the point is no head?
Pic #5 is a reversal of all of the color schemes in Text to that purple which yes, touches complementary to the hair-rust/orange but in “popping” it tends to overwhelm making the Text the central image and not the face.
Pic #6 was a strong contender because it checks off all the boxes but the face pic added a humanness to it. Now this is a whole art theory press=—-people like to look at the faces of other people, particularly in art. Yes, abstract art exists but people are drawn to faces. I’d love to do more abstract covers but people want to “connect” themselves and characters with faces. We decided to maybe save the body pic for the back cover of the book or future editions (that’s a big place for your “other” designs—-every year or so a book should be released in a new edition or new format so you can use these ideas or tweak them. In a year or two, your skill will have increased in color composition, design, you’ll find a better image. It’s an ongoing process.)
Pics #4 & 7 for the EBook should be reminiscent of the PB/Hardcover. You want to create a branding image theme. That face. So when I look at it on my shelf or my Kindle—-I know I’m in the same book.
Pic # 8 is when we start playing with scale. Is the shoulder too much? What about the lips? The lips color complements the purple on the back cover and perhaps even in the front Text if we do a larger/close up pic. Then what if we reverse the peach/orange/rust and favor the deeper purple?
Pic#7 you can see we cut the pic somewhat to play with the Eye Element of the character looking at the reader. Cutting eyes is a great way to emphasize both seeing and at the same time suggest a little mystery, something hidden. The cover tells a story as well as describes the story within.
Element # 4: Text on Covers
This can drive you bonkers.
One, you want the text to complement your main image. Then you want the Text to also complement itself meaning you don’t want it to overwhelm or fight against other text on the page.
I generally aim for the Text to be the same color in the Title as it is in the same or for artistic effect to add unconscious visual interest—-I’ll shift it by one or two grades. Titles POP, names shouldn’t. Names that POP are about ego. Your name will appear in searches, the spine, posters, etc.—-you don’t need it to be the largest thing on the cover. Your Title pulls your name. Sometimes I run into my name has a conflict with the image and I have to default to white or black or outline the text for it to be clearly seen but I try not to create too much drama with the Text name itself.
Element #5: Back Cover Text:
3 Things must be there, technically 4.
- Book blurb—-what is the book about.
- Author picture/Author bio—-maybe, this isn’t a necessity all the time. For Tranny I didn’t want to “compete”. I wanted this to be in your face, completely about Nicky and at the same time when you read this, it’s in the 1st person—-I want you to lose me as the author. I want you to get lost in Nicky, I want you to see yourself reading Nicky’s journal. (Which leads to Interior Style)
- Company logo-your company/the publisher’s logo has to be on the back and on the spine but definitely on the spine for it to be carried by major chains.
- The bar code. Same place all the time so you have to design literally around it.
Element # 6: Interiors Similar to Exteriors
I was under several kinds of consideration for the book itself. I wanted to do it in color—-a candy/lollipop image bleeding off of teh top of each page or a body/woman’s mouth. Extremely large page numbers and I wanted to use a font that almost looked like scrawling/handwriting. I wanted you to open a journal and rad this person’s thoughts.
Alas the final cost of the book would’ve been about $39.99 retail for all of those elements.
To simulate the journal concept, the pages are bordered and the font a little larger. The nod to the outside covers is that it’s on the “edge” of something. It’s stark i it’s appearance and it’s not dense. The parchment overlaps also create a sense of being written.
Element # 7: It Is Never Perfect
Done is better than perfect. And using KDP or others—-slowly as you publish more and more books you start using more programs, editors, graphic designers, you start buying books, art books, design books, books on color and composition, on photos—-I have more books about graphic design than I do on writing.
But my covers are better than my first cover ideas in 2013 and now it’s as important an ongoing element as editing and writing are. In fact it often helps me to doodle up some ideas initially and then as I write continue going back and forth to capture more and more of the book itself.
What stops me is bok publishing deadlines. Generally February through November are release months because the holidays are when book sales dip—-probably because people are buying so many other things.
Tranny is currently releasing it’s 2nd edition in the coming months so the cover has changed slightly. Also KDP templates have changed but that’s a good thing as I’ve gotten a whole gaggle of graphic designers involved and let them loose on about 20–30 covers. It should look both newer and fresher than previous covers.
Element #8: When You Don’t Study
When you don’t put a few months work into a cover, it’s noticeable. It’s worth th time and effort to learn, collaborate and then design whether on paper (i have sketches and colored pencils) then transfer it to programs—-PowerPoint is good and can covert to JPegs and then to Photoshop and PDFs.
Things look professional and attract eyes which boost sales when you take your time on them and tweak a thousand times. My first idea is always foreplay. Out of 100+ books I can honestly tell you that none of them are exactly the first image or idea. Then of course you have to see a Proof copy in hand to see how the pictures look, the colors mesh, the bleed works or doesn’t, the text distorts.
- 12 manuscript drafts
- 6 to 12 cover concepts
- 3–5 Proof copies
- Then a book is ready.
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Kyle Phoenix is a teacher, certified adult educator, sexologist, sex coach and sexuality educator with over two decades of intensive experience. He studied at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, New York University, and Columbia University. He has worked, consulted and taught individuals and focused professional developments for the CDC, Department of Education, Gay Men's Health Crisis, New York City Department of Health, non-profits, Fortune 500 companies and unions. He began his career facilitating on-campus workshops addressing a wide range of sexuality and sexual health issues and then moved on to teaching at universities, non-profits, private groups and clients, hosting The Kyle Phoenix Show on television and multiple online webinars, including YouTube and Sclipo and writing extensively through his blog, Special Reports, articles and other print and E books in the Kyle Phoenix Series on relationships, finance, education, spirituality and culture. He lives in New York with his family.
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