If you're new here, welcome to my website/blog and if you aren't then welcome once again!
Here's part three of the series we started a while ago. Without further ado, let's get to it.
First, let me put it out there that I'm not a professional and everything I'm going to talk about are just things that have worked for me over the few years I've spent creating my book covers. I haven't learned everything and I'm still figuring most of it out as I go. But I hope this helps you even just a little bit.
The Search:
This is the first part of creating a book cover that's right for your book. It mostly takes me one to two hours to find the right book cover and I mostly search for pictures on Pinterest but there are a lot of other sites out there like: We Heart It, Dribbble and even Instagram.
Yes! Instagram. Depending on who you follow, you can find pictures that fit your book idea or you can find a photographer/travel blogger who links their website in their bio. (I'll talk about this later on).
The picture:
I have used Pinterest to search for all my book covers and there are so many things to check for like:
Clarity of the picture:
I always try to find pictures that aren't blurry and have great pixels (i.e. clarity when you zoom in).
Watermark:
Another thing I check for is the watermark. If the picture has a watermark spread across like most Shutterstock pictures, I always avoid them. If it's a watermark on the side where I could easily crop it out and it doesn't spoil the quality of the picture, then I could go for that.
But all in all, I try to avoid blurry and watermarked pictures.
Picture Rights:
I guess since most of these pictures are on the internet, you could easily download them and use them for your book cover and no one would care. BUT!
How would you feel if someone used 'your' photo without asking?
Exactly! That's why I always try to find the original owner of the picture I settle on and get in touch with them about using their picture for my book cover. I do this with every picture that has a person in them. If it's a picture of an object or scenery or anything other than a human being, I use it without asking for permission which brings me to where I left off earlier in 'The search'.
The picture I used as the cover of my book 'Unforgettable Feelings' was a picture I found on Pinterest but then I tracked the owner to an Instagram travel blogger and DMed her about using the picture as a book cover.
I, therefore, went ahead to follow her Instagram page because she had an amazing feed and I figured I might need one of her pictures for another book cover. I did this with an Instagram photographer I came across on my Instagram explore who, like the travel blogger, had a link in his bio of his website where he showcased all his pictures.
That's what I meant when I said you can easily find pictures on Instagram. I meant indirectly.
Editing the picture:
The first thing I do before editing the picture is crop it so it's the exact size for a Wattpad book cover. Wattpad has a book cover size of 512 x 800 pixels.
Some of the android apps I use to edit these pictures are PhotoGrid and PicsArt. Even without upgrading to a premium or higher membership, they both have really vast options in terms of fonts and effects.
PhotoGrid has the most fonts while PicsArt has a few fonts that are amazing and the best ones that can only be accessed with a higher membership. But PicsArt makes up for the fewer fonts with the number of effects it has. You can merge pictures together and have a flawless finish. (I'd add a sample of that but I don't want to spoil my upcoming books).
LET'S TALK CANVA!
Canva is honestly the best thing you can use to edit your book cover and this is what I would recommend to anyone and everyone but I'm so used to PhotoGrid and PicsArt that I can't think of using anything else.
Fonts and Colours:
This is something you learn with practice. I took a UX (User Experience) course last year and started another one earlier this year and most of what they teach is matching the mood you're going for with your fonts and the colour you use as well as making them pleasing yet legible.
The most important thing I learnt was choosing function over form which is actually developer talk. But what I can extract from it is; just because something looks good visually doesn't mean it is. For instance; using a font colour that matches something in the picture but isn't visible enough. I've made that mistake and I'm yet to correct it.
My book cover for Fixed at Her Teen that I created 5 years ago isn't my best one. I wanted to give the book cover a young adult girly feel and went ahead with the coral font colour which you can see I used for the words "Fixed At Her".
Although it gives that girly feel, it isn't legible enough/at all. Users would need to strain their eyes to see it which isn't something you want.
Here's something that is basic knowledge and everyone knows/should know;
Dark coloured fonts look bigger and boulder on a light background and vice versa.
And you want something that users can spot from a mile away. That's what lures them in.
There are numerous fonts to choose from and there are some fonts that I would forbid you to use for your book covers that might look fancy but does nothing for functionality (i.e.: fonts that might take a while for your readers to figure out the title). Even if you must use those kinds of fonts, make sure it's just for the first letter of the word in the title.
The best kinds of book covers I've come across are the ones that incorporate what is in the picture with the title. Some of the amazing book covers I've seen on Wattpad are: Expiration Date, Daddy Unknown and Damien. These book covers are simple but the way they're used just reaches out to me in a way I can't explain. Of course, there are a lot more amazing book covers on Wattpad but these are the few ones that come to mind.
That's about it. I've covered all the bases to creating a book cover. But remember this, it doesn't take one try to make you an expert.
Until next time, make sure you subscribe for exclusive updates.
Stay safe and dream big!
Lots of Love, Jane Lanett.