Why It Is Important to Hire a Professional Book Cover Designer
Updated: May 29, 2019
The cover of your finished book will say a lot to potential readers. The book cover design is one of the most important marketing tools—and one you need to utilize correctly. The old adage, “don’t judge a book by its cover” may sound great in theory but the reality is that the first impressions you make as an author will largely be based on the cover of your book. Most people can tell the difference between a professionally designed book and one that was designed by an amateur. If your cover looks like the latter, it could give potential readers a negative first impression.
To put this in context, think about your own personal shopping experiences. You pull up outside a storefront of a retail store. What’s the first thing you notice? You notice how the exterior of the building looks. If it’s rundown and dingy, it immediately gives you a negative impression of the business. After all, if the business owner can’t be bothered to maintain the exterior, what does it say about the interior of the store?
The same is true when it comes to your book. You could have written the next American literary classic but it won’t matter if no one reads it! People are not going to be enticed to give your book a shot if the cover does not draw them in. The ultimate goal should be making sure your book can confidently stand up next to a traditionally published book. That will help lend greater credibility to you as an author and will always lead to a great first impression!
The sole purpose of hiring a professional designer is to ensure your cover is outstanding and will attract and entice readers to buy your book.
Benefits of Hiring a Professional Book Cover Maker
Book cover design is not something you should ever attempt as a “DIY” project unless you have the expertise of a graphic designer. Whether you are a seasoned author or have just completed writing your first book, you will want to take advantage of the benefits gained by hiring a professional.
Access to a talented designer with marketing knowledge. For self-publishers, you need access to a designer who cannot only create the right cover for your book but also understands how the cover plays a role in marketing your book.
Constructive advice about creating the cover. Your designer is not afraid to give constructive advice about how your cover should look. They will remain respectful of your written work while at the same time will provide the guidance you need to develop a cover that will stand out and attract readers.
Willingness to ask you questions. A skilled designer will take the time to get to know you and your book before coming up with a design. They will ask you many questions to get a clear understanding of what your vision is and incorporate this into their cover design.
Helps direct the direction of the cover design. Talented designers will not agree with you 100% of the time. If they did, they would be doing you a disservice. Disagreements are possible when collaborating and often produce exceptional results while keeping your best interests in mind.
Willingness to make revisions until you are happy. Experienced designers will continue to work with you and revise the design until you are truly happy with the results
The sole purpose of hiring a professional designer is to ensure your cover is outstanding and will attract and entice readers to buy your book. This means working together to create a design that best fits your book and your vision. For more information about professional book cover design, please feel free to contact me, Lance Buckley, at lance@lancebuckley.com or fill out my online contact form today!