Is a book cover important?
Book cover design is an important aspect of publishing a book. A good book cover can attract readers and help establish a professional image for the book and its author. On the other hand, a poorly designed book cover can turn off potential readers and negatively impact the book’s reputation. Sadly, the old saying, “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”, just doesn’t stand up in a crowded marketplace.
Free guide to your book cover design
Hi Jamie here! Over the years of my career as a fantasy book cover artist, I’ve put together this really handy guide to commissioning your book cover. Inside it has tips on the process, how to write a great brief for your artist, where to print and how to effectively use your new book cover to market your novel. Grab yours now.
Smitty Smitty – Author
“I was lucky to find this guy. He took the idea in my head and made it into art that surpassed all of my expectations. This is my first attempt at publication and Jamie was very patient with me. I strongly recommend Jamie to people who haven’t worked with an artist before, he knows his stuff and is easy to work with.“
Steve McHugh – Author
“Talented Professional Artist. I’ve worked with Jamie a few times now, and never found him to be anything but completely professional and a joy to work with.
He did an amazing job with the cover to my new book, and I look forward to working with him again in the future.
Read more about my clients’ experiences on Google or Trustpilot.
If you’d like to chat about any of your projects, email me at info@thenobleartist.com or you can find handy briefing forms via the contact page.
An example of a fantasy book cover design
I thought I’d show a little side by side of a fantasy book cover I made for author L.A. Thompson. After the initial composition sketch of scribbles and silhouettes, I have taken the book cover to the black and white sketch stage (left) and the colour and finish stage (right).
Book cover design process
The book cover design process is a lot of fun. It’s a really communicative, exciting period where we refine ideas and see the visuals of your setting come to life. This quick overview gives you a few hints as to how we’d work together but if you’re interested in more detail make sure to download my free guide to book covers.
I’ve broken the process down into three stages to make things easier to understand.
1. Pre-Production:
- Send your brief and dimensions
- I send a quote and Schedule your slot
- You secure your slot with a 50% deposit.
2. Production:
- We discuss your idea over email or a video call with a possible live sketch session.
- I provide a loose composition sketch and you feed back.
- I render up a black and white detailed sketch for another round of feedback.
- Colour and polish, feedback with any minor tweaks.
- Titling.
- Final 50% payment
3. Post-Production:
- Create final deliverables from your templates downloaded from your printing service and submit the final agreed files you need for print and marketing.
Good book cover design is crucial for attracting readers and establishing the credibility and reputation of a book. It’s important for authors to invest in high-quality cover design to ensure that their book has the best chance of success.
It can feel a little daunting to work out what you’re looking for, or what this stage of publishing your novel should look like. Don’t worry. It’s part of my job to help you along the way and get you set up for success. I’ve made a handy guide to help you. It’s has much more detail than what’s on the page here, so if you haven’t already make sure you download it now.