Design the book cover first? It’s an interesting concept, but one that isn’t all that foreign to some of the more artistic writers. Some authors actually design their book covers before they start writing the book—or, at least, before they get too far into the writing.
Why? The book cover becomes something tangible to inspire them and encourage them to continue. Looking at a cover design, from time to time, helps an author to focus on her book and to believe more heartily in her dream. The design might be a crude drawing, a cut and paste effort, a photograph with the title sprawled across the top and bottom or a professional painting. The cover can be book size and folded to fit an actual book or blown up to poster size. And it can be tentative—something completely different than the ultimate cover design. It doesn’t matter. The point is to create a visual that helps to make your dream seem more real—more obtainable.
Some authors create a mock up of their entire book idea before even writing the book. They bind (usually saddle-stitch or comb binding) their book outline along with the table of contents, illustrations, graphs, charts, etc. As the book progresses and takes shape, they might reprint the pages and update their model.
I know someone who keeps a large binder related to her book. Every idea, editor’s comment, critique, rough draft and illustration or photograph related to her project goes into this binder. It is her reference guide, her reality check and her confidence booster.
If you have a book in mind that is counter to the norm—a four by five chunky book rather than one that’s 8.5 by 5.5, for example, it helps to actually see and hold a replica to make sure this will work. Maybe you want to produce an oversized hardcover book for children, before putting up the money, create one.
If you aren’t particularly artistic, ask a friend or relative to design a tentative cover. Put this and your book pages on a CD and take it to a business center to have one or more copies printed and bound.
One author I know pastes pages from her books on her office walls as she designs them. Not only does she love being surrounded by her creations, she feels she can more readily scrutinize the pages and maybe catch something she wouldn’t see otherwise. It is a good idea to look at your text, illustrations and cover from different distances and perspectives.
We all have a vision when we begin to work on a book project. Why not bring that vision to life in some tangible form to inspire you as you continue to work toward your publishing dreams?
For more about designing your cover, read pages 202-204 in my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
NEWS FLASH – Discount
Remember, I’m offering my on-demand, online courses this week at a discount. Sign up this week: August 4 through August 10 (2008) and get any one of my four online courses at a 15% discount. That would be just over $100 for the Book Proposal Course and the Article-Writing Course, $136 for the Self-Publishing Workshop and $170 for the BRAND NEW 6-week Book Promotion Course. (The discount will be initiated at the time your card is manually charged (or, of course, you can send a check). You will receive a receipt.)
You decide when to start. A lecture and assignment will be emailed on that day of each consecutive week throughout the 6 or 8 week course. You will also receive personalized feedback and support from course leader, Patricia Fry.
Check out the courses and be sure to click on “How does an online class work?”
http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm
Email me at PLFry620@yahoo.com with questions.