Comments on: The non-artist’s guide to creating an e-book cover http://www.teleread.org/2009/03/02/the-non-artists-guide-to-creating-an-e-book-cover/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:28:13 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: chris bates http://www.teleread.org/2009/03/02/the-non-artists-guide-to-creating-an-e-book-cover/comment-page-1/#comment-1016932 chris bates Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:17:24 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/?p=18042#comment-1016932 Unfortunately far too many self-published pbooks and ebooks turn a potential reader off with terrible cover design. My suggestion would be to experiment with Photoshop plus a professional vector layout program like Adobe Indesign. I'd also recommend using Indesign for your interior text too. Like Paul said, you've spent months/years writing the bloody book, may as well learn how to 'Design' the book. Due to the high price of Creative Suite that has Indesign & PS bundled in it, you are better off downloading a demo version at Adobe. It only takes a few days, maybe a week (depending on your learning capabilities) to understand how to use the basics of the program. You won't be utilising all the features of the beast since most people will be producing ebooks Firstly, design doesn't have to be 'busy', it can be minimal and clean. The one thing to remember is to make it 'professional'. Look at the covers of the books you like, then make an effort to discover how that look was achieved. I've put a couple of examples at the links below from the magazine I used to publish. One cover is a traditionally busy with a magazine-type feel. The other one is minimalist 'Journal-type' design - we charged $14.95 for this mag and sold thousands of copies, so the 'clean-ness' of the design did its job. There's also a double spread to give you an idea of the crispness of Vector Programs when designing, as opposed to pixel programs like MS Paint etc. http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z266/capeyorker/cover_2005.jpg http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z266/capeyorker/cover_2007.jpg http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z266/capeyorker/44_45_spread.jpg Just my 2 cents. Unfortunately far too many self-published pbooks and ebooks turn a potential reader off with terrible cover design. My suggestion would be to experiment with Photoshop plus a professional vector layout program like Adobe Indesign. I’d also recommend using Indesign for your interior text too.

Like Paul said, you’ve spent months/years writing the bloody book, may as well learn how to ‘Design’ the book.

Due to the high price of Creative Suite that has Indesign & PS bundled in it, you are better off downloading a demo version at Adobe. It only takes a few days, maybe a week (depending on your learning capabilities) to understand how to use the basics of the program. You won’t be utilising all the features of the beast since most people will be producing ebooks

Firstly, design doesn’t have to be ‘busy’, it can be minimal and clean. The one thing to remember is to make it ‘professional’. Look at the covers of the books you like, then make an effort to discover how that look was achieved.

I’ve put a couple of examples at the links below from the magazine I used to publish. One cover is a traditionally busy with a magazine-type feel. The other one is minimalist ‘Journal-type’ design – we charged $14.95 for this mag and sold thousands of copies, so the ‘clean-ness’ of the design did its job. There’s also a double spread to give you an idea of the crispness of Vector Programs when designing, as opposed to pixel programs like MS Paint etc.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z266/capeyorker/cover_2005.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z266/capeyorker/cover_2007.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z266/capeyorker/44_45_spread.jpg

Just my 2 cents.

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