I’ll cover you with the moon and stars so that I know you are caressed by eternity! (Niamh Clune 2013)
That’s also what I think about the task of a book cover! A writer wants their content to have the best introduction possible to something that will, hopefully, outlive him/her. The book cover is that introduction. It must entice. It must speak of possibility, of secrets within the pages just waiting to be discovered.
And it must suit the style of the writer’s voice. It must not be brash ~ unless the writer is brash. It must not be busy, unless the story is action-packed and geared up to attract an audience in search of sentence-by-sentence action. I don’t publish those sorts of books, as I have no feel for them. I prefer a story woven of mood, undercurrent, intensity, intuition and feeling. Developing a book cover that speaks to the writer’s voice takes careful thought and consideration. Whilst I love doing the art-work for a cover, I am not a specialist graphic artist. So I stick to what I can do. I create simple images and have fun with filters and fonts. Or I ask one of the fabulous artists that I have come into contact with on Facebook to paint or draw something. Don’t you just love hand-made covers ~ the ones that don’t scream at you, but are beautiful in their minimalism, textures, fonts, colours and individuality? A cover such as that makes us think of craft-fairs filled with things made with love ~ time-crafted, thought-about ~ the something-special gift that you would love if given to you. That is the beauty of being a cottage-publisher and writer. I can pour my love into all these stages of helping to develop a writer.
Again, the technical side of cover-creation has been another huge learning curve. Making a cover for kindle is much simpler than having to create a print-ready one. You could, of course, use an already-made template. But these, in my humble opinion, tend to look the same. Getting the specs for the spine right, the bleeds, the minuscule measurements with all the various ring-pass-not margins, had me pondering, analysing, struggling, mistake-making…you know, the usual “why am I doing this to myself,” scenario. Hopefully, I have understood. My hands shake when I upload files and press the magic release button. Then I keep my fingers crossed that I have done it right, that there will be no mistakes, and if there are, that I have the where-with-all to remedy them. Hopefully, the covers of the two new books I shall release in the New Year will be things of beauty that speak of the writers’ voices within.
I do envy you your wonderful creative skills Niamh and your perfectionism. Those writers you do publish are so lucky to be getting the attention you bring to them apart from the brilliant personality they get to meet.
xxx Huge Hugs and wishes for a Great Christmas xxx
LikeLike
Thank you David. Your comment means a lot.
LikeLike
you are doing a wonderful job Niamh..for me it was fun to make the cover, to chose the picture and adjust and the result is amazing..Marta’s cover is equally beautiful and very caaptivating..chapeau..!!
LikeLike
Yes! Imen. This picture suits you well. Making a picture fit and arranging a suitable font is something I enjoy doing and making sure the resolution is right…all the technical, making of the composition…takes a lot of time and care. I always check with whomever I am doing it for whether they like the progress. I found a picture of a blue jar for Marta’s cover and added a filter to give it that arty look. It was technically difficult in the case of both these images as neither was the right resolution. These images go through many processes before they come out looking like this!
LikeLike
I’ve never tried to make a cover for Kindle or any other platform. I do know how cranky I can become trying to use Photoshop Elements though, and if that is any indication of how hard your job, then, oh my. What a task!
But I can never thank you enough for all the work you’ve done on my behalf. I’m humbled by it. And I never thought my novel would really see the light of day. So, thank you. Lovely job.
LikeLike
It really means a lot, Marta, that you like it. You are a joy to work with.
LikeLike
Your quote at the beginning is great. I like your post too. 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you, Erik. You notice these things! You are a man of taste. 🙂
LikeLike
Ha! I am so very visual. As a result I purchased the book as a result of this lovely cover!
LikeLike
I am so glad you like the cover, and I am sure you will love the story. Thank you for your support, Raven Spirit!
LikeLike
I should have mentioned the book – The Blue Jar.
LikeLike