"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island." - Walt Disney

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

IWSG: Cover Designs

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.


FEBRUARY QUESTION - 
If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?


MY ANSWER - The only two experiences I've had with self-publishing included my short story "Broken Angel" in 2016 and an anthology called Fly Away in 2022. "Broken Angel" had previously been published in Rope and Wire magazine. In 2016 self-publishing was becoming a craze and I was simply curious about the process, so I used Amazon's Createspace, uploaded a photograph I had recently taken, and then used their suggested formatting for the cover. Fly Away is an anthology put together by the high school writers' group I sponsor. We held an art contest where students submitted potential cover designs. Once we had a winning entry, we again used Amazon's suggested formatting for the cover. Everything else I have published has been through an established press that had their own designers to create the cover.

How about you? If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?

8 comments:

Kyra Lennon said...

I purchase my covers because I have no design skills whatsoever lol!

Natalie Aguirre said...

That's cool that you could run a contest for one of the covers you worked on. I'm like Kyra and would have to hire someone to design my covers.

Ronel Janse van Vuuren said...

I think the art cover contest sounds like it was fun.

Ronel visiting for IWSG day Strategies to Be a Successful Author

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That's cool there was a contest for the second book. Gave you lots of options.

Karen Baldwin said...

Cool that you had a contest with your students for a cover design. I went with a designer on Fiverr for my book. We both decided bloody feathers would be cool...with me envisioning angel feathers The first draft though, the feathers looked like someone slaughtered a chicken. NOT attractive at all.

Fundy Blue said...

How cool that you sponsor a high school writer's group, Sylvia! Kudos to you. I'd have to hire a professional. Have a happy February!

Helen said...

The contest idea involving students is cool, Not every writer is an artist, but giving students a chance to be a published artist is great.

C.D. Gallant-King said...

I also love the idea of using an art contest for students. Students are an excellent source of free labour. :-)