Triskele Tuesday #bookcovers

Our Triskele Books #triskeletuesday fortnightly twitchat last Tuesday, 5th April, explored the subject of #bookcovers: the good, the bad and the ugly.

On hand to answer our questions, and offer tips and information, was our Triskele colleague, editor of Words with JAM and Bookmuse, and award-winning book designer, JD Smith (@JDSmith_Design). She is also the author of The Importance of Book Cover Design.


First off, @TriskeleBooks wanted some tips on getting your book cover right:  

 @JDSmith_Design replied:

Why do we sense a cover is home-made, whilst another has been professionally designed? There’s something just “not quite right” about non-professional covers...

Great book covers are one of the reasons we love reading paperbacks, as well as eBooks...

Do you like faces on bookcovers? Do they work for you, or would you rather imagine the hero/heroine’s face?

And lastly, these are just a few of the favourite bookcovers we discussed...

For an in-depth look at the design process including:

- How to select and work with a designer
- What works and why
- Where to find images
- How to make informed decisions
- Why formatting matters
- What branding means to you
- How to give your book the best chance of success

The Importance of Book Cover Design is available on Amazon.

If you would like to join in on our hour-long Twitchats, simply search for #triskeletuesday at 19.30 GMT every second Tuesday to discuss varied topics on writing, literature and publishing. All opinions most welcome!
Our next Twitchat will be on Tuesday 19th April, on the subject of #womenincrime

Writers' Services: JD Smith

JD Smith Design

website: http://www.jdsmith-design.com/

email: info@jdsmith-design.co.uk

Suitable for publishers outsourcing design, small press, indie collaboratives and self-published authors, JD Smith offers a range of professional graphic design and typesetting services to clients worldwide.

Cover Design: the finishing touch to any book, and the first thing many readers will see. From dust jackets for hardback books to ebook covers, each one is thoughtfully designed to your requirements, bearing in mind the market and genre, and provided to your printer's specification.

Typesetting: drop capitals at the beginning of chapters, well chosen fonts designed for ease of reading, correct paragraph indents, gutters, new chapter spacing, alternating headers, and ebook conversion - all elements that are considered and incorporated when typesetting your manuscript.

Marketing Materials: be it postcards, posters and bookmarks for your launch, or advertising in magazines, each item can be designed to the style of your book cover. Don't know a printer or want the hassle of finding a reliable one? Just ask. Working with a variety of printers and with vast knowledge of the industry, I can source competitive prices with a reliable service and have them delivered to your door.

Meet JD Smith:

JD Smith lives and works in the English Lake District. Having worked as a graphic designer for over 12 years, and a booklover to boot, she understands the industry.

Jane spends most of her time attempting to remain professional, efficient, talented and affordable, because so many of her lovely clients have given her testimonials to that effect, whilst trying to keep her three children from switching off the wireless router, unplugging power cables and writing on her Facebook wall.

The pseudonym JD Smith was created as the username on a writers' messageboard many years ago, and was adopted as her preferred Editor's title when launching the writing magazine Words with JAM. Jane is also a writer of historical fiction.

"Jane Dixon-Smith came recommended by a friend. I'm delighted with the cover she created for me. She's fast and easy to work with and really cared about giving me what I wanted."
Sue Moorcroft, author of All That Mullarkey and Love Writing

Writers' Services: Cover Design

Self-publishing packages like Kindle Direct Publishing make it very easy for authors to select a few elements from a pool of images and fonts, put them together through a semi-automated process and come up with their own cover design. So why do you need to bother paying a professional designer?

Well, for one thing, there is a high risk that your cover is going to end up looking suspiciously like at least half a dozen others, as authors pick from the same limited stock of options. Secondly, it’s amazing how tiny things about the way a cover is put together can change how professional it looks. Most of us do it at an entirely unconscious level, but put two covers together and we will instinctively prefer the one that obeys all those hidden ‘rules’ about visual impact. Designers understand that.

 So find a good designer, one who can realise your unique vision for your book. And shop around. Designers can be expensive – but they don’t have to be. There are some outstanding ones out there who are also very affordable.

All Triskele's eye-catching covers have been designed by JD Smith. Read more...