What's in a Brand? - eBook Cover Design

Part three

Today’s post is the third and final post in my blog series on eBook cover design. If you are interested in reading the other posts in the series, you can find them here and here. The first discussed finding artwork for your eBook cover (and how to purchase it), and the second discussed how I turn my artwork into a finished cover.

Today I want to talk about branding and how it relates to your eBook cover. 

What is branding? The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines branding as a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, to identify the goods and services of one seller and to differentiate them from those of other sellers. 

Basically a brand defines you and your business. It helps you connect with your target audience, it delivers your message clearly and succinctly, and also confirms your credibility. Those are just a few examples of what branding does, there are many more! Here is a fantastic article about branding by Laura Lake, which you can read for TONS more information.

Great, you say, but what does that have to do with eBook covers? Well, a writer isn’t just a writer. You also have to become an entrepreneur, a full-fledged businessperson. That is especially true in the publishing world today. Marketing and branding are vitally important for a successful business. You can write the greatest story ever told, but if you don’t know how to spread the word to your target audience, it will go nowhere fast.

Night of the Chupacabra

Author's note: What follows is a true account. Some details are shocking, but accurate to the event. I advise you to read with care ... and please, for the sake of your wellbeing, heed the concluding words of warning.  

When I got out of the Army in the mid-nineties, my wife and I went back to college. Through complete fault of my own, I never signed up to receive the benefits of the GI Bill, so we were flat broke, even with two jobs. Through a weird twist of fate, we discovered that we could “See the countryside, meet all kinds of wonderful people, and get paid well!” All we had to do was plop our butts into the comfy seats of an 18-wheeler and drive! Who wouldn’t jump at such an opportunity? 

On the moonless night in question, we were rolling across Nevada on US Highway 50. The desert is surreal at night, alien in every sense of the word. The familiar becomes strange, eerie, as if you had wandered into another world similar to ours, but not ours at all. And through this realm, the truck’s headlights guided us, cutting through the primordial darkness like lasers. No houses, no cars, no streetlights. Nothing but sand, rock, scrub, and blacktop. Coast to Coast Am with Art Bell crackled and hissed from the speakers, filling us in about myriad cover-ups and conspiracies. Great stuff. Way better than caffeine to keep you focused and imaginative.  

I’m pretty sure I had just finished mentally writing an entire season for the X-Files, when the high beams splashed across a tawny mound sprawled on the shoulder. Road kill, I thought, even as my subconscious registered something that my upper reasoning refused to heed. The physical world flashed by at roughly 95 feet per second, but my primal mind sped up to the point where earth-time slowed. What might have lasted 2-3 seconds, dragged like minutes.

Two hundred feet.

A Tale of Two Covers - eBook Cover Design

Part Two

Disclaimer: I’ll preface this post by saying that in terms of graphic design, I really do not know what I am doing. What follows relies heavily on instinct, personal preference, and a desire to make what I think is an eye-catching, kick-ass book cover. Opinions, of course, may vary.

With that out of the way, I want to address a topic brought up in my part one post by a commenter - A Tale of Many Reviews: “I would also caution about the stock photos out there though. Those of us that look at tons of covers and do reviews are seeing a lot of the same images for several books.”

She brings up a good point, and suggests that the author seek out an up and coming artist—a good place to check is your local university, or community street fair—and commission them to do a custom cover.

For myself—a down and dirty DIYer—I am not particularly worried about using stock art, because I have learned to manipulate the image by adding other elements. Of course, that all might change the day I see any of my covers on a book by a different author. :)

With all that said, here is a link to my first post in this series to get you up to speed on what I talked about last time. The short and sweet of it was tips on how to find your artwork and purchase it. Now I want to discuss how I turn my images into a finished eBook cover.

Take a look at the two covers below. One was made with Microsoft PowerPoint, the other with Photoshop Elements. 

Cover Design - Yeah, It's That Important! - eBook Cover Design

Part One 

In all the articles I read about publishing, one thing that consistently jumps out is the importance of your book cover. That makes sense. This is the first thing people see when browsing for something to read; the pre-hook if you will. It can mean the difference between a reader passing you by, or picking your book up and becoming a fan!

So what’s a writer to do? I’m glad you asked! I’m going to be Captain Obvious here and say you should put some serious effort into choosing the right cover. It sounds simple, but there is a lot to consider: which website, which artist, copyright and licenses, etc.

I thought I would share my process for deciding on a cover. I’m certainly not suggesting this is the best way or the easiest way, it’s just my way. Most people probably already have this figured out, but for anyone wondering how to go about it, I hope this helps!

For a Limited Time: Night's Hunt Free on Amazon!

This is a shameless post meant to guide you to my free short story eBook on Amazon. I'll be your BFF if you go check it out and tell everyone you know! Of course, I'd probably still be your BFF, even if you don't :)

Night's Hunt, the short story that led to The God King and the Heirs of the Fallen series, is free on Amazon until midnight tomorrow (4.13. 2012 through 4.14.2012). I know some of you may have already read it here, but the difference is that now you can get it in book format on your Kindle, with some great cover artwork by JinYoung Lee.

Thanks for all the support and spread the word!

Heirs of the Fallen Fantasy Series - Book Two Release Date (and other updates)!

This is just a quick update on Crown of the Setting Sun, book 2 of my fantasy series, Heirs of the Fallen (The God King being book 1). I have finished my editing! Now it is off to my real editors, who will no doubt mark up all those fresh pages :) This is a good thing. As a writer, I often find that when I edit a book, I am so close to the story that I miss a ton of problems. My first, second, and third readers/editors are great at catching everything I flubbed up or missed altogether.

At any rate, what it comes down to is everything seems to be on schedule for a June release date for Crown of the Setting Sun. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Go here if you want to read an excerpt of Crown of the Setting Sun. In the meantime, I am going to try and publish a few short stories and maybe a novella, and also begin working on book 3 of Heirs.

Also, before I forget, I added a Newsletter signup widget at the top of the blog. Hopefully this will bring a wealth of fun goodness to everyone who subscribes :)

Stephen King vs The Walking Dead - The Sequel

And the fun continues...