Cover Story
- kianalinwriter
- Mar 3, 2021
- 3 min read
So before we dive into the last section of Inkling, LEARN, I thought I'd share a bit about the front–because (even though there's an idiom about it) people still tend to judge a book by its cover. Which is actually fine in this case: I worked hard on that sucker! That's right, I actually did the design work on my own, for better or for worse.
You see, while most authors (indie and traditionally published) hire someone else to design their book covers, I'm chose not to do so. Why? Because I'm a control freak . . . Kidding! Somewhat. I kind of figured, what's the point of self-publishing in order to have full creative control and then not take advantage of that freedom? So I decided to give myself a chance and see how it went. I could always hire someone later on.
Now, I think of myself as a creative individual, but that's really only happened in my adulthood. Prior to three years ago, I'd probably tell you I had no artistic tendencies and absolutely no creative talent. Still not sure I can claim talent, but I definitely have the vision and willingness to experiment at keep at it. Which, naturally, means I dove into cover design wholeheartedly. (I have actually had ideas for all of my covers fairly quickly so far, but getting them to where I want them is the time-consuming part.)
For Inkling, I had a few ideas kicking around in my brain, but they all had the same theme: More, for lack of a better description. I wanted onlookers to have the sense that whatever the cover looked like, there was more there. I dabbled in a few different mediums and had several concepts in mind, but none of them quite stuck or did well with the friends and family that I asked to give feedback. And since I was still just going back and forth about whether or not I wanted to publish at all, I put it aside for a bit. Then my sister came to visit.
We were surprising my daughter with her arrival, so it was an early morning shrouded in mystery and mist as we wove through Atlanta traffic to pick her up. I was stopped and just taking in the loveliness of the buildings that you could only just make out through the fog, and I snapped a quick picture with my phone. (Photography is a big thing in my family, and we're all pretty used to snagging pics whenever the mood strikes.) Other than thinking it weirdly captivating (if I did say so myself), I had no real intentions for the shot–just thought it was cool and took it. There were many pictures taken over the course of my sister's visit, and it wasn't until much later that I sorted through them.
Truthfully, I don't recall what brought that photo to mind the next time I revisited my cover concepts, but once I had it in mind, I couldn't let it go. So I flipped it, did some stuff to better define and pull out all the shades of grey, and called it a day. (If only, lol! That's really just the condensed version because this is getting long.) For the other elements, I used Procreate on my iPad to really experiment and get the title "font" to something with which I could live. And after a few rounds with BookBrush's cover design options, I had something I really was proud of having done on my own.
Is it perfect? Not really. Could a professional have done a better job? Almost certainly. But I loved owning every bit of this book. I love knowing so specifically all the steps it took to get Inkling and myself to this place. And I love the personal and creational payoff those particular touches lend to the publishing and reading experience. (I can't tell you how much I love hearing friends and readers tell me that the cover is "so you.") So I'll keep designing my covers for now (I've literally got one done, am just tweaking another, have all the ideas for a third, and am considering concepts for future books), and–as always–keep writing.
Next week, I'll be tackling LEARN, but in the meantime, you can get your hands on Inkling, see the cover firsthand, and get reading by following this link:
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