Three Foolproof Book Cover Design Layouts for Any Genre | Derek Murphy
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- čas přidán 30. 03. 2017
- Simple examples you can use for a book cover that sells, using three basic layouts. One scene + one character or humanizing element + one or two main colors for mood. Title font matches genre; author name and subtext are a simple serif or sans serif.
Get more advanced training and some cover design templates at www.diybookcovers.com
GET HELP: I help authors with book cover design templates and tutorials, because I believe everyone deserves to tell their story, even if they don't have a budget for book design. And while it's possible to design your own book cover that's "good enough" to publish, investing in a professional cover will absolutely boost sales and make marketing so much easier (not to mention, save you a ton of time and frustration).
If you’re looking for a hassle-free book design service that will get it right the first time and deliver a cover you love (or your money back) - visit my main site, www.creativindiecovers.com
Hey there - I'm Derek Murphy. I'm a fine artist who became a book cover designer, then started writing young adult scifi and fantasy. I've spent almost 20 years living abroad, have a PhD in comparative literature (revolutionary politics in Paradise Lost), and have been featured in CNN for renting castles to use as writing retreats. Although I'm not working with clients anymore, I've built a ton of resources to help indie authors write, design and publish bestselling books.
On this channel, I talk about writing, publishing and creating personal freedom with unconventional business strategies and providing value. My videos are unpolished and a little raw, because we travel full-time and I focus on content, not production quality.
If you're a writer, artist, or entrepreneur, make sure you SUBSCRIBE - then let me know what you need help with, and I'll make a video just for you! Here are some resources to get you started:
DIY book cover and formatting templates (FREE)
★www.diybookcovers.com
★www.diybookformats.com
BESTSELLER STATUS, GUARANTEED...
If you need help with book marketing, you can join my Guerrilla Publishing group and download my FREE book and workbook, on going from zero to #1 in 90 days or less.
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Your videos are helping me right now. I was overwhelmed looking at all the creative, artistic and dare I say... unique drawings. You just made me realize (as I was struggling with how to do my own eBook cover- all alone with no knowledge whatsoever but my creativity to guide me, lol) that there is a certain type of cover for the genres. I never realized until I was already into about 5 of your videos! WOW, I am definitely *not* going with a drawing/artsy/unique/one-of-a-kind look. You've shamed me into sober thinking (not being drunk on my own creative juice) and understanding some of the gimmicks. I'll keep watching!
About that book cover that says Fallen, by Lauren Kate at 5:12 . I was super into young adult when I read this book years ago. It was popular only because of how bad it was. As I was doing research I discovered that one of the reasons people were so pissed is because the cover didn't match a single scene in the book, and yet the cover was the only reason they picked it up. Now whenever I think of book covers, this is the image that pops up in my head. And I laugh.
Yes, I also thought the cover doesn't match the story. But... they have to get the book before the story matters.
Thanks for this advice! I'm looking to get a cover for a Supernatural Thriller and I'm thinking I'll aim for the "Scene/Setting with small protagonist". The major story moments are set in the woods behind a small town, so I'll find a way to incorporate my protagonist (a guitar chick with tattoos/dreads) into such a scene.
I have to watch ALL your videos. So informative, thank you!
I have learned more about self publishing from you than many others. You present your information in very precise ways with examples that are easily understood. I'm thinking of changing my title, the book discription, and cover for my first book of a trilogy and also how I launch it. Thanks so much.
I like ones that have an item that is an essential plot point in fiction covers
thanks a lot this really helped me
You should write a "how to book" for dummies :'v i would buy it right away. QwQ God bless your work
Meganeko I second this
Motion passed lol
are these design principles basicallly applicable to technical nonfiction too?
What about children's or juvenile, graphic, novels or animation book covers?
Should you use a humanizing element for non-fiction? What about non-fiction?
Nice
The smacking in. EVEY. FRIKING. SENTENCE!
now that's all I can hear thanks!
I've watched part of another of your videos on covers, but I feel like I'm getting some conflicting messages. You mentioned one color scheme for the cover, but I thought in another video you had talked about the importance of color contrasts. You mention the importance of a humanizing element, but in another video you showed Wool as a good cover example, but I dont remember a humanizing element in it. Could you clarify? For someone trying to learn what makes a cover work, it kind of muddies the water. At least for me!
Yes ;)
I got a letter from eber and wein poetry contest.i won. is this real?
Gimp is free and it has similar things to Photoshop
But it takes longer to master GIMP.
Hi Derek! Why we should use always and Humanizing element for the cover in any genre? I saw that in AMazon most of self help, spiritual and inner knowledge books do not have any humanizing cover image! That is the genre that I write about and I would like to know what you think about it
That's mostly for fiction... for nonfiction you don't need it because it's not character based.... focus on the mood and emotion with colors and images.
Thanks a lot for your answer! The point is that I wrote a book that talk about spiritual topic, importance to know our self and find inside the truth that bring us to know what really is God, BUT the book is fully based on a open conversation between two persons that meet each other on the bench of bus station during 5 days and talk each other. So I'm a bit confused over what I should really do for the cover
If you have any idea or opinion about that I would really appresciate it!!! Thanks
The truth is, if you're famous anything sells.
So you don't like DAW sf Books, Ballantine Science Fiction, ACE book, Pyramid Science Fiction or Pinnacle Books covers? I mean those are what I think of when I think good cover art. Honestly the modern era of book covers is exactly as you describe, boring, single people, same effects every time, some vague background grabbed from stock photos and then bull-shited through to say the rose is"symbolic." I find this depressing and to see you saying this is the right way to go about it... Man, that's disappointing.
1. They're dated, so they're fine if you're targeting an older audience.
2. Custom illustration is expensive, which means, most of the time, authors will try and get stuck with something that doesn't sell the book. Since I try to help authors DIY design, which is already fraught with challenges, this helps them avoid common problems.
3. In 2017, there are some amazing new designers/illustrators that are making killer covers for cheap in the scifi/fantasy department, so you get classic looking covers with a modern feel - that's ideal, if you can find an illustrator like that. And even so it'll cost at least a few hundred bucks.
Plus, all of those are Trad Pub. The rules are different. Trad pub doesn't rely on the covers, whereas Indies have to.