The Ins and Outs of Finding a Book Cover

Every writer wants a book cover that is not only going to show a preview of their story but draw attention from an audience. However, it seems almost impossible to get something like this without paying a ton of money. Many book cover sites sell these covers at such a high cost that the author is at risk of losing a large amount of his or her initial profit if they buy them. Individual creators charge an arm and a leg just to create a beautiful design, and authors are left wondering how they are going to attract their readers without an eye-catching book cover.

The cover is one of the first things that readers see when they look for a book. Sometimes, it is the sole thing that draws them in and gives them a reason for purchasing the work. However, with the high cost associated with creating one of these beautiful works of art, many authors use a standard cover. They don't see any other option other than compromising with the appearance of their work. Nevertheless, over time and after reviewing several websites that sell these types of products, I have realized that it may be easier to educate yourself and make your own.

One of the first things that I noticed when visiting the paid websites was that the photography was usually a stock photo of some sort that anyone can get for free if they looked hard enough. Now, there are several sites that have good stock photos, but the two that I like the most are Unsplash and Pexels. These websites seem to have more professional pictures, and you can even reach out to the photographer and thank them for their work.

The second thing that I noticed was that when a consumer pays for a book cover, a lot of times, they are paying for the title and subtitle of the book. That is because these companies use tools to create a more professional looking lay-out. I further explored this concept by going into the editing section of the title and subtitle and saw that the tools that were used were the same tools that are available on free book cover websites like Canva Cover Creator.

I toyed around with this discovery for a moment. I noticed that if I loaded the photo that I wanted onto Canva and inserted title text, I was able to go to the Effects section and adjust how the font looked. If I used the Lift function, I was able to make the title more prominent on the cover. If I used the shadow function, I was able to make the title look more enticing. I then looked through the font suggestions and found one that looked like it went well with the book that I was writing. For this specific book, I chose Anakoria, but I also like to use Cinzel every once in a while. I clicked on the icon with the three lines and arrow, which allowed me to adjust the spacing of my lettering and my lines, and before I knew it, I had created my own professional title format for my book.

Now, though this process seems tedious, after a while, it becomes almost routine, and I found that in the long run, it saves me a lot of money. Though I respect professional book cover websites for providing their services, I also know that sometimes when an author is just starting out, it is difficult to find the budget for one of their professional covers. So now, if you take the time to explore this process on your own, you might find a way to enhance your skills while saving a buck.