The Ingredients That Go Into Making a Cover

A lot goes into the making of a book cover, but surprisingly, most of that is up to the publisher, not the author. Every publisher is different in how they go about creating the cover for a book, so while I don’t know it all (as my kids can attest), I can tell you how Barbour does mine.

First I fill out an extensive worksheet that asks questions such as what is the setting of the book? What’s the feel of it? The tone? Who are the main characters? Does the author envision one character on the front cover or two? Also on this worksheet I attach pictures that inspired me while writing the story. Then I give several scene set ups that could possibly be used for cover material.

But wait…there’s more! Another worksheet I fill out is the cover copy. I need to tell the story in 250 words, 100 words, 50 words and in a simple sentence. That information gives the graphic designer the tale in a nutshell so he/she can capture it without having to slog through the whole book.

Once I send those in to my publisher, it goes to the art director. It’s up to this person to decide who’s going to be the designer for the cover. Will they go the stock photo route and do it more in-house? Or will the whole project be sent to a designer such as DogEared Design (who’s done many of my covers)?

Finally a composition is made and I finally get a peek. There are still tweaks to make at this point (i.e. color of gown or mood of the scene, yada, yada). After those changes, lo and behold, a cover is born. The process generally takes 2-3 months from start to finish.

Now that you have that backstory, here’s the moment you’ve been waiting for. Introducing the cover for my next (and last) Christmas tale…drum roll, please…excessively loud cymbal crash as well…ta da!

Coming to a bookstore near you in September…or PREORDER YOURS NOW AT AMAZON.