Why You Should Hire a Cover Designer Instead of Doing It Yourself

I have no idea how many of y'all know this, but I am a freelance book cover designer! I found this hobby by accident, when I decided to add a symbol to a friend's mock cover. (yes, I realize now that it was kiiiinda rude of me, but hey, after I did that, she asked me to design the entire cover, hehe)

So, anyway, yeah . . . after that, I experimented with other things—book covers, graphics, photo editing . . . and then I actually started creating covers for legit published books! (*cue applause*) Am I advertising my services?

Yes, yes, I am. *grins* I'm super tired rn as I write this, so that might have something to do with it. *cough* sorry 'bout that.

Anyway. If you're interested, you can find my services (and portfolio) here!

So, on to the actual purpose of this post. (what, you thought I was here to toot my own horn?? Shame on you!)

Why you should hire a cover designer instead of doing a DIY

So, if you've had experience with design, and have actually done this before, that's one thing. The only reason I'm confident in designing my own book covers is that I've gotten feedback and I've seriously critiqued my work before declaring it fit for use. ;)

Free tip: get feedback on the covers you design.

However, if you're just wanting to cut a few corners price-wise when you publish your book, throwing a cover together and saying "yeah, that looks good" is one of the worst things you can do.

(NOTE: I am not pointing fingers at anyone! I'm simply explaining my personal thoughts as clearly and concisely as I can.)

Here's why: a cover sells a book. You don't walk through a bookstore, see a slapped-together and obviously homemade cover, and go "wow, this looks amazing! What's it about?" *shakes head* I'm sorry, guys, but I just . . . don't do that. If you do, that's wonderful. Every book needs some love. But unfortunately, almost everyone judges a book by its cover.

If I see a cover that someone obviously decided to make themselves as a budget cut, I will tend to avoid it just because it gives the impression that the book's content is going to be as slapstick as the cover.

I won't share specific covers, because I don't want to single anyone out. But let me give you a few methods that I would not recommend:

-A sketched cover. If you're a talented artist and know how to make this look legit, by all means, go for it! But the majority of the sketched covers that I've seen looked like they were drawn by me. And that's . . . not a good thing. xD

-A picture with simple fonts. Granted, there is a time and place for this, but when you just take a random picture and put some words on it, to me, this screams "HOMEMADE - DO NOT TOUCH." Especially if the text is on a textured background with no translucent box behind the words.

-A solid color. Your cover needs something more than just bright pink or orange or whatever-is-your-favorite-color. To me, this says "boooorrriiiiing" and I probably won't read it.

So. All this to say . . . if you're wanting to cut costs, don't do so with your cover. Your cover sells your book. I'm not saying this so you'll hire me, haha! I genuinely want your book to have the proper representation!

If you'd like some cover designer recommendations, here's a few whose work I always enjoy seeing:

Sarah Grace @ Estetico Designs

Brooklyne @ Brooklyne Elysse Designs

Bethany @ Coverbook Designs (Bethany sells only Kindle covers, if that's what you're looking for!)

Brian McBride

Savannah @ Dragonpen Designs

Jessica @ Greyson Graphics

And there ya go! Why hiring a cover designer is best for your book!

Have I convinced you that hiring a designer is in your best interests?? ;)