subject: The Self-publisher Book Cover Design Guide [print this page] There are those who hold that the book cover is the most important element of your book because it's the first thing the reader sees. The back cover, they say, makes the decision solid. What kind of cover your book needs depends on a lot of different things. It's an important decision to make. When your cover is the first thing your reader is going to see, obviously you want o make a good impression with it.
Ideally, you want to appeal to everyone, but the reality is the self-published author may need to cut back on certain design aspects on a first title. Cover design is one you should not cutback on, however, if you can't spend money, spend some time investigating the hows, whats and whys.
Free art or photographs are available on the Web. That said, be very sure the real rights you are given with the photograph/artwork. http://www.sxc.hu is one source for cover content. Most pictures allow for use on book covers, but the author should still make certain of this. It's a good idea to reference the source of the cover content, in any event.
There are myriad places where you can find low-cost book cover design or cover art help. http://Elance.com is but one. You do get what you pay for, but not all self-publishers can afford to pay for everything they need.
If you have a good artistic eye (or if you have a friend with a good artistic eye), and use a template available from one of the print-on-demand companies, a royalty free photo, and some persistence, you may arrive at acceptable results for your book cover. Remember to always abide by all the technical requirements for every market you're after. Book stores require certain trim sizes while Amazon does not. Research, research.
Good software, although some of it is expensive, can also be a great investment. Book Cover Pro is a good example.
