A Cover Is Worth 81,518 Words

If a picture truly is worth a thousand words, then I have learned since publishing Memorial Day that a stunning cover is worth 81,518!

There were a lot of reasons why I was never satisfied with my original cover, but that has changed since I decided to work with the amazing Nicole Caputo from Nicole Caputo Studio.

If you are not familiar with Nicole’s work, you should watch this Belletrist Studio Session with her on Vimeo. Check out the stories, books, and classes from Catapult, and explore her leadership in celebrating women in book design through the organization she co-founded, She Design Books.

If you hopped out of this blog to watch the Belletrist Studio Session, then you probably already feel the same way I did – I have to work with Nicole!

I can tell you that the most incredible part about working with Nicole is that she approached the new cover for Memorial Day with the same artistry, energy, and care that she exhibited in that video. Why is that important?

A good cover should be visually appealing. It should give potential readers a hint of what the story is about. It should set the tone and mood of the book, reflect the main themes, characters, and maybe even the setting. It should create intrigue and interest, and be easily recognizable in a thumbnail size for marketing because that can significantly impact click-through rates and online sales.

Yup, it can be painful to learn that from experience…

When my original cover was designed, I was asked to write one densely packed paragraph about what I envisioned, and was told to “trust our professional designers who have years of experience and have sold thousands of books.”

To be honest, I never felt good about the process or the result, and the click-through rates on my advertising campaigns provided me with strong evidence that I should have trusted my gut.

But working with Nicole on my new cover was completely different!

The first big difference? She asked to read my book!

The second big difference? She asked me questions about my book!

The third big difference? She asked me about the favorite covers on my bookshelf, and what books I imagined might be on my readers’ bookshelves.

When she sent me proofs to look over, she did not send me only one design with the strong recommendation that I just take it. And never once did she suggest that I just trust her because she has sold thousands of books.

If I recall correctly, Nicole sent me a file with 19 variations on three themes, AND she asked me what I thought the merits and drawbacks might be for each.

Throughout the process, she stuck with me and responded to a series of impressionistic (read: neurotic) musings about the two covers I had chosen. She guided me through the process collaboratively, much the same way a good editor works with a writer to finish a manuscript.

I chose two cover designs from very different themes and – to my surprise – she emailed me back AGAIN to ask a whole series of other questions. What did I like about the two very different designs? How did I think they fit into specific genres? Which other books with similar covers are most like mine?

Until I worked with Nicole, I had almost begun to believe that, as independent authors, we are just supposed to take what we can get.

That could not be farther from the truth! As an independent author, it is even more important to do what is right for your work and your publishing goals because your time and resources are precious.

In order to help me make my final decision, Nicole asked me the most important question of all: Are you trying to fit in or stand out?

When I published Memorial Day a year ago, I felt that I should take what I could get because most of the advice out there is that you are likely to sell more books if your cover is familiar to your readers, and conforms to the conventions of your market and your genre.

Back then, I accepted that advice that I should fit my book into a stream of other books that are visually similar to mine, even though I was not satisfied with the result. And that was not the right choice.

After working through the design process with Nicole, I decided to take a big swing… to stand out. With her help, I gained the courage to choose the stunning cover you see above, and when she sent me the proof for the full cover and spine, I finally felt that Memorial Day was finished.

The cover she designed is a work of art because it captures the nuance of the story. It alludes to Joe’s time as a prisoner of war, harkens back to subtleties of his relationships with his parents, and evokes the importance of nature and place as characters in the story.

I am not one for hyperbole, but after working with Nicole, I can say without reservation that my new cover is worth 81,518 words!

I hope that sharing these insights helps fellow #indieauthors feel empowered to seek out collaborations that enhance their work and their art. 

I would love to hear about what you have learned since you became an #indieauthor.

Re-post or re-share this blog entry, and hit subscribe at the bottom of the page on brendanwalshbooks.com.

And stay tuned for my next in a series of blog posts about “What I’ve Learned Since I Became an Indie Author.”