The last week or so has been too packed to blog. Happy family visit, soft proofs to check, print cover to approve and The Great eBook Cover Design Competition. I was the lucky winner of a free Book cover from the Writer’s Workshop. This came too late for the print version, but seemed like a good idea for the eBook. I was given £189 credit for a bronze cover design from 99Designs.
First, I had to fill in a Design Brief including images to give potential designers a direction. Being naive, my brief was misleading and my reduced heading read: ‘An upbeat story about suicide, love and Slovenia’. Then, the brief is opened up to designers worldwide online for 4 days. You select the best designers during that time and then go on to refine entries until you choose to award a winner (total 7 days for bronze).
To start with I didn’t have many entries (though there were things I could have done to increase this). The ones that did appear were often distressingly inappropriate. Prettily-coiffed girls with computers in meadows and mountains – sort of modern Heidi on Holiday style. I rated (stars) and commented on each entry, and updated my brief to explain that in my story a computer is only used at night in Devon and that the girl had unruly hair (difficult for designers with limited English). Some Wild Girl in Wild Landscape designs followed –teenage adventure style. I tried asking for something a bit more grown-up and got raunchy, steamy romance covers, then Airport Monumental, I asked for sad and got Noir (I wish I could show you). By this stage I was struggling between laughter and tears. One designer was particularly persistent and I worried that he was putting in so much work with only negative feedback from me. I assumed that he was on a different wavelength.
There are also ‘watchers’, that is designers who follow the competition, looking at the entries and the feedback. You can go and check their designs and invite them to join in. However, out of the blue, my persistent designer produced a perfect (stock) image for my story. With enormous patience, and feedback from me, he adapted it, tweak by tweak, until it was just what I had hoped for. Here is the winning entry from didiwahyudi.trend all the way from Indonesia. It links quietly to my print cover, while giving me the all-important figure I need for the eBook thumbnail. Hope you like it.
My proofs and the print cover went back to the printers last night and my new eBook cover arrived on my desktop 20 minutes ago.
Now I shall go and cultivate my garden.
Green Writing Room 
Lovely cover Hilary – so pleased you got there in the end. I had no idea this process even existed. It does seem a lot of effort for the designers for £189, even for the eventual winner.
Claire
It was a fascinating exercise. I quite agree about the designer fee, and my daughter, an artist, was concerned about this. I think it depends where you are trying to make a living and also on the input from the person commissioning the design. I guess anyone can have a go, so good for start-ups.
Congrats on the win, Hillary! It’s a great cover.
Thanks, I am happy and, as my nearest and dearest will confirm, I’m not easy to please in this department.
I haven’t read the book but the cover, in and of itself, seems excellent to me.
I have recent experience of working with an illustrator at a distance,
which often left me wonderin if words had meanings any more.
Communication was hilarious, as many designers could only understand the odd word in the brief. I only hope the book lives up to its cover.
Hilary, that cover is fantastic. I’m in the process of finding a book cover for one of my novels and I came upon a few books on the power of a cover and the title. I think you have a winner in both title and cover. I would certainly pick the book up and see what it’s about. All the best. 🙂
Thanks, that’s really cheering. Now I am worrying that the cover is better than the book – it’s difficult to satisfy a writer.
Oh, I’m sure not! 🙂
It’s absolutely TERRIFIC, Hilary ! – and I see that super underlying design through the window … I’m so happy you got to the right place in the end: your tales of getting there made me tear my hair a bit, though …
Yes, my hair is looking a bit scrappy, I have to admit.
Very good Hilary. I love the result and am sure it will attract readers. A simple design without screaming for attention by the lovers of Hollywood Heidi.
I so wish I could have shared all the other covers with you all. It was a great lesson in the subliminal messages in graphic art – everything from ripped bodices to flat pink with steel lettering.
It is a shame you can’t use it on the print version. It looks a winner. The process sounds too wearing for me. A bit like agreeing a shopping list with Mrs. Ha. I’m definitely more for the Voltaire approach to life. If only I had a garden worth cultivating.
The print version works best for some people (and I guess I will be mostly hand-selling that one). You could try the time-limit approach for the shopping list; with only a total of 7 days, I couldn’t be endlessly indecisive. The garden is a wonderful luxury.
I like it Hilary. It’s clean and simple and carries the message. Now go do your Pangloss bit and reward yourself. –Curt
I’m glad it appeals. how’s the publishing going at your end?
Now my summer of play is over, should just be a few weeks. (grin)
Great! This reader is waiting.
Yes I like the e-book cover a lot. It makes me want to know more about her.
Hooray, I hope not to disappoint.
It appears that things are progressing well! Loved the cover; very inviting and light yet a door into a life…
Thanks, I’m so glad it works for you. The person who made it worked so hard to find something I would be happy with.
Congratulations on the cover. I like the mystery of it. Why does the lady look so pensive? The landscape behind her might be a clue of a sort, at least to the title. And, simply put, all the lines (window panes, mountains, her arms) on the cover foreground, middle, and background flow seamlessly back into the title. It looks good; I’d pick up a copy, or e-copy as the case might be.
Thanks so much, it is very heartening that this is working as a cover. I have to admit that trying to design one myself started as fun but rapidly became frustrating. I will go with professionals next time.
Wonderful cover. Congrats on the win!
Thank you so much. I learned a lot in the process!