The Book Cover Design Decision

The truth is, most of us do judge a book by its cover.  This fact was magnified during the production of my most recent poetry collection, The Guilt Gene. Typically with small and independent presses the author has some input in terms of book cover design. Not only does this stroke the author’s ego, it also assists the publisher in what can sometimes be a time-consuming and tenuous decision.

The original title for my book was “Words To Inhale,” and in many ways I think it would have been easier to choose a cover for that title. Early in the book’s editorial process, my editor suggested a title change to, The Guilt Gene, in honor of one of the book’s poems. Although I accepted her suggestion, I was not initially thrilled about it. In actuality, agreeing with her meant that crafting a book cover would be a bit more challenging.

To help with the book cover design, my publisher suggested I scan Google Images for something that resonated with me. If you are familiar with this site, you know that in order to choose an image, in the search bar, you must enter a subject. I had no idea what subject to enter. After all, my poetry collection was not about genes, genetics or biology. My thought was that if any of these images appeared on the cover, the book might attract scientists which certainly would not be my intention.

After some frustration, I decided to visit my daughter, Rachel’s website (http://www.raabstract.com) to see if any of her photographic images would be appropriate for the book’s cover. I love her work, particularly her architectural photos which are extremely playful and fun. I printed out a few of my favorite images and placed them on my desk for a few days. Since my book was not about buildings or architecture, I decided they were not a good fit. My husband, an engineer by profession, has recently started painting and his website displays some of his earliest works. I thought it would be nice to use his art as a way to promote his work. (http://www.simonraabgallery.com).  Unfortunately, the only piece which seemed pertinent was one of a deranged woman. Would having this image on the cover imply that I am partially crazy?  Although some might agree with this, I did not want my readers to assume anything, especially prior to reading my book.

Once again, I turned to Rachel, who in addition to being a photographer, is also a graphic designer. Within a few days, she drafted me an abstract cover with a butterfly fluttering in its center. Although it was wonderfully rendered, it did not reflect my personality nor the character of the poems in this collection. I thanked her and promised to approach her for my next book cover.

Unable to avoid the expense of a professional artist, our last resort was to turn to Amy King, the designer who created the covers for my previous books. She was also the artist for the cover of Sue Monk Kidd’s, The Secret Life of Bees. When approached with a book cover design job, the first thing Amy does is ask for an excerpt to get a sense of the book’s tone. I sent her a sampling and she sent me some cover drafts. One was a cherry blossom mentioned in one of the poems. The cover had an Asian flare, which I liked, but it was not catchy enough. Finally, she returned to the drawing board, and admitted that she was somewhat stumped for cover ideas as well.

At this point, my frustration was mounting, as I realized even a seasoned artist did not have a solution. Because I dedicated this new book to my three wonderful children, I thought of having a photo of them on the book’s cover, but they immediately rejected this idea. After some contemplation, I came up with the idea of a DNA helix and told Amy to play around with that graphic. She finally crafted a simple and clean cover with a helix to the left, but it was everything but catchy. To make the cover pop, we played around with the book’s background color—oscillating back and forth between my two favorite colors, purple and orange. In the end, we decided that orange was more unisex and perhaps more catchy. Ultimately, it was an excellent and appropriate choice because the book was launched on Halloween!

During my research, I learned that a professionally-crafted book cover is critical for success. It is important to remember that readers, retailers and reviewers (the 3 important R’s) typically glance at a book for only a few seconds before making a choice.

Here are some things to ask yourself about your book’s cover:

• is the cover attractive?
• does the cover have eye appeal? is the color, typeface and image appropriate?
• does the cover incorporate or convey your message and style?
• does the cover appeal to the anticipated audience?
• does the cover stand out in a crowd of books?
• do you love the cover?

In the end, when it comes to creative decisions, I believe it is important to listen to your instincts and pay attention to your first impression. In much the same way readers will pay attention to their first impression of your cover.

Diana Raab is a memoirist, essayist, poet and author of seven books and editor of two essays collections, including the latest, Writers and Their Notebooks (2010) with an introduction by Phillip Lopate. She is a journaling advocate and teaches in UCLA Extension Writers' Program and in various conferences around the country. Her forthcoming book, Healing With Words: A Writer's Cancer Journey is forthcoming from Loving Healing Press in June 2010. Visit Diana Raab.