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Have you thought about making
an audio book?
Follow the process of publishing
in over 90 articles
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Cover design brief
 | You will need to provide a cover design brief. Take a look at what the designer needs to know. |
| A well-designed, informative cover is a good investment. The cover is more than just the wrapping that holds the pages together.
The cover
is a key way to capture the attention of potential readers in a bookshop. |
| Even if your work does not have to compete for attention on the
shelves of a bookshop, a well-designed, informative cover is still a good
investment. If your book is to
be sold by subscription, by mail order or distributed as part of a course or
promotion, you might not need to invest in an attractive cover design, but surely your work
deserves it! |
| The cost of a cover will depend on the amount of work and any copyright
permission required. This is not an open-ended financial commitment. You
will have a quote for the work before you commission the final work. |
| Hardbacks also require a dust jacket as well as some details on the board
covers. The cover design is used for the hardback dust jacket. |
So how do you write your cover brief?
Points to include:
| The style |
There are, broadly, 3 types of cover to choose from:
| Lettering |
Just a simple four colour
lettering design, possibly with a patterned or textured background. |
This might suit a textbook, or
reference book, or the hardback case of a hardback book. |
| Photographic |
Using an image that illustrates
the book. If you don't have something suitable, the designer can
find an illustration from a specialist archive which is likely to cost
about £100. You might commission models and a photographer for the
cover but this will be expensive. |
This is excellent for historic
or regional works. Make sure you own the copyright
of any photo you plan to use. |
| Design |
The designer will take your
brief and produce some visuals. It is important that you are
prepared to work with the designer, who will interpret your brief to
provide a distinctive cover which you can discuss and revise. |
This includes the designer
producing a cover design or commissioning or finding an illustration. |
| The samples are
not real books but have been provided to help you imagine the cover for
your book. |
You need to consider:
| The theme or key image from the book that you want to use on the cover. |
| Is there a particular character or scene from your novel you would like to show on the
cover? |
| Should there be a dominant colour? |
| Are there any visual clues such as badges or colours that will identify
the content? |
| Is the book designed to be part of a series? Does it need to match an
existing
format? |
Please provide as full a brief as you can.
Back to Design
Designers
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