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Martin Publishing Services

Publishing and Design Services for Authors and Presses

in Book Design and Layout· Publishing Advice and Resources

Mistakes Authors Make: Emotional Attachment

Because I often work with authors who are sharing very personal, non-fiction writings, photos that have an emotional attachment are submitted by the author for cover concepts. Unfortunately, this can lead to the author choosing an image with no consideration given to the reader or the market. However, that is not to say that all emotional attachment images are unusable as a cover design.

I was blessed to submit material for Amy Collins’s article, “Book Promotion: Do This, Not That | April 2017“, where you can read my full thoughts on this subject. The information below is in addition to that article and provides visual references.

Authors, Photographers, and Graphic Designers

What do those three have in common? We are all artists in our own right.

Often, authors want to use photos that they personally took. But simply having access to a camera does not a photographer make. It is important to note that even if a photo was taken with your camera, that does not mean that it will be usable for a book cover. Do not get your heart set on a specific image until you have spoken with your designer.

When a professional photographer takes a photo, she is taking the setting, coloring, and feel of the subject into consideration for the 1,000 words that she wants that photograph to say. Unless she knew it was going to be a book cover, then she does not know to make certain allowances for subject cohesion, text placement, color palette, bleed, and all those fun things that go into a good cover design.

One of my clients actually is a professional photographer who worked in tandem with her business partner, the author, on their book “Wanted: The World”. Her photo is beautiful, stunning even, and yet it still required Photoshopping to shift some of the elements around for their 5×8 book.

Wanted The World_GraceRankinPhotographer

Three Cover Studies From My Portfolio

The first is a memoir, “5 Months Apart: A Story of Infertility, Faith, and Grace” by QVC-hostess Kerstin Lindquist. I was asked to use 2 photos that were taken before the book was a thought and create a cover. Thankfully, these were already high-res digital photos. It turned out nicely but required many hours of Photoshop to achieve cover-worthy subject extractions and just the right level of blend.

KerstinLindquist_5MonthsApart_MelindaMartin

The second is also a memoir, “Jet Pioneer: A Fighter Pilot’s Memoir” by Major General Carl G. Schneider, USAF (Retired). His photos were definitely taken long before he ever thought about using them on the cover of a book. These had to be scanned in at high-resolution, and then I colorized the author and did an extraction of the subjects.

MajorGeneralCarlSchneider_JetPioneer_MelindaMartin

This third book is not a memoir, but the author wanted very badly to use this photo of her grandchildren that her daughter had taken: “The Unhurried Homeschooler: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Homeschooling” by Durenda Wilson. As you can see, there was no way that the photo was going to work in its original state. This photo definitely was not taken with a book cover in mind. The photographer was capturing a sweet moment of her children, and it works for that–but not for a book cover. Lots of work had to be done to the original photo to bring it up to speed for a cover that I was designing. It may look like it was just a simple crop and lighting job, but that is far from the truth. However, the main thing is that both the author AND her readers love this cover.

Conclusion

The right designer will work together with you to develop a cover that is a win/win/win: a win for you, a win for your audience, and a win for their portfolio. This may mean that you are not able to use the photo that you wanted on the cover, but the important thing is to find a designer who will be honest (and nice!) about its chances. If the photo can not be used on the cover, it may have a very high probability of being used on the inside for both your print and your Kindle books.

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I so loved working on this cover Beth Stillman Bla I so loved working on this cover Beth Stillman Blaha. Her writing is phenomenal and honed to a fine point by @shaylaleeraquel's editing skills! I can't wait to add this beauty to my bookshelf.

@beth62881
I often have requests to use watercolor in the cov I often have requests to use watercolor in the cover design, but most of the time, it's just because the author likes the look, not because it has anything to do with the content. I like the design to reflect the title/subtitle/theme of the book, not just pick a design style at random. So finally an author has a title that actually supports using a watercolor theme. Yay!

In watercolor, a bloom is a flow mark created when liquid is added to an already drying wash. These unpredictable textures are also known as blossoms, backruns, or even cauliflowers. These terms all refer to the same thing. They occur because water always seeks a state of equilibrium. (@watercoloraffair_com )

This is a concept that the author had that I was able to polish up and bring to life. #bloomwithdeb
I love tapping into the sci-fi side of my designer I love tapping into the sci-fi side of my designer skillset. Fiction novels give me room to flex, because I can delicately weave in the elements of the story.

Since this book is based in Alamogordo, NM, and also New Mexico State University as a setting, I chose a serif typeface that is similar to the typeface that NMSU uses.

As you read the story, elements of the cover will be revealed to you when you go back for a second look.
"Nurses, you know how to heal others, but who is h "Nurses, you know how to heal others, but who is healing you? It’s time to focus inward and begin to honor yourself. 'Emotional Triage' offers an unassuming, real-life perspective on caring for others while still caring for yourself."

Thank you, nurses, for all you do.

"Emotional Triage" by Olivia Lovejoy, RN, releases next week.

@olivia_lovejoy_rn_author
Of all the things I ever wanted to be, a lawyer wa Of all the things I ever wanted to be, a lawyer was never one of them. If you're a lawyer and you don't want to be, connect with Philippe and snag a copy of his soon-to-be-released workbook to help you discover what you actually want.
Intentional design. The bird/fish pattern on the s Intentional design. The bird/fish pattern on the spine, the rounded san serif, the color palette, the italicizing of "Because,"—everything was chosen and placed with care.

Thank you, @beckykopitzke , for choosing me to design your book. <3
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