Design Archives - Wheatmark

24 March, 2023

Designing a Book Cover

By Tia Lewis|2023-06-09T10:47:25-07:00March 24, 2023|Authors Academy, Design, Publishing|Comments Off on Designing a Book Cover

The first thing a potential reader sees when checking out a book is the cover. So, what goes into making a book cover that’ll attract the right audience?

For next week’s Authors Academy presentation, we’ll explore the importance of the book cover and what you should think about when it comes to designing (or redesigning) one!

Join us next Wednesday at 11 AM in Arizona (11 AM PST, 2 PM EST) to learn more about:

Eye-catching visuals and typography for book covers
Capturing the genre and tone of your book in an image
Adding pull quotes and badges from reviewers
and more!

Your host for the call is Wheatmark’s publishing consultant, Tia Lewis, who has worked in editorial both in the NYC publishing scene and self-publishing scene. In addition to her publishing experience, Tia has worked as a social media marketer and video editor.

Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity — just click […]

14 July, 2014

Canva: A powerful social media tool for authors

By Support@wheatmark.com|2023-06-09T11:18:36-07:00July 14, 2014|Design, Resources, Social Media|Comments Off on Canva: A powerful social media tool for authors

Canva is an amazing online program that allows you to create professional social media images for free with just a few clicks.

You can create invitations, advertising and promotional projects that include printed materials (up to 2,000 prints), product packaging, presentations, film and video presentations, commercials, catalogs, brochures, and probably anything else you can think of. There are some restrictions (do check out its “One-Time Use License Agreement”) but for the most part almost anything is free to use and free to share.

Melanie Perkins, cofounder of Canva, announced recently that “100,000 new designs were created every week by more than 330,000 users.” So far avid users have created more than 1.5 million designs using Canva.

With over a million free images, tons of professional templates and 100+ poster-ready fonts, there’s absolutely nothing to stop you from producing memes, photo collages, Facebook photos with call outs and social media banners and buttons. If […]

15 August, 2009

Cover Design for Maximum Impact: Title Length

By Support@wheatmark.com|2023-06-09T11:39:14-07:00August 15, 2009|Design, Resources|Comments Off on Cover Design for Maximum Impact: Title Length

A book title’s length can have a big impact on the quality of the cover.

Many authors try to pack as much information as possible into their titles. It’s an understandable instinct. The cover is the first thing potential readers will see, so you want to tell them exactly what wonders await them if they peek inside. Also, the more words you use, the wittier you can be. Right?

Nope.

Here’s the problem. Say you’ve written a detailed historical record about keyboards-the kind you find on typewriters and laptops.

You’ve decided to call it The Quick Brown Fox Jumps over the Lazy Dog: A History of Keyboard Interface from QWERTY to DVORAK. You’re very proud of this title. It’s cute and clever and gets your general concept across.

It’s also unlikely to draw the eye when crammed into a relatively small space-see the first image above.

Think it’s not that bad? Try the Amazon.com-sized thumbnail directly […]

11 August, 2009

Should You Use Your Middle Initial On Your Book’s Cover?

By Support@wheatmark.com|2023-06-09T11:39:37-07:00August 11, 2009|Design, Publishing, Resources|Comments Off on Should You Use Your Middle Initial On Your Book’s Cover?

Should you use your middle initial on your book’s cover?

Don’t! Unless … well, read on:

Let’s say your name is Francine Lambert (I just made this up.) All your friends, relatives, and people you come in contact with know you as Francine Lambert. You introduce yourself at events as Francine Lambert. Basically, you are … Francine Lambert.

You write a self-help book on how to save money in a tough economy and it’s time for your publisher to put your name on the cover and into the necessary bibliographic databases. “How would you like your name appear on your book’s cover?” the publisher asks.

You’ve decided you will not use a pen name or pseudonym, which is wise in your case. However, after you blurt out “Francine Lambert” you pause and say, “Actually, make that Francine J.Lambert.” You believe your name with a middle initial looks and sounds more authoritative on your book […]

10 September, 2008

How to Hire an Illustrator for Your Next Book

By Support@wheatmark.com|2023-06-09T11:40:19-07:00September 10, 2008|Design, Resources|Comments Off on How to Hire an Illustrator for Your Next Book

Guest article by Gayle Martin

Finding the right illustrator for your next book can be a daunting task. Here are some tips from a former graphic designer to make the process easier.

There are times when clip art just won’t do, and the illustration for your book’s front cover is one of those occasions. If you write children’s books or romance novels an artist’s illustration on the front cover is a must. Those of you who don’t write in those genres may also want to consider having an eye-catching illustration with your front cover. It would give your book unique look, and who wouldn’t want their book to stand out from all the others on bookstore shelves? But how and where do you find a good illustrator?

A good place to start would be with your publisher. When I published my first juvenile novel, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral: Luke and Jenny Visit […]