Publishing E-Books For Dummies

Planning the Cover If You’re Designing It Yourself

Before you get to work on designing the cover of your e-book, do some preparatory work. Don’t launch the design process in a rush — you may end up scrapping your hard work or producing an e-book with a cover that’s less than ideal.

One way to begin the planning process is to take a virtual shopping trip. Head to your favorite e-book store (www.amazon.com , for example), take a look at e-books in your genre or field, and ask, “Which covers grab my attention?” “Which covers look amateurish?” “Which e-books would I sample or buy?”

Make a list of features that entice you to click the title of an e-book for more information and ones that scream “Steer clear!” Don’t worry if you’re unsure why a particular cover works — I give you plenty of tips for attractive design later in this chapter.

This advice might seem to be a lot to consider before creating a single pixel of your e-book cover, but trust me — I know how frustrating it is to dive into a cover design only to realize that it isn’t working. And you don’t want to start buying stock photos, or spend hours shooting your own photos, without a clear idea about what the cover truly needs.

Knowing which elements to include on the cover

Whatever your e-book is about, its cover needs these vital features:

An image

A title

Your name (or pen name)

These elements might seem obvious and hardly ...