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Community Publishing for the community

PUBLISHING YOUR BOOK – COVERS (1)

4/3/2016

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The first in a series of posts by Gordon Lawrie offering a few tips for writers.

One of the great sayings in publishing is, “You do judge a book by its cover.” In fact, a good book, well-written, can be completely undermined by a poor or inapproriate cover, and all yout good work goes to waste. On the other hand, a really well-designed cover can attract a reader’s attention and their curiosity to look inside. Then it’s over to you, the author, to make sure that reader isn’t disappointed.
 
Over the next few weeks I’m going to share some thoughts in a series of posts covering the design of covers, and what you, the author can do to help. Even if you eventually decide to go for a professional book cover designer, it’s still a good idea to know what you’re really looking for – you can’t expect designers just to guess.
 
The first thing to consider is size. We deal in fiction, and I’m assuming that as a self-publisher you’d want your book published immediately as a paperback. (Hardbacks are a special case, generally.) I’d suggest that you’re looking at either the ‘B-Trade’ paperback size 129mm wide x 198mm tall, or the slightly bigger ‘Demy’ – pronounced “dehm-eye” – which is around 138mm wide x 229mm. I certainly wouldn’t suggest anything larger, and booksellers would probably be reluctant to stock something that didn’t sit easily on their shelves with other books. Avoid any attempts by printers to get you to print on A5; it looks amateurish.
 
Which of these two sizes you choose is up to you. In theory, a slightly larger page can hold more type, but in practice it can look wrong if you don’t increase the font size to match. All that you end up with is a book that’s bigger and heavier (and therefore costs more to post).
 
However, you need to consider your readership, too: is yours the sort of story with readers who might like larger print, or perhaps it’s a book aimed at a reader who might prefer something easily placed in a bag or a coat pocket? It’s a matter of judgement. I’d certainly consider Demy for younger readers, but nothing’s set in stone.
 
Finally, any ebook will simply have the portrait image you first imagined. On the other hand, remember that printed books have rear covers and spines, too, so your total print cover will actually be a landscape picture. And that’s where the fun starts...
 
(Watch out for the next instalment coming soon.)

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    CONTRIBUTORS

    Gordon Lawrie is the founder and managing director of Comely Bank Publishing, and the author of Four Old Geezers and a Valkyrie. The Discreet Charm of Mary Maxwelll-Hume and The Blogger Who Came in from the Cold. He is also a flash fiction aficionado. He’s currently in search of that book that earns him a fortune. 

    Emma Baird is a freelance/blogger, and the author of Katie and the Deelans. Since then she's moved onto pastures new where she self-publishes experimental YA and chick-lit novels both online and as print-on-demand.

    Jane Tulloch is the author of Our Best Attention (published 2016) Attention Assured (2017) and now has a further lease of life as an expert on the history of Edinburgh's lost department stores. She is relishing the freedom of writing an (almost!) complete pack of lies after years of writing very serious reports on her professional topic of autism in adults.

    Eric J. Smith lives in Maryland, USA, and is the author Not a Bad Ride: Stories from a Boomer's Life on the Edge, which is available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and iTunes.​

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