Book Cover Art

Writing books for me is enjoyable - dealing with the cover art is not! My brick and mortar Tarot books had their covers done by my publishing company (Schiffer Publishing Ltd.). The first book that I co-authored with my friend Brad Tesh featured a teapot on the cover, and we ran a contest to find a teapot that would work for us. That was really fun! ("Seek Joy ... Toss Confetti") The second book that I co-authored with Brad he really had to work to make the cover art fit the self-publishing parameters. We both cussed a lot! ("Invisible Me - Journeying Through The Soul") Other books I have simply used text on the cover, as opposed to any images.

I have a three book series that I have just started writing. (Okay - I have been writing it for a while, but am still less than half done with the first book!) Since metaphysics is deeply involved in the plot, the possibilities for amazing covers are there. And I do want the three covers to fall in line with each other. I have an artist friend by the name of Andrea Aste that I am going to ask to do those covers. His work is mind-blowing! You can find Andrea here. 

Why obsess over a book's cover? Because what the reader sees first is the book's cover. This is what will initially grab their attention. Then it goes one step further, and sends sneaky little messages about the content of the book. The cover of a mystery book will look a lot different than a romance book, or a police procedural. A little thought given to a cover can exponentially increase the sales for your book!

(c) September 2019 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited wihout written permission from the author.

Book Titles - Where Do They Come From?

How do we come up with a good title for our books/stories/articles? What makes it compeling? What does it say that draws potential readers? Titles should be short, simple, and easy to remember. If they aren't, our audience will move on. More than that - they won't remember the title correctly to share it with their friends! You want to include keywords that connect to the story, and that indicate the books genre. (Anything that smacks of mystery has my attention immediately!) Also, the title is going to be on the cover (duh!), so the two need to be compatible. 

After you have come up with what you consider to be a winning (not just acceptible!) title, Google it. That winning title may already be out there! Take the high road - redo your title if it is already being used. Ummmm ... you might also want to check your punctuation! You don't want to have a major faux pas on the cover of your incredible new book! 

Make a list of possible titles. Take into consideration what your book is about, who the major character is (and how they are portrayed), the environment of your story, and what words represent your story in the strongest manner.

Once you have your list of possible titles, ask other people what they think. Ask your peers, ask your friends, ask potential readers. You may find that what is very appealing to you may not have the same affect on others. And you do want your book to sell!

You also have to make the decision on whether you want to use sub-titles. This is something that I have to pay attention to, because I have two series in mind to write (one of which is a WIP), and it is recommended that you use sub-titles in a series. 

Happy hunting!

(c) August 2019 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.