One of the biggest drawbacks of self publishing a book is the cost. When you start looking for designers to create your ecovers the prices can vary greatly. For authors just starting out even a $100 could be more than they can currently afford.
Your ecover is important and should be seen as the invitation for your book. You want to create an book cover that invites your readers to open the book and turn the pages. Your title is your promise of what is to come.
So keeping the above in mind then it is worth putting money into ecover creation. But you still need to have the budget to do so. If you were to get published through a major publishing house then they are going to market and promote the book for you. While the book still requires a great ecover these authors have other factors that will help push sales.
As a self published author your ecover is going to be the one thing that either sells copies or leaves your bank balance at zero. While you do have other resources available such as buying advertising space and relying on book reviews, these are things that take time to build upon.
When perspective buyers start looking on the Kindle store or over at the iBook store they see a couple of main things. A great looking ecover that catches their eye and the author name. If your name isn’t recognizable then that leaves your cover to do all the work for you.
Your ecover needs to look professional and it should fit your title. If it looks like a quick do it yourself project then you will lose potential buyers. Let’s look at some options.
Some designers will offer certain pre made covers on their websites. These are normally sold at a much cheaper cost but you are buying what you see and no changes are allowed. Once you have purchased the cover the designer will add your title and name to the cover.
Some designers may be willing to customize their pre-made designs to a certain extent. If you have your own art work to incorporate this can help reduce the cost.
New designers often offer their designs at a much cheaper price while they are making a name for themselves. Look for sites such as the Writer’s Cafe and for design related forums.
Some great designers can be found on sites like Fiverr, again these may be new designers trying to build up a portfolio. This can be a hit and miss type of affair, so if you are considering this option look at the portfolios and read the customer reviews and feedback.
Other good sites to look on are the freelancing sites such as Elance and Odesk. You can post a job and designer will bid on your project for you. This can be a good solution but again, check references and examples closely.
Another solution for getting your first book published is to look for ecover software. This is the type of solution I love to use and it allows me to be creative without having to learn Photoshop.
You now have several options for getting an ecover created without having to spend a fortune. Let me know which option you choose!
