#Self Publishing and Book Covers

[rubyjones]

Too many writers are using generative 'AI' to make their book covers, so I've written a guide on how to make your own cover for free or cheap without turning to a machine.

If you can't afford to pay an artist, you CAN make your own!

I hope this is a helpful overview that covers the basics and points to some free resources.

[Edit:] this is getting well outside this account's usual reach and a few people in the notes are making not so great comments about the fact I write weird erotica. So, for full disclosure: yes, I am an erotica writer. And the book covers include those for tentacle erotica and robot erotic romance. But you cannot see anything NSFW. All of these covers were approved by Amazon. Frankly, the cover of the most NSFW story, Oviposition, is downright tame! And to those complaining about the word 'Oviposition', that is a scientific word for a naturally occurring phenomenon - it's only naughty if you know the content of the story, which is only alluded to as 'sexy'.

I also do not believe that shirtless men require a warning, but yeah, two of the covers have shirtless men. The cover with a tasteful nude drawing (showing a bum, but not a weenor) has already been censored.

I can't do anything about the version of this post that got rb'd by a popular person, but for those who are concerned, consider this your content warning.

[jolenes-book-journey]

Author Writers Tools by KD Starling

Author Writers Tools by KD Starling one for formatting and another to create your own book covers. A little bit about the author: K.D. Starling grew up in the small town of Mayo, Florida, always with an open book in a quiet corner. Now she enjoys writing as well. Also known as Dale, she has used her computer skills for many years in her professional and private life. Now Dale uses these skills in…

[inkskinned]

my father told me he read it, but he hasn't read it. that's okay. my friends keep picking the words out of my throat.

someone once told me that the more trigger warnings that go on a book, the better it is. i didn't mean to write something with so many conditional phrases - i was writing about what i felt while being a human. sometimes you are a person and sometimes you are a statistic. sometimes it is falling upwards and sometimes it's sliding back down again.

my father tells me that it will be difficult to get people to read it. i didn't like the idea of a singular genre. i'm not going to lie to you - it is actually a difficult book to get through. i change the rules in it. it's not poetry or prose explicitly. it's neither false nor reality. i give you the tools to "solve" the book, but i let you do the thinking. my father says people don't care to think. i don't know about that - i think we just, like, enjoy reading.

the thing is - i was tired of stories about survival where someone with depression goes to therapy and wakes up okay. i didn't live like that. i was tired of books about violence, where the gore of what i experience was splashed in glitter to lick off the page. like, i was a person, you know? i had a life and a job and a family. and in books, i watched my story get ripped up so people could explore the viscera of my body. so they could feel good. my brother once called it inspiration pornography. we had walked out of a suicide-prevention seminar, both of us disgusted while the increasingly-elated presenter kept listing methods-of. i remember the look on my brother's face. like i would tear that man apart given the right time and place.

my father says that kids these days. he warns me against writing about things that are too-serious. he says that they don't want it. i don't listen. he does make me take out a scene from the book where i go to church after having sex with a woman. it used to be the 7th scene in the book. i don't think he's read further than that, it rocked him too hard to continue.

it's a book about being queer. it's a book about being raised catholic. it doesn't have monsterfucking, i'm sorry. it's just about, like.

at some point you have to choose to stay here. and then you do have to stay here, which takes practice. this is about forming the habit. this is about what happens after you've already started doing the work. because, like. you keep going. you have to. and it's like. very imperfect.

i should make a post on instagram. i should make this announcement less bittersweet. but like -- i'm giving it you, specifically, because i think you know why i had to write it. you and me. this little community.

body's a bad monster. here's the link if you're interested in ordering.

[mimimar]

˖⁺‧₊⟡₊˚⊹my commissions are currently OPEN!˖⁺‧₊⟡₊˚⊹

all info ✧here✧

all my commission types are open right now, including custom paper doll commissions!

i am also open for commercial work in many kinds of projects, including book covers for self-publishing authors. email me for any inquiries♡

[authorpilot]

I poured my heart and soul into this piece, and it's a reflection of my inner world. It's a mix of emotions, thoughts, and experiences that I've tried to capture through colors, textures, and shapes. I hope you see something in it that resonates with you.

[novlr]

How to design a great book cover

Get some book cover design tips from an expert to make your next book cover both stand out and look professional! 

[hannahyeaman]

Hello,

I'm an adult fiction author—fantasy and contemporary fantasy—and my debut fantasy releases May 28, 2024.

I initially got the idea for SOUL-BOUND in early April 2017, wanting to explore how a winged character would navigate their world without flight. But I didn't truly start writing it until January 2019 and now I'm finally pursuing publishing it!

Here's the gorgeous cover! Illustrated by the wonderful @oxiente, who has drawn Mika and Roshan a lot for me over the past few years. I'm really grateful that she took on this project. She delivered beyond my expectations! There are so many cute details! 🥺

PITCH

When a tsundere princess with healing magic loses her flight during her quest to heal corrupted crystal roots, she must depend on a charming vagabond's aid to help her before their avian world collapses to corruption.

SUMMARY

Avem, a continent inhabited by bird-like humans called Avians, consists of seven territories, each of which contains a crystal root: a treelike sanctuary preserving magic. Avians cannot wield the land’s magic themselves.

Except, Mika, the princess of Passíer. However, her father forbids her to use it out of concern for her safety.

Due to the expanding corruption from Cantio; a fallen territory under Passíer’s jurisdiction because of its damaged root, Zayn the militant king of Nyx, suggests Scorching Cantio. To avoid such a catastrophic outcome, Mika flees from home, determined to heal Cantio’s root herself.

In Cantio, she meets Roshan, a vagabond playing double agent to protect what’s left of his uncorrupted homelands. Upon noticing her pink feathers, unique for her specific species, he cautions her to leave before she’s captured and used as coin. She snubs his warning and is nearly taken captive.

During his efforts to help her, Roshan is wounded. Mika heals him with her magic, unintentionally and unknowingly bonding them together.

When the quest costs Mika’s wing and grounds her, she accepts Roshan’s offer to escort her across Avem to heal the damaged roots before corruption destroys their world.

If you like birb characters, the ship dynamic from Anastasia and Tangled, books like Dance of Thieves and The Girl at Midnight, and prose like Naomi Novik and Margaret Rogerson, then stick around 🩷

eBook pre-order link!

[vitusvital]

Cover Reveal

Behold, the cover of my next release, Heirs of Destruction! Design & art by sarahwithanhreads on instagram.

In the vein of Game of Thrones and Dune, this high-fantasy is full of political intrigue and romantic tension.

Asriel Veservus is not ready to inherit power. Rhaella cannot inherit power. Virgil Midar does not want power. With the threat of battle looming, they band together to uncover just how deep traitorous blood runs in their houses.

Heirs of Destruction is the first book in The Crownkiller Saga, a new high-fantasy series by award-winning indie author T.N. Vitus. Preorder on Amazon and add to Goodreads today!

[mxxnlightwriting]

✨ A Spark of Magic Book Cover Reveal ✨

It's finally here! After teasing it for so long and saying how happy I was with the book cover, I finally get to share it with you 🥺 @.catarinabookdesigns did a wonderful job with it, and I couldn't be happier with it!

I'm not kidding when I say this cover has many easter eggs. I love covers that take a new shape once you've read the book, and I wanted to do something similar with this one. A Spark of Magic is a story wrapped in mystery where each answer leads you to more questions, and I wanted that sort of vibe for the cover. Where does this connect to? Whose character is this related to? Oh, so this is what that means!

This is the ebook version of the cover. The paperback has a few other details on its spine and back and I'll show those to you at a later date once I have the physical copy with me.

For the time being, I hope you enjoy this cover! If you're curious about what each element connects to/its meaning, you can drop a comment, stop by inbox or reblog with what you'd like to know.

A Spark of Magic is one step closer to being yours. You can pre-order the ebook from most retailers here! (Note: Amazon's link will only be available on release day. I apologise for the inconvenience) Paperback pre-orders coming soon.

allowing me to share each step of this journey with you 💛

✨ About A Spark of Magic ✨

A Spark of Magic is a YA urban fantasy novel, the first in the A Spark of Magic series. If you like witches, merfolk and shapeshifters, and the struggles of having to keep your magic hidden while navigating high school, then this book might be for you.

[leebrontide]

Well, at the very least I'm gonna show off the cover I made for Names in Their Blood. It's some of my fav visual art I've done and it took me a million years. There's no "leaf" brush here. I just drew all those leaves. I wanted to give them a cut paper look and also a little bit of a fire look. For reasons.

And the ebook version.

[sophieakatz]

I'm thrilled to announce that my debut poetry collection, Enigma and Other Aromantic Asexual Love Poems, is now available for ebook preorder on Amazon!

The official release date (for paperback too!) is June 2. But if you like having a digital version and want to help give this queer indie writer a boost in Amazon's stats, preordering today is a great way to do that.

For now, please enjoy the cover art, created by the incredible Sarah Schmidt.

[morganeboydauthor]

GHOSTS OF THE STEEL ROAD: PREORDER LIVE!

There are two kinds of people in life: somebodies and nobodies. Know exactly which one you are. Melandra Godfrey may not have had a good life, but it was at least a predictable life. Her father, the last private detective in Zarothe, may have had his long list of rules and the money never added up right, but at least both of those factors were consistent. But when Melandra’s father goes out of town on whatat first seems like a normal job, Melandra’s world becomes unpredictable. A string of murders stokes fears of cult activity. An on-and-off friend warns of strange dangers. A mysterious man arrives at her door with an even more mysterious letter. The Steel Road, the ever-present crux of trade in Zarothe, holds the key to the mysteries around Melandra and throughout her whole life. Getting the answers she wants may mean doing the very thing Melandra hates most: becoming somebody.

That's right, everyone, I have bitten the bullet and e-book preorders for Ghosts of the Steel Road are now LIVE.

Releasing in both e-book and paperback* format on September 26th, Ghosts of the Steel Road is a fantasy novel about prophecies, cults, and the strange things our parents do.

As my debut self-published novel, I will admit it's a little surreal, but I'm so excited to have these years of work out there, and now it's time to properly work on the sequel!

Also, here's that book cover reveal, finally. Decided to keep it simple in the end :D

Check out the e-book preorder here on Amazon!

*Paperback not available for preorder. Yell at KDP about that one. Link will be given for paperback on Sept. 26.

[artemisapollo97]

Following on from a previous post, I'd like to say something about the covers for my book series, Eyes of Violet

As you can see, they're hand-drawn

and I've done them this way for a reason. I know they're nothing like professional covers, but after a spat with a hybrid publisher, I wanted to do things my way 😁

I never quite got the hang of digital art, so pencil drawing and watercolours it is! ✨ Also I wanted something different, harking back to older style hand-drawn covers, and I wanted to carry my style across the series

If in future I've got a bit more financial security, I'll have a look at professional cover designers, but for now I'm more than happy to make them with my own two hands!

These books mean a lot to me, something I've wanted to do since I was seven. I've come a long LONG way since then and I can't wait to see what comes next!

So, if you like magic and mystery and chaotic characters, give Eyes of Violet a go! Here's the blurb for the first one

and here's the link for Amazon:

[maybemockingbird]

Since my cozy horror, paranormal boys love romance web novel The Night Farm's first season is finally done on both Patreon and Tapas, I wanted to share the full wrap (small changes pending) to the physical edition with cover art by the amazing K. Lynn Smith! This series is perfect for fans of Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, and other cozy slice-of-life games and webcomics/manga, titles like Welcome to Night Vale, Gravity Falls, and Love Tractor. Pre-orders will open for the public on the 17th and include a small pre-order discount, a bundle of fun goodies, and you can upgrade to a coffee mug bundle, too!

I'm SO excited to share the physical edition with everyone, and I urge you all to check out the series on my Patreon (the book is available for $1 a month and season two will be coming along shortly) or my Tapas (on a several week delay). I ONLY sell my books through my website, so you'll have to buy directly from me if you want a physical copy, but I ship quickly and send goodies with every package!

[authorpilot]

[leechjuice]

🥩 COVER REVEAL 🥩

designing this cover was SO fun, and i'm so beyond excited to share it with you all. not only that, but i woke up to the some much-needed good news today—IN THE END, YOU KILL US BOTH is now available to add on goodreads!

thank you all for making this launch so lovely. didn't think my little heart could take all this excitement, but i'm still kicking!

more to follow ♡