The Cover

WHAT GOES ON THE COVER?

Most books have an image on the front cover, although sometimes self-help books just use large text. To get some cover ideas, go to a library or your favourite bookstore and look for books on similar subjects to yours.

If your book is a memoir or contains many photos, you can probably use one of the photos from inside the book. If you want to use a photo or illustration that you don't own, be sure to get permission from the photographer or artist.

If you are going to create the cover yourself, consult with your printing house to find out their specifications. The front cover, back cover and spine will need to be created as one page.

Front Cover: Includes a photograph or illustration, book title and subtitle, author's name.

Back Cover: Can include an excerpt from or summary of the book, critics' comments (send them a copy of the first proof so they can come up with a comment while the book is being proofread), author photo and bio, bar code (the layout people can create this for you), price and ISBN (see Copyright Page).

Spine: Usually includes title, subtitle, author, publisher. The spine width is based on the number of pages, the type of paper that will be used, and the type of cover. Usually you need to obtain the spine width from the printing house.

SHOULD I HIRE A COVER DESIGNER?

If you don't have an illustration or photo for the cover you can hire a designer to create the illustration and they may also be able to design the rest of the cover. 

If you have an illustration or photo to use on the cover you can get the person who is doing the page layout to design the cover. This is a less expensive option.

Contact us at info@self-publish.ca
for a free estimate for design and layout.