From Rough Draft to Published Cover Reveal & the Cover Design Process

Today is the day! You get to see the cover of my new book! I can’t wait any longer, so here it is!

I highly recommend a professional cover designer! Bobby Birchall is my designer and a delight to work with! I found him through Reedsy.

How does it work when you hire a cover designer?

I looked at Fivver first but I was reluctant because I got burned the first time I worked with someone on Fivver to get a logo made. (In the end, I made my own logo) I’m sure there are really good people on there, but I’m just nervous.

I heard that Reedsy was a good place to find very experienced cover designers. I created an account and typed up my proposal. I requested quotes from about 5 different designers. Bobby’s offer looked the best to me, so I researched him. I was not about to get burned again and this time hundreds of dollars were on the line. I googled his name plus the word “designer.” This is what I found: This man had done design for some of my favorite documentaries!! Fate? Maybe! Have a look-

Life https://bobbyandco.com/life
Human Planet https://bobbyandco.com/human-plane t
Doctor Who books too https://bobbyandco.com/impossible-worlds
(I’d post images here but I don’t have permission.)

I was definitely choosing him! He sent me a list of the information he needed.

Here is some of the information he needed:

Book page trimmed size
Spine width
Copy to appear on front cover
Copy for spine
Copy for back cover
ISBN number
Examples of any covers that you like the feel of or a direction you will like your cover to have if you have any. Otherwise happy to take a lead.

I sent him that information I had; I didn’t have the ISBN yet. He got to work.

He messaged me back a couple weeks later with like 10 or so different cover options. The titles were all in the same font because he wanted me to only look at the design images. I loved several images…most of them. It was a tough decision. I had to balance a lot of factors in making the decision. What I liked was important. What I thought others would like was also important. I did get some feedback from friends on which ones they liked and weighted my writer friends a little heavier. Writers have a culture that is unique. Even though the typewriter is old fashioned, it is also a symbol of what we do and writers appreciate that. It represents the whole ideal of the writer lifestyle. So I chose the cover with they typewriter on it.

I sent him my ISBN number.

I told Bobby of my decision. He emailed back a week later with different font options, color options, and some layout options. This time it was 5 choices. I ended up telling him I like the color in design #1, the font from #3 and they layout from one one of the previous round one designs. I asked if I thought that would work with this design. He said yes.

He then sent me the final mock up of all the parts together for my final approval. I loved it!

He sent me the PDF version I needed for my KDP upload. I uploaded it along with my manuscript, and ordered a proof copy of it! I can’t wait until Friday!!! EEEKKKK!

Assuming I get the book today and it looks perfect, I should be able to publish the book on May 20th. If there is a problem and something has to be fixed, then I’ll have to postpone until I can get it fixed. Maybe June 1st.

Here’s to hoping next week I can post a link to my book on Amazon!!

Here is the back cover copy:

Your story is typed on the computer and you’re wondering what comes next. Maybe you’re overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. In this book, you’ll learn the basics of getting your story from rough draft to published.

You will learn:

How do I organize my editing process?
What is a beta reader?
Why do some people self-publish and some publish traditionally?
How can I find a writing group that’s right for me?
Do I need an editor? An agent?
I got a rejection letter. Now what?
Do I need a website, a blog, or social media?
What are royalties? Can I quit my day job now?
And more!

It’s a lot to learn, so in From Rough Draft to Published, I will teach you the basics and get straight to the heart of what you need to know so that you can make informed decisions about what is right for you, your story, and your writing career.