How do you decide what goes on the cover? Do you design it or do you leave it up to someone else?
Well I have a pretty clear idea what I want to have on my cover. Two main characters standing side by side that represent the two sides of the same coin. The background will represent their world and what they do for a living. Thinking about putiing one more character behind them, but not sure if that aint gonna by a too big of a crowd. Since there are a lot of experienced artists here - at this point I would like to ask for an oppinion.
I made the design myself and since I wasn´t able to find anyone for an unpaid collaboration, I´ve decided to brush up on skills and try to do it myself. I haven´t done an anime image in 20+ years. Please wish me luck and a steady hand.
For my main cover, I tried to make an image that sums up the main story conflict in a single glance. My story is a fantasy adventure featuring a precocious magical teenage girl who's interested and a showoff kitsune boy who isn't so sure about all this (to put it lightly!). The relationship between the two is the main part of the story, and the other elements of the cover are intended to convey tone and setting.
For my chapter covers, I've been using tarot cards featuring story elements that hint at what the chapter is about.
Put the main draw of your novel into an image! What is your target audience coming to your novel to see?
I like your cover and the hand on sword art!
Choosing a cover design can be something that an artist or writer decides upon themselves or with someone they commission to make one. Usually cover designs will feature the main characters within a story or imagery that's relevant to the stories atmosphere or plot
They're a bit old but there's these guides from Tapas themselves on creating covers for both novelists and artists
https://medium.com/@Tapas_App/judging-a-series-by-its-cover-adff4ffceb4b
https://tapas.io/newsfeed/107
But in the end it's usually going for what you like and what reads well visually. All the pointers on formatting are (as far as i know) included on the main Tapas website on your creator dashboard or you can always check the help pages
I'm terrible at cover designs. My comic panels look 10x better than the covers
I hire my cover designers since I'm more a writer than a graphic designer. Though, I do give them feedback on what I want and see as a vision for the cover. It does help the designer to give them an idea of what you'd like for the cover, and many I've worked with give me the stages so I can give input and feedback. I also try to find cover designers that work in the genre of romance or in the case of Tapas, anime and manga-like style that is popular here.
A good cover designer can make your book stand-out and get the mentions, reviews and readers you want to get. People really do judge a book by its cover. Ex: My book "Everything for Love" won an award and got reviewed by Book Riot with the cover being a big part of it. I really think having a great cover helped to get it noticed for reviews and awards.
Here's the ebook award link: https://globalebookawards.com/nominee-publicity/everything-for-love-time-rogues-series-book-1/
Here's the review link: https://bookriot.com/time-travel-romance-novels/
This is my WIP for my cover!
A dystopian novel about found family, self-discovery, and love in the ashes of a broken world.For mature readers: adult themes, strong language, and open-door romance.
Would love more feedback on the book too!
Because I was required to have covers, I made my own covers... which explains a lot.
The cover looks really pretty!May I ask what tool did you use?
I use Canva for mine and I'm a beginner Graphic Designer so I tried making a cover myself.
Would love your feedback on the cover! If you have any suggestions as well do let me know.
Awesome! I like that it extends to the back cover.
Read
I do think i needed to change my cover for The World of Legends Adventurei thought about what others did and they show the characters in the foreground.the old had references only long year fans would understand.
the old has fan service, references that will make sense later. the new should capture these.
I used Canva! Mattie
I LOVE yours! It's so pretty!!
Thank you! I was trying to think of what the full cover would look like if I ever print my novel.
