Book Cover Design Mockups
Last week, I received the initial three mockups of my cover design—and I couldn’t be more excited! Sadly, I can’t share the actual designs just yet, but let’s just say the artist really did a phenomenal job.
So, here’s the timeline so far and how I evaluated changes.
Cover Design Timeline
At the beginning of February, my editor sent a questionnaire where I could describe what I’d like to see in my cover design: colours, font, style, what to include, what not to include, etc. I also sketched out some layout ideas that I liked.
Then, on March 19th (so about a month and a half later), my editor sent a list of three potential artists to work on my debut cover design. After much deliberation, going through each of their portfolios, and with a ton of helpful advice from my agent and loved ones, I chose my favourite of the three!
Once I’d picked an artist, it only took a few days for them to get back and say they’d love to work with us!
Only a month after that (April 16th), we got the first three artist mockups—and I was so impressed! They were in black and white, but the artist added a lot of detail to the initial designs. Two were quite similar, while the third was a lot different. I was immediately drawn to one of the designs, and after spending the weekend considering what tweaks needed to be made, I sent the requested changes back.
Now, we’re back to waiting for the next design. But I can’t believe how quickly this part of the publishing process has gone! Anyone in trad publishing knows how slow everything moves, but this has been exceptionally quick…and so fun! It’s starting to feel very real that soon I’ll be holding my physical book in my hand.
My Changes to the Design
I can’t go into too much detail, but essentially my changes had to do with changing how a character presented themself, trying some different font options, and a slight tweak to the setting. Honestly, the artist knocked it out of the park on the first try, though, so there wasn’t much to change.
There’s more to come in my publishing journey! Stay tuned for the next exciting thing.
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