It takes a team to create a children’s book. In this case study, the team consisted of an author, an illustrator, and a book designer, all of whom worked collaboratively on the project. First-time author, Jon Ferry, commissioned me to design his book, Across the Battlefield: A Pawn’s Journey. He wrote, “I am nearing the point…
First-time authors have a goal—like a map destination—but on an unfamiliar road. I asked author Charles J. Pearson the following question: “As a first-time author, what did you learn about the book design process?” Here is what he told me: “The visual impact of a book design is both complex and comprehensive. The book cover, front and…
Follow the Leader was a kid’s game from my past. Wikipedia explains how it worked: Players first chose a leader or “head of the line,” and the remaining players (the followers) all lined up behind the leader. Then, as the leader moved around, all the players mimicked the leader’s actions. These days, I follow the leaders in book marketing. These are experts…
My friend Sherry saw my Facebook post about the St. Louis Publishers Association’s webinar, “How to Publish Your Book.” I teach a segment on book design. Sherry was curious because she would like to write a book. Here are the questions she asked about book covers. Q. Do you read a book from cover to…
Editor Katherine Pickett referred me to an author who was publishing a memoir of love and war. JimLaurie is a former NBC news correspondent who covered the wars in Cambodia and Vietnam. His book tells the story of the last-minute rescue attempt of a woman he loved that occurred right before the fall of Saigon. The rescue failed. Before we…
The Yellow Glasses Project is an eye-catching reading promotion at the St. Louis County Library. Yellow book covers are extremely popular and attract attention. Sure enough, the display caught my eye when I walked into the library. Displayed on an eight-sided console were oodles of books with yellow covers, plus a yellow sunglass’s sticker. The…
I scheduled a meeting in my garage with Jan, a new client who found me through my website. Jan has been undergoing chemotherapy, and she needs to take extra precautions to protect her health when she meets with people. “While I want to be careful, I really do want to move this project forward, so I would like to keep the…
Here’s a book cover case study to illustrate that point. Cherita, a first-time author, contacted me about my book-design services. First, I wrote her a contract that included a cost to design the cover. She responded, “I already have a book cover, so I won’t need that service.” I deleted that cost from my estimate. …
If you want your book to stand out from the competition, it must be distinctive and eye-catching. For that to occur, it should be designed by an experienced book designer. My mission is to guide authors through the book-design process with custom-designed book covers and interiors, production, and file preparation for printing. This process includes…
Do you create new covers to replace old ones? Yes, I design new covers to replace existing covers. I work with authors who are ready for a new cover because their first one did not look professional or didn’t appeal to their target audience. If you have regained the rights to out-of-print books from your former publishers, your book will need a new cover…