But how do I Find a Cover? + Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey there!

I know, it’s only been a week. But as it’s Thanksgiving, I decided to do a post today!

So how do you find a cover?

Well… that’s a good question.

In its simplest form, there are two ways to get your cover.

Option 1: From someone else.

Option 2: Make it yourself.

So… what if you are like me, and can’t make your own cover? How do you find someone?

Well, first off, you need to set yourself a budget.

Covers can range from free (making your own) to thousands of dollars. And thousands of dollars is not exactly a luxury most of us can afford, especially if this is our first book.

So where do we look next?

There are websites out there that host many illustrators, a.k.a. the people who can make you your cover. There are pre-made covers. And there are independent illustrators out there.

Let’s take a look at the first type.

There are websites that you can request your book cover on. Submit what you want it to be like, and you’ll get more than one option coming your way. Usually, on these websites there’s more than one ‘package’ option; each option is a different price, and you’ll get different cover option amounts.

On some of these websites, you have a certain amount of time for people to submit designs. Then, when the time amount is up, you chose which cover you like the best, and the ‘prize’ money – that money you paid earlier – goes to the designer.

On others, you could get only three options-but unlimited revisions.

Really, what you get for what you pay depends totally on the website you use.

Then there are pre-made covers. Those are exactly what they sound like: a cover made beforehand. They’re usually cheaper, but it also is extremely difficult to find one to match your story.

There are websites for solo designers with their covers, and there are some that host bunches of them.

Once you buy a pre-made cover, that cover is no longer available for anyone else to buy, so your book’s cover will still be unique.

What about those independent artists?

Those guys don’t really work for a company, and can sometimes work with other websites. They also are asked to make covers for traditionally published books.

The problem with them, is that a) you need to find them b) they need to be accepting clients c) you need to like the way they draw their stuff and d) their prices have to be within your budget.

Sometimes, after missing out on just one of those, you can’t get a cover from them. Sad, I know. So getting an independent artist is tough, and it’ll probably take you a while. If you do get one, good for you!

Do you have the skills to do it yourself?

If you happen to possess the skills to make your own cover, I say DIY! (and also tell me in the comments below, because I would love to meet someone who can actually do that!)

Update on my Story

For my book from last month, I am currently attempting to figure out everything and trying to get my cover.

Yep, I’m getting a cover!

Surprise!

After a few bumps in the road in the process, the designs are coming into my email inbox today. (Yay!) Perhaps we’ll have a cover reveal soon.

As for the one I mentioned at the beginning of the month, I’ve managed to write 5 pages over the weekend so far. I’ll tell you more about the book soon.

National Novel Writing Month

Who else is going to do this?

And now your thoughts are probably running along the lines of, “Is this blogger crazy? Trying to figure out how to self-publish a book, writing another book, and now she’s going to start another? How will that ever work?!”

Well, yeah, I am trying to self-publish a book, am working on another one, and am going to start another. So I guess I am crazy.

I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but I tend to work on more than one book at a time. (kind of like my reading; I’m constantly in the middle of multiple books at the same time )

Anyway, for those of you who don’t know, National Novel Writing Month technically begins in November, but you start planning a novel in October. The goal of this is to help lots of writers finish one novel in a month because so many writers never finish their novel!

I’ve begun planning out my own (new) novel for it, following the tips in this blog post.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving today with me, Happy Thanksgiving! Who else doesn’t have any school today? (My first break since school began! Weekends don’t count, those are busy )

Fun fact: yesterday was Julia’s Creative Corner’s 2nd-month anniversary since it was started! Man, time sure does fly for a blog when you’re spending more time doing school than working on it!

Have you ever gotten a cover?

Have a great long weekend, everyone!

-Julia