Being a Project Manager

When a publisher hires a cover designer, she becomes a project manager. Many clients prefer to just let the designer do her job, but others prefer to be more involved in the process. For the latter group, the onus is on them to learn some basics about cover design, otherwise, they could well manage their cover away from looking professional to looking home-made.

At the very least, the project manager must be familiar with what's currently on the market. She  must get a feel for the colors that are being used, and perhaps avoid those that are saturating the market. Look for trends  — which she may or may not want to follow. For instance, the modern, cartoon illustrations being used on "chick lit" covers, such as the original The Devil Wears Prada continues, but it could be time to move in a different direction; And the blurred, out-of-focus images used on literary fiction like, The Jewel Trader of Pegu work great for a variety of reasons and offer endless possibilities. More abstract backgrounds attract readers simply trying to fit together the pieces, (Consequences)  and then there's more unique touches, such as titles that appear hand-written, (Love Life) or titles with skewed baselines like, Fearless Fourteen or Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. And of course, the grunge effect is always a popular option and more than a little fun to design (A Thousand Splendid Suns).

All of this information is necessary before choosing fonts or images  and finding the right photo or illustration to represent a book is not an easy task, it can take hours, days and even weeks and sometimes you never find the right image (which is why text-only covers shouldn't be ruled out).

I usually advise clients to avoid over-used images like handshakes and puzzle pieces, and to consider things like clothing and hairstyles which could date a book quickly. Using photos of real people or private homes is also tricky. First of all, the model and property releases need to be in order — just because it's royalty free doesn't mean you can use it with the content of your book. And when you do use an identifiable person or property, that image becomes associated with your book and possibly your company; This has the potential to lead to all sorts of problems. You don't want a photo of an innocent looking woman on the cover of a Christian book only to discover she's an outspoken atheist, or vice-versa. Likewise for the use of a house — who lives there? What has happened in that house? You just don't know (another good argument for the blurred image covers).

The text and technical aspects of the book must also be taken into consideration. The bar code for instance, needs to meet the specifications of bookstores and distributors. The placement of the text and design details are also covered by rules and normalities. The back of a dust jacket on a hard cover book usually doesn't contain the synopsis of the book — it's usually either blank, or has the pre-press reviews on the back. I have seen some with photos on the back. Little things, such as the first paragraph of a new section not being indented (the same as you don't indent the first paragraph of a new chapter) are also important, if you want the book to look professional. Most of these things can be discovered simply by studying a few dozen books. For a really good example of these rules in place check out the "Look Inside" option of The Last Lecture on Amazon. Both front and back covers and the flaps are there. The first paragraph of the back flap is indented, but it's continued from the front flap.

Another important aspect of being a project manager is to remain unbiased. What the public will like is not necessarily what you will like. And avoid emotional decisions. Sure, your dog is cute, but does he really belong on the cover of an Italian cook book?

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