Design has been called the art of making choices, and nowhere is this more apparent than in book design. Every book that has made its way through the publishing process is the result of hundreds, if not thousands, of choices.
Of course, there are a few really big choices: self-publish or traditional publisher? POD or offset printing? hardback or paperback? But there are also lots of little choices every step of the way: font size? leading? kerning? tracking? margins? chapter heads? index? page numbers? all the way down to the minutiae of dealing with widows and orphans. Even though you might never have given it a moment’s thought, you instinctively know when a book feels right. The cover has intrigued you; in a matter of seconds it has managed to encapsulate and broadcast (or imply and suggest, which can be even more powerful) what the book is about. Upon opening the book, you find that the layout is welcoming and the type is clear and clean; it feels like you are in good hands. All of these things enhance one’s reading experience. Even more important, they increase the odds that someone will actually purchase your book. These are the kinds of things that we at Shelfish care about deeply. Cover Design “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is poppycock when it comes to books. It’s what we do—it’s what we’re supposed to do—every time we stroll down the aisles of the local (or virtual) bookstore. How else to narrow down our choices from the thousands of books silently clamoring for our attention? We glance, we pause, and we judge. If a potential reader stops to pick up a book, even for a moment, the cover has done its job brilliantly. Here’s better advice: “Don’t judge a book only by its cover.” The cover may be what lures a reader in, but it’s the content and the quality of the writing—complemented by the interior design—that sets the hook. At Shelfish, we consider design to be a collaborative process. We work very closely with our authors to make sure we’re on the same page every step of the way. In fact, we encourage our authors, if they are so inclined, to assist in the search for the perfect cover image for their books. This can be a truly enjoyable process; and because it can shave a great deal of time off the front end of the design phase, it can pay off in considerable cost savings. (Click HERE for a listing of the royalty-free stock photography sites we frequently use for cover images.) Once a cover photograph has been selected, Shelfish provides three alternative cover treatments to choose from. As soon as the cover design has been approved, we’re off to the races. See the “About” page for tips on how to keep costs low and headaches to a minimum. E-books Because e-book content must be fluid (i.e., it must display on different devices using variable font sizes), most of the interior formatting that takes place during the production of a printed book is replaced by generic formatting. If you plan to publish only an e-book: Online services such as Smashwords.com can take your Microsoft Word manuscript and prepare it for electronic distribution. However, your e-book will still require a cover design and professional editing, which Shelfish can happily provide. If you plan to use both traditional and electronic publishing: In the process of preparing your book for traditional print publishing with Shelfish—i.e., professional editing, cover design, and interior design—we will have completed all the steps necessary for e-book publishing, save one: submitting your book’s cover and interior files to a service such as Smashwords.com for electronic distribution. Shelfish will be your partner through the entire process. |