Judging a Book By Its...

We all know how that saying goes, and we all know we shouldn't do it.  And yet, most of us will overlook books on shelves because we don't like the picture on the front, and we'll pick up things that catch our eye that turn out to be nothing like what we expected (not that that's a bad thing!)

So, my adventure today comes in the form of book covers.  Specifically, book covers for my own book.  It's one of the wonderful things about pursuing the self-publishing pathway: you get full control over what your readers see as the first impression of your book.

You know what the only drawback is?  You get full control over what your readers see as the first impression of your book.

I have learned very quickly that I know bugger about book cover design.  Jon Snow knows more about this stuff than I do- that's how little I know.

So, in the interests of keeping my own sanity and not burning out the retinas of my potential readers, I took the plunge and have employed a designer to do the job for me.  And I would highly- HIGHLY- recommend that others do the same!  I really can't say how amazing it is, to hand somebody an idea, and a few weeks later get an e-mail with some mocked-up designs in that capture so much of what you wanted, but in ways you never even imagined doing it.  It's like watching somebody work magic.

There is still work and refinement to be done, but I think this is the first time I have looked at my work and been able to picture how it will look as a finished product.  It's such an exciting moment, and I really wanted to share it with you all.

The cover reveal is on the horizon- and I can promise that it will be worth waiting for!