2018 is going to be an exciting year for this indie (independent) author. Think: acting a fool level of excitement.

I recently decided to self-publish my debut nonfiction book on love and modern medicine: Memoirs of a Surgeon’s Wife: I’m Throwing Your Damn Pager into the Ocean. And it’s going to happen in the next couple of months! Happy dance!
 
Although I have written and published a business writing e-book, available free on Amazon, this will be my first self-published full-length nonfiction book.
 
One of the coolest things about being an indie author is that you maintain creative control over the whole shebang, including the book title and the cover art.
 
I’m no professional artist or graphic designer, but I have taken art and photography classes and have a decent artistic eye [pats self on back]. 

Since this book is kinda my baby, aside from my actual baby (who is no longer a baby, as she frequently reminds me), it’s important for me to get it right.
 
I’ll be working with a friend who is a graphic designer on the book cover design, but I wanted to come to her with several ideas and concepts to get the ball rolling.
 
So, for any other indie authors, self-publishers or the curious among ye, I’m sharing my process for developing a book cover design concept. You can judge the final result when we have…ahem…the final result: the big book cover reveal!

Book cover design: How to develop a concept for your indie author book cover

Step 1: Shop around
 
To know what you like and what you are drawn to, you need to shop around. You can accomplish this this by browsing bookstores or browsing online.
 
If you choose to browse a bookstore, check out the bestsellers for all genres first. Make note of or discreetly photograph (for your own personal use only, of course) the covers you covet. Then make your way to your book genre’s section and see what grabs you.
 
I personally started my search online with good old Google. I googled “Best book covers of 2017” and found several curated lists. For me, this was a good starting point.

Step 2: Create your vision board
 
Since I chose to go the online route for my initial research, I created a Pinterest board called Book Cover Inspiration, and linked the book covers that had me swooning. I also made short notes on what elements of the book cover I liked (illustration style, colors, typography, etc.).
 
The board confirmed what types of book covers I’m drawn to and helped me narrow down my favorite styles.

Step 3: Consider the heart of your book
 
Now is the time to ask yourself some questions about your book.
 
What is the overall tone of the book? What is the message of the book? Why did you write the book? Who is the book’s primary audience? What category does the book belong in?
 
Since I initially pursued traditional publishing for my book, all these questions were answered in great detail in my nonfiction book proposal.
 
But I still took the time to think through them and write down succinct answers. This information will also come in handy during the final step. 

Step 4: Pretend you’re an artist
 
Once you’ve captured the key tone and message of your book, brainstorm some ideas, then grab a pen and some paper and get to drawing!
 
I hand-illustrated 12 concepts, hated most of them, and came up with one that I absolutely love.
 
The process is fun and helps you tap into your creative side.
 
You can also try a digital mock-up, if you’re so inclined, in Canva. Just pick a template for an e-book cover and get to work. 

Step 5: Hand it over to a professional
 
The importance of a professional-quality, striking book cover cannot be overstated. This is not a job to take on yourself, unless you are a graphic designer or a book cover designer.
 
Think about it: we all judge books by their covers. It’s not a vanity thing – it helps us determine which books are worth our time and money.
 
Thankfully in this digital age there are plentiful and affordable options for book cover designers – both for e-books and for print books.
 
Here are recommended designer resources from authors I trust:
Joanna Penn’s recommendations
Mark Coker’s Smashwords recommendations
 
I haven’t experienced it yet, but I also intend to give Fiverr’s freelance book designers a try. 

Take these extra steps to conceptualize your book before the professionals jump in. It will help you narrow your vision and improve the ultimate quality of your book.
 
What book design tips can you share with us? What are your favorite book covers? Leave a comment!

You may also like these blogs by Megan Sharma:
BIG NEWS! I’m self-publishing my memoir in 2018. Here’s why…
It's Here! Get My Free E-Book: 100 of Your Toughest Business Emails: Solved on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks and more
Book preview for When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: A word to mothers who aspire to have a surgeon-in-law
Book preview for When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: No, I don’t want no scrubs
Book preview for When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: For the love of Danskos
Book preview for When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: The other shoe
Writing tips: What I want to blog about vs. what I actually blog about
One year after my major career change from full-time mom to full-time writer: reflections and lessons learned
For writers: All your writing fears, squashed!
A real, imperfect day in the life of a writer: me
Your writing conference checklist: how to make it worth every minute and every penny (takeaways from the 2017 San Francisco Writers Conference)

I designed this graphic today as a mock-up book cover and back page combination. I get so excited looking at it! It's starting to feel very real!

I'll be taking this little number with me to the San Francisco Writers Conference in February, where I'll be learning more of my illustrious craft and all about the publishing industry, meeting with professionals, and pitching my book to literary agents.

Wish me luck, friends! 

You may also like these blogs by Megan Sharma:
Physician Family guest blog: Does Match Day dictate your destiny? A surgeon’s wife weighs in
Book preview for When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: A word to mothers who aspire to have a surgeon-in-law
Book preview for When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: No, I don’t want no scrubs
Book preview for When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: For the love of Danskos
Book preview for When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: The other shoe
Date night: 60 fun and unique date ideas for the young at heart
Parenting: A no-fuss guide to your toddler’s birthday party for Pinterest-fatigued parents
Parenting: You know you’re a mom (of young children) when…

Steve Krug, you rock. Not only did you write a web usability book way back in 2005 that is still relevant today, but you also filled it with concise examples, fun graphics with entertaining captions, and most importantly—language that a non-techie like me can understand.  

As you may have guessed, I am currently reading “Don’t Make me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability” by Steve Krug.

For all of you other content owners and web junkies out there, I thought I would share what I’ve learned from this book so far.

Steve’s Tips:

1. Don’t make me think!

This is an obvious one (it’s the name of the book, after all). But in practice, it’s such a great checkpoint for decision-making for your web design and content creation.

The test is simple: is the content self-explanatory or does it make you think? When in doubt, ask someone who isn’t familiar with the content if they “get it.”

2. People don’t really use web pages the way we would hope

As Krug points out, people don’t read pages—they scan them. Quickly. We are all pressed for time and often have little patience to find what we’re looking for. As soon as we find something interesting, somewhat resembling what we’re looking for, and clickable—that’s where we go.

In general, we muddle through rather than choosing the “optimal” browsing route, irritating web designers the world over.

3. Think billboard, not street sign

Visual cues are very important when it comes to web design. Readers are looking for the BILLBOARD, not the street sign view. The more prominent on the page, the more likely it is to get noticed.

4. Omit needless words

Krug’s third law: “Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left.” Not an easy task, but it does have benefits:

·        Reduces the noise level on the page

·        Makes the useful content more prominent

·        Makes the pages shorter, with less scrolling

Krug also has a vendetta against “happy talk” and “instructions”—happy talk being unnecessary introductory text on the purpose of the page, and instructions being too much information on how to complete a task on the page.

5. The Trunk Test for web navigation

“Imagine that you’ve been blindfolded and locked in the trunk of a car, then driven around for a while and dumped on a page somewhere deep in the bowels of a web site. If the page is well-designed, when your vision clears you should be able to answer these questions without hesitation:”

·        What site is this?

·        What page am I on?

·        What are the major sections of this site?

·        What are my options at this level?

·        Where am I in the scheme of things?

·        How can I search?

Well, Steve—let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. But I like these questions :)