Today on the blog, Courtney Vail, Author and Book cover designer!
When did you decide that you would
like to design book covers?
I’ve been
designing in advertising for a long time. I’ve worked on covers for indie authors
and small publishers for about three years. I decided I would start
doing pre-made covers as well though because there were so many
photos that spoke to me. I am still in the process of building my
store at storenvy. It is currently on my site, but I have over 500
covers, so it was making it too slow, and it’s on Wix. Generally my
changes are instantaneous, but my site hasn’t been updating
properly when I go in to make changes. You can still browse, but most
of the paypal buttons aren’t activated, so if you see something you
like, just email me at luvfisk at yahoo dot com. The covers Muse to a
Madman, From the Ashes and A New World Rises have sold, but it won’t
update properly and mark it as sold.
How do you combine book cover
designing with your writing schedule?
Design jobs usually come first
because that’s commission. I try to have a fast turn around and
also give a few cover options. I also format books and try to get
them back in a day or two. Although I am a writer, I don’t make
enough for a career yet, so the designing always comes first. I also
write in spurts and jump from project to project. I have four novels
in the works and one in editing.
Can you tell us a bit about the
process of designing the book covers? How do you approach it?
I
usually find a picture that speaks to me and has the sense that it
would make a good cover. Sometimes I’ll see two that look like they
compliment one another. For instance, I like road pictures, but the
one in this cover is the plainest road I’ve ever seen. It’s like
November, so all the trees are bare, but I liked the guy in the
picture, how he’s looking back. I also had gotten this skull
picture that I was thinking of using for a pirate pre-made, but I
wanted to see what would happen if I put it at the bottom of this
road picture. The light part of the skull matches right up with the
light part of the road, so it would be easy to blend. Now the cover
pic tells a story. He’s looking back at the light, with one foot
towards it, but he’s really headed to the darkness. So of course
he’s on the Road to Hell. A cover like this could be YA, religious,
non-fiction, horror. It’s one of my favorite pre-mades because of
its symbolism. Blended covers are the best because designers are
pulling photos from the same pool of stock photos and you end up
seeing the same pictures, especially couples. And that ensures that
your cover will at least be different. I charge more for covers that
have more than one photo.
Which is your favorite book cover
designed by someone else?
I liked the original cover for
Shatter Me. It sold a ton of books. I’m not sure why they changed
it to an eye, which is just blah. The girl with the the white dress
and glass spraying everywhere was amazing. That said, BUY ME.
Which part of the process is your
favorite? The initial sketching/brainstorming process, or seeing the
finished product and having feedback from the author?
Getting feedback from happy authors
is my favorite.
Here are some pre-made cover samples:
Connect with Courtney:
Courtney's Bio:
Courtney writes totally twisted YA and adult suspense. She
enjoys braiding mystery, suspense & romance with some kind of weirdness.
Her addictions to crazy coffee concoctions, Funny Bones, Ben & Jerry's, and
bacon keep her running and writing. She currently lives in New England with a
comedian stud and a wild gang of kidlets.
In
addition to writing, Courtney, AKA, Amy Rooney, also owns CVWriter Designs. She
holds a B.S. in Journalism Advertising from Liberty University and has worked
in advertising and as a graphic designer since 1996. Although she can be commissioned for any
print design work, her primary focus within the past 2 years has been to help
publishers and authors put out esthetically pleasing covers, eBooks, interiors
and marketing materials. She
creates pre-made book covers, so if you're looking for an inexpensive book
cover option, check out the pre-made book cover gallery. All pre-made covers
are only sold once and feature title manipulation free of charge.
Pre-made
covers start at $40. The listed price includes a full paperback cover, an eBook
cover, a facebook cover, a blog tour banner and a 3D book cover. Since her
gallery is so huge, it is slowing down her site, so she is currently moving
that section to Storenvy. Please email her at luvfisk at yahoo dot com if you
are interested in purchasing a pre-made or speaking to her about commissioned
work.
