Very Impressed…
The Covers From the Covers 101 Workshop…
The writers who managed to get through to the last assignment of the covers workshop produced some stunning book covers. The Covers 101 Workshop is a step-by-step process workshop in design and layout of covers.
I just got done earlier tonight going through Assignment #5 in the Covers 101 workshop (first time it was offered) and basically all were professional covers that would sell books. I showed Kris a few and she just said, “Wow!”
A couple writers, as expected, thought they could write sales copy for the back cover without training and failed, horribly, but this wasn’t a sales copy workshop, it was a cover design workshop. They hit the cover design spot on for their sales copy.
And on one or two covers I tweaked a detail or moved an element slightly for design sense.
But that was it.
The fifth assignment was to do a spread (meaning front, spine, and back cover all attached together) for paperback books. Granted, a lot of writers dropped out along the way, but those who hung on now know how to do covers for both electronic books and paperback books. They have the freedom to never worry about a cover for one of their stories or novels again.
So let me simply say that I was very pleased and impressed, and I don’t impress easily these days.
Well done, those of you who survived. Got a hunch you are going to make some great book sales with the knowledge and skill you just learned, if you can just remember and keep practicing covers. (grin)
6 Comments
Topaz
It was a pleasure to learn from you.
Any idea when you will offer Cover 102?
dwsmith
Not in my lifetime. And maybe five people would bother to take it, even if Allyson and I decided to do it. Not worth either of our time. Sorry.
allynh
I still try to play with covers several times each month to keep my hand in, and experiment.
I learned that decades ago at work. I was the support guy answering the same questions each week. The people asking for help only touched certain programs once or twice a year, and forgot what they were doing. I stayed current because I had dozens of people having to relearn the tasks.
I still go back to the classic Paul Bacon covers.
Google Images – Paul Bacon book covers
to see what I mean.
dwsmith
I sure wouldn’t use those as examples for modern covers. Zero doubt he was one of the best cover designers of his time, but his time was a long, long time ago. Covers, genres, and tastes have so moved forward as to make his covers look like antiques. Nature of design.
They are great art, just not art now to study to help you sell covers in 2020.
Britt Malka
We had a great teacher 🙂 Thank you, Dean. I learned a lot during that Covers 101 course, and I really enjoyed myself.
Pity you won’t make a 102, but I completely understand your reasons.
By the way, I’ve uploaded the new cover to my book, and the Kindle version is live, the print version not yet. Can’t wait to see if it affect the sales 😀
Thank you again.
Julie
I also really enjoyed the course and got a great deal out of it. I’d definitely have signed up for a further one!