Today’s Topic: Book Cover Mistakes & Lessons - There’s Far More to the Cover Than Meets the Eye!

OK first off I’m gonna just spill the beans! I just got fired! I’ve been doing all things book for a long time and I’m fine making myself vulnerable for both of us to learn. I’m good at what I do, but occasionally I’m just not a fit for someone. I have no hard feelings so don’t get me wrong. Not all relationships are bliss.

Since my client fired me I think its pretty safe to say we can talk about what went wrong without doing any harm. In other words, I don’t think she’s tuning into my podcast! And, I can share some lessons she and I both learned in the process so this kind of thing doesn’t happen to you in the future!

It’s been so long I can’t remember the exact date, but I think its safe to say that about 3 years ago this client came to me to let me know she was writing a book and planned to hire...

Wow guys! I’m super excited to have had this little break lately in my business. There truly are gifts in this time.

I’m Nicole Gabriel, by the way, and the host of the Let’s Get Your Book Published podcast.

Over the last week I have been in between clients. It’s often this happens in my business when one client finishes writing a book and goes off to the printer and another has just completed the book cover design but not ready for the interior book layout yet. I get a break to re-group!

For me…THIS is a GLORIOUS time to play catch-up. But, this time in particular has been simply awesome. I adore what I do for a living and every day that I get to do what I do I am blessed beyond words. I have fought really hard throughout my life to find my calling and doing what I do for my career is a large part of stepping into it! Every day I’m truly blessed. I thank my clients and you, my listeners!

As an entrepreneur we sometimes have to fight extra...

Nicole (00:17):

For 25 years, Daniel ed has supported the public sector, healthcare nonprofit, K through 12 and higher ed organizations. As a management consultant. He holds a master's in business administration and international business from the Alberta school of business and economics at Seattle university. He holds certifications and strategic planning and group facilitation. Dan has a Kaplan Norton balanced scorecard graduate and certified lead practitioner. He has also held the project manager professional certificate and is an experienced pilot trades examiner through the Alliance program, leveraging the genetics of leadership cracking the code of sustainable team performance is Dan second book. His first was transformation management published by Spiro press in 2003. Dan lives in Bellville, Washington, not far from the world headquarters of Microsoft T-Mobile Expedia and Amazon, his wife, Hey, is the pediatric physical therapist for the local school district. Dan...

The Future of My Book—Where Do We Go From Here?

Hey Guys! Welcome back to the final and 5th part in the 5 part series on working with a designer. We are going to talk about what we do once we have a book in hand…how to make changes in the next print runs, how to sell and market your book, and how to get started working with me on the design and layout of your book. So, let’s get started…

How do I make changes to the book’s content in the future?

• Many authors seem to get confused about future reprints. When there is no more Word doc and the book is already printed it is best to contact the designer or editor directly. You will work with the Editor and Designer just like you did when you were making your final changes.
• Many authors start to look into cutting costs after their initial print. They start to look into print on demand, soft cover books, and also look into distribution savings and inventory control.

As you will hear in some of...

Hi Guys! Nicole Gabriel here!

I’ve been working on the design and layout of so many books lately and one of the things to consider when taking your book to the layout and design phase is how well you’ve thought out your title…and all the key words on your book cover.

Clearly the title of your book is one of the most important things when it comes to writing a book. Unless the title both makes sense and draws attention it may never be found and most certainly never read. But, as a book designer and author for many years, there are certain ways to design a book that makes the title stand out even more.

I have a chapter in my Let’s Get Your Book Published book that talks about titles, subtitles, tag lines, and even colors. I also talk about all of this in my online book publishing training program. You can download my eBook for $2.99 on Amazon if you’d like to learn more. Turn to chapter 8 for cover design. In this chapter I also talk about standard...

Don't leave the design of your book cover in the hands of a Designer alone!

I've been designing book covers for nearly 10 years now. It's been my primary job along side the interior book layout. I have seen a thing or two. But by far my largest challenge is that when my clients are referred to me they usually have NO IDEA what is involved in book cover design! This is generally no fault of their own, but they are usually referred to me by a book coach or they just don't know what they need and find me by referral or even randomly. 

You see, the book cover isn't just about the look and feel and what you like, but it needs to suit the genre and attract a reader in that genre first, but it really has to align with the reason you are writing in the first place. 

If you are coaching or speaking is your book written to that audience? If you are planning to do teaching or training you might like to use a logo on the cover to identify your school or academy and allow the logo or...