Illustrations are an inseparable part of the story.  The characters, emotions, ambiances and each expression, background & color matter.

I remember how in my book, ‘Maya & Daniel Do Business’, the story got an added meaning once I’ve started receiving the illustrations.

How to Choose an Illustrator? 

• You can find a local Israeli illustrator or possibly one from abroad through the Upwork website, (formally Odesk), communicating in a native language is obviously easier but on the other hand, the price is mostly irrationally expensive. You can find an illustrator abroad on a decent budget, starting from $2 up to $200 per sketch, where in Israel the range is more like between 500 to 1000 NIS per sketch.
• You have to ask to see samples & make sure you like the style of the sketches. There are different & diverse styles and it’s important they are according to your taste & how you would like your book to look like.
• Check for availability, ask & make sure the illustrator can provide you with all the necessary illustrations on a decent time frame, also, never pay in advance more than a sum for one-two sketches.

How to work with an Illustrator?

• Send him a clear description of the main characters of the book and ask for a black & white sketch for them.
• Once the characters are approved by you, send him 2-3 first scenes from the book, once you get them review them for approval.
• Send over all the scenes, still ask for black & white sketches.
• After you have approved all sketches ask him for coloring.
• When deciding whether you use one of the sketches for the book cover or have one custom-made, I feel you should choose one of the existing sketches, no need for another order.

In conclusion, you need to take the time when choosing an illustrator.
In children’s books illustrations are a crucial part of the book and you shouldn’t take any ‘short cuts’ and choose something out of lack of choice. In addition, you need to consider that the work with the illustrator could be long & exhausting, plus the choosing process takes time, but you shouldn’t compromise – it’s important your book is done the way you wanted!

We here at ‘Simple Story’ provide also illustrations service for our clients. During the work process, we stay in touch with the illustrator & offer you professional advice, but all definitions, decisions & choices are the author’s himself.

Wishing you the best of luck, and we are here for you for any question you may have.

A short email to us ([email protected]) and you have someone to consult with.

Good luck choosing your illustrator,

Amit

P.S – have you seen our marketing & promotional packages?
Marketing Your Book Straight To the Top of Amazon

The post Children’s Book Illustrations appeared first on Simple Story.

The first thing your reader sees on his Amazon scout is your book cover.

Is the book cover good? If it is good he will stop and continue to be interested in looking at, if it’s a bad cover? He will move on and won’t stop for a second to press on the book link and observe it some more.

When choosing a proper cover for your book, you need to think like a promoter and not like a writer. There are several characteristics for a good cover for a digital book; some are completely different than the cover of a printed book.

The main advantage of digital books is that with a press of a button you change the cover, impossible for thousands of printed copies available on bookstores for sale (or worst case, in your storage room).

Now here are some important characteristics for a good cover:

The Image

Around Amazon, the thing that would make a reader stay is a good visual image. An interesting, intriguing image that convey in a split second what is the book about or offer him a ‘dream’ image of something he wishes he could have.

Look at the difference between the first & the second image – what works best?

What should you write on the cover?

You have to keep in mind that the image presented on Amazon while readers scan through the published books is really small. Only a click on the image will enlarge it. This means that you shouldn’t write too much if you write too mush the reader will not be able to write it all and will move right on.

Does all that is written on the second cover is relevant?

Fonts Size on the Cover

It’s not enough to just write a few words, as I recommended on the previous paragraph, you also have to use a large size font that is harmonious with the image. Why? I remind you again, the cover image appears very small on Amazon’s search screen. A reader who is not interested immediately by the cover will move on and we have lost a sale. We are also here to earn some money, remember?

Which cover is suitable for a digital book & which suits a printed commercial brochure?

Harmonious Colors

On the cover, there are issues of taste & personal style. What one likes doesn’t apply for another. Yet, it is acceptable to use covers where the font color, the image & the background all look harmoniously together.
Very few choose to be noticeable & ‘shout out’ using bold colors but not so pleasing on the eyes. We here at ‘Simple Story’ don’t truly care for the disharmonious flashiness as seen on the second cover (below) and suggest you to mix tones.

Designing the Cover

Today, with all the many available graphic softwares anyone has, many try and design their own cover. This is how they feel creative and saving costs. From our publishing experience, this is a phase you don’t want to save money on. As mentioned, the cover is what will encourage the reader to be interested in our book; therefore, it is very meaningful to the success of our book.

There are many local cover designers and outsourced designers who would love to design a great cover for us. You have to make sure that their price is in your budget, and also, ask to see samples of covers they have designed to make sure you like their style.

Several of our clients have ordered covers from a number of different designers to choose from.

Remember, you can always change your digital book cover if the sales are not measuring up to your hopes.

If you order several cover options it is best to use the ‘crowd wisdom’ to choose for the best one. I do it through Facebook & international authors groups.  You can also consult with your friends and anyone who can offer you an objective & sincere feedback.

Here are a number of cover samples we made along with our clients:

n conclusion, you have written a book and you wish to sell it successfully and convey your story to the world, help the book by a visually seductive book cover.

The post The Cover of a Successful Book appeared first on Simple Story.