Editing the Word
for the building
of a spiritual house
that lasts for eternity
 

How to Choose a Christian Book Cover Designer

The message is on paper. The editing has begun. What about the book cover? Do you grab an image from Google image search? No - so Illegal.


Do you take a picture with your iPhone and paste it into a Word doc and use WordArt to make a big, wavy title? No - so sixth grade.


Do you hire your neighbor's high school art major? No!


This is a professional publication and the saying is more true today than ever—people really do judge a book by its cover.


The book jacket is prime real estate for promoting your book. People who time these buying decisions through security cameras in bookstores say you have up to 12 seconds to convince a reader to buy your book.


With over 29 million Google results for “Christian book covers” where do you go for competent design services? Here are some considerations:


  • Spirit-filled: The apostle Paul said, “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” And I may humbly add, in spiritual images too.

    Only an artist who hungers after the presence of God can express your book’s spiritual message in a cover. Don't leave your Christian book cover or editing in the hands of someone without spiritual understanding.
  • Talented: Your book cover designer must already have talent—not be learning how to acquire it. I love to work with students, help them to hone their craft and gain recognition for their work; but if a graphic artist is in the beginning stages of developing the craft, in all love, please ask him or her to help you design the church newsletter — not your book cover. It’s too important. Reviewing a designer's book cover portfolio will speak for itself regarding his or her ability, talent, and spiritual insight.
  • Knowledge of marketing: Graphic artists must also know about marketing — what colors, symbolism, styles, concepts grab your target reader’s attention, not ten years ago, but today. They must know what kinds of borders, typography, and image merging will produce truly lovely and captivating images that say, “Pick me up and read me!”
  • Knowledge of book cover technicalities: Designers must know about printer specifications, barcode placement, page thickness for spine calculation, image placement on templates, dpi, cmyk color requirements, and pdf creation. It’s not just about art, it’s also about technicalities.  
  • Professional and appealing website: Your cover designer doesn't have to be beautiful, but If the designer’s website doesn’t say to you, “Stay with me awhile,” or “Look how attractive I am,” his or her book covers probably won’t say it either.
  • Professional Designer: The designer must have patience and integrity in helping clients who are just beginning their first book publishing endeavor as well as those who are seasoned authors.

Learn more about how to find an image for your book cover and how to buy a stock image at the Christian book cover services of Lionsgatebookdesign.com.