How to Make a Book Series - Creating the Artwork

Say you were a vegetarian and you recently purchased a book on friendly vegetarian recipes. When you get home, you crack open the book for the first time and a handful of postcards and marketing material fall out of the pages advertising meat packer associations and where to find the best steak. Although good for your iron intake, these kind of pictures and campaigns would be poorly received by the reader, potentially damaging the loyalty the reader has to that particular author and/or publisher.

This is an extreme example, however you would be surprised to find out how much time many authors and publishers spend on considering the right artwork for their publications. Let's take a look at understanding matching concept with content.

Most of the time, the artwork chosen for a particular project is left to the designer and he or she is given a brief outline of the content of the book. The designer can then utilize their resources to choose or create their own artwork that matches the particular content. However, what the designer sees as "fresh" and "edgy" may not be effective for a book that is targeting a more traditional and conservative audience. When choosing artwork for your book or publication it is important to keep in mind the ideas discussed in the Targeting Your Audience post. Zero in on the culture that you plan to target and learn to see past your opinions on what kind of pictures can most effectively reach your audience.

Walt Disney once said, "Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language." Often, ideas can be communicated in one picture that words struggle to describe in an entire paragraph. It is vital to choose artwork that digs into your ideas that wraps itself around the essentials of what you are trying to communicate. The better your artwork describes your thoughts, the better impact you can have on your readers (and the more memorable your project becomes).

Now all of this may seem abstract and lofty, but the good news is that you already have access to the people that can handle this for you. "Sure..." you say, "for a fee!" Not necessarily. That is one option and below I have included some links of some very well established and trusted designers and firms that have proven their success within the publishing marketplace. However, you can also utilize royalty-free image galleries such as iStockPhoto.com or GettyImages.com among others. Here you will find a myriad of illustrations, images and photographs of practically any idea you have to communicate. (Tip: if you find yourself searching hours on end to find the "perfect" photograph, consider using more specific search terminology. For example, to find a photo of a beach, be more specific and use terms like "white sand," "footprints," or "coastal sunset" to hone in on your idea.)

For the more technical user, many professional designers use desktop publishing software such as InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop as their creative platform. These programs are not cheap and have a steep learning curve, however they are incredibly useful in creating high-end customized artwork.

While we have discussed artwork that is found within the body of your book, pay special attention to any artwork you choose for the cover. There is a concept among book publishers that states the 3 points of sale. #1 The customer first sees the title and cover. #2 If the customer grabs the book they turn it over to read the back, and #3 they look at the price. By this reasoning you have 3 chances to engage the potential reader and the FIRST chance you get is by the cover title and artwork so be sure to make a great impression.

Lastly, I highly recommend doing your homework and being thoughtful about the ways you consider matching your concept with your content because in the end, you can either choose a steak on a vegetarian cookbook or a mouth-watering french dish in front of the Eiffel Tower. Although you may not receive any free tickets to France, you will end up with a much better chance of laying the foundation for a truly engaged and loyal audience.

Recommended Professional Designers:

Mike Deitsch - The Vine Collective
Linda Bourdeaux - The Design Desk
Susanna Parrish - Texasus Design
Chase Carter - Revelation Interactive


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