Don't Judge a Book by its Cover?

That’s the constant advice, isn’t it? Don’t judge a book by its cover. But isn’t that because it’s exactly what people do when looking for that special read? Isn’t it part of the joy of browsing through your favourite bookshop, the skipping from design to design until your attention is grabbed? And what else explains the great attention paid by traditional publishers to the design phase of a book’s production?

I’m very lucky to have begun my writing ‘career’ within traditional publishing, where the publisher took on the responsibility for the physical construction of my first two books. This way I got to experience that design phase of sketches and colours, and to meet with a talented designer, Alba Esteban. The covers of both The Halloween House and Banshee Rising come from Alba’s creativity.

That’s why, when it came time to get my first independently published book ready for the world, Alba was the natural choice for the cover again. And what a wise choice. Just this week, I was dazzled by her vision of the book I have been writing and editing over the last year.

You’ll have to wait until next week to see the full cover design, but I promise, it will be worth it. For now, I hope a tease of the cover will be enough to bring you back.

And if you are a writer considering the independent path to getting your book noticed, take this advice: as soon as you start writing, start saving for the design phase of your book. Use the writing community (so strongly represented online and on social media) to seek out a designer you think you’d like to work with. Why put so much effort into your manuscript and not the cover that embraces it?

Alba Esteban’s work can be found on Instagram: @alesturadesign.com

25th March 2023