The purpose of a book’s cover is to sell, according to Damonza, a world-famed cover illustrator. If you need a cover to attract book buyers to your book on a shelf, click on this link: https://damonza.com.
His company’s promise, delivered via Zoom, is to achieve the following until you, the novelist, are 100% satisfied follows
- achieves a brilliant, striking, and strong focal point that achieves first glance, in the blink of an eye attention
- conforms to genre standards with a font that works with the story
- to make your book as professional as possible so that it’s not perceived as less than a traditionally-published book
The cover selection process was expedited by the fact that I’d worked with Damonza on my prior book.
That gorgeous cover required 7-9 versions to come together in perfection over the course of several months in 2018. Because the same employee of Damona and I had worked through the process, the cover of The Jailbird’s Jackpot was achieved in two versions, with only better placement of the apostrophe to achieve – Huzzah and Hurrah!
In his Zoom seminar, Damon responded to my inquiry about how he became a cover illustrator – he needed $$ to provide for his family, desperate after a business venture failed… He began to work for 99designs, another Down Under company which specialized in logos as well.
In other words, he made his reputation the good, old-fashioned way: he earned it!
I, too, had worked with 99designs, last year when I published a short story anthology – 
so, when I desired to publish the blog posts that helped me to cope during a three+ month requisite homestay due to COVID-19, I hired the same cover artist. Katerina, coincidentally, lived in Greece. Her country was just emerging from a country-wide lockdown when I emailed her and she was overjoyed! Win-win! Here’s the cover –
Great covers are definitely worth the time and effort that goes into them! I’m glad you found such a talented artist!
Yes! Because it’s true that people judge a book by its cover –
Hi, PJ! At some point I’ll reach the cover design fun! Yours are smashing! I used to live down the street from Irvine, at Chapman and Harbor in Garden Grove ` That was a lifetime ago. Sometimes I miss Southern California. You look like you’re having a wonderful retirement, you walking exclamation point, you! Thanks for co-hosting today!
‘Won’t you be my neighbor’ again…
We don’t have much time to snag a buyer, so that book cover must be the best! Then the blurb!
Here’s my blurb/Twitter pitch:
Ex-con AMY BREEDEN has a problem, but becoming an instant millionaire isn’t it. Will she stick to her intention to take down the dude who double-crossed her or decide ‘living well is the best revenge?’
Whaddayathink, Denise?
Did you know Amazon is saying your book is out of stock. I’ve heard this before and it’s a glitch I think.
Yes, I spoke directly with KDP Support yesterday. All is supposed to be repaired by Friday and I hope you keep trying to buy it. It’s a good cause.
I guess I haven’t thought about a cover as just a sale tool. But that does make sense. Very good post.
Thanks – and yes, people do judge a book by its cover.
Hi PJ! I didn’t find your IWSG post for September, the one you are a co-host for. Then, I stumbled across your IWSG post from August, but couldn’t leave a comment there. Now I’m here! I wanted to thank you for being a co-host this month and congratulate you with all your work on The Jailbird’s Jackpot!! You’ve made such fantastic progress in little time.
A year and a half ago, I contacted 140 agents with personal queries and only now am I on the way to self-publication. The editing steps are underway, but I still have to come up with a blurb and a cover among other things. Did you hire a cover artist for your novel? I love the cover!!! Success with the upcoming release!
Oooops. I should have read this blog post before I left my previous comment. I got my answer! I’ll check Damona out, but I’d probably need a cover sooner than “several months”. 🙂 We will see what happens…
Good morning, Liesbet!
I’m afraid that my feverishly-crafted and precision-refined post (to live up to the group’s standards) as co-host of IWSG. fell victim of a WordPress theme change about mid-day on September 2. As an artifact of my updated author site, pjcolando.com
Gulp and oh, well. Chalk it up to COVID-19, which has chewed up many elements of 2020 life. FYI, the writing partner I’d choose above all others would be my deceased mother, the English major collegian who subrogated herself in dutiful motherhood and wifely skills.
BTW, a benefit of working with a cover illustrator ‘Down Under’ is that the turn-around is literally the next day, so that the back-forth of the design process is swift. I’d also recommend 99Designs, which is New Zealand-based as well.
Best of luck to you, Liesbet (you look much like my younger sister, Linda)
Thank you for the quick reply! Sorry to read your post vanished… You are taking it much better than I would! Technology… I love it and I hate it at the same time. 🙂 I’ll check out the 99Designs website as well; Damona is well above my budget. Thanks again the encouragement as well!!