Choosing a Book Cover by Charles Larch
One of the perks of self-publishing is that I get to choose my own book covers. I'm not a marketing expert or a graphic artist and it probably shows, but there is a lot of satisfaction in coming up with a design and putting it together myself.
Let's say I am going to write a third Towers of Dust book called The Next Generation. Kind of like Star Trek, but not in space. The first thing I do is scour the internet for books that are similar to mine in genre and subgenre. What is popular? What are all the cool books wearing this season? After I have chosen a few ideas, I search for photos or graphics that I can use to put the cover together. I use either my own, those in public domain or those that are out of copyright. If I am very lucky, I can find one photo that says it all.
Then I begin. Here is one of the pictures I chose for this cover. I wanted it to be dark and dangerous.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yDN3ih_e-GDHRTM6qt-NKMAZ0AJVcgHXXcx_JLOiMc-1j4cNTfM7-n7qsC_goriPS_uTPaU42cCFcmuf3BEew-Pbxjrpul8KxVp6ernRE7ItwS1XZBIuhrs8rAi5Pxo_R4iqHCV0P4U/s320/image1.jpg)
Next I fill in the background.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgv87eZw7-2L1d0thLsKWUQ_Xm9BM1f9XVigDMQSbrD7Qn9n-SqKJR2f728ixw_DLA0oGjvT9lstIF5_Ludw2uwea0njQdlytvRWvJsE5V6wArIpQ9z_KTuDwFSTk4IyPgLl3xLJiCLo/s320/Image2.jpg)
Get rid of some of the photo so that I have a place to put the title.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEm3BpQnDiOjQ8dy2i-82LUtkXs4dr1qKP2R9pdVyzhRgCToooDLUXHSVHlXgRfMcbMDhr05hDaDg-68gg0h53XXpXTIxye-ccSrLfqoO-sRwVe5tUm-En_L8naV6IpgDthiXCiLHQvqI/s320/Image3.jpg)
Add another image, a road going somewhere to illustrate the idea that we are on a journey.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNJA07PzMPThz_QBdJrz_VnhFOaUMTUDCiE6x3veCZ7g7DdQKM22Hzp2uqZ1jcRj6xn_HF8kV1MFNLknk_h1BRQSOKa3BjN5XqNwXbhVkRHlSmdnRIYTap72ZJEPhcVjEkTCiU-fU_6c/s320/Image4.jpg)
Get rid of the pretty sunshine.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGVRMHlXj5idftNyA2rTKGtKOIfK2S5ZauXg-abCb_TE9c36jCuEA2B7n-YFei4Lz3QYseXmnRpP9XS4q2O9q44BPqMeA1jClTH_cCyLmHkjg_hb76lHqHWAVQJeP4EfiXVHLnQGieeM/s320/Image5.jpg)
Make the road a little more blue and a little less orange.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ndoMA15ac3MUrbemDu_d2AgM8kmGgnYWUueSxkyiPcnjBIVFL1y4ycENX29w-RLutenhOXNWB_30mvMm3mHkE2tnmPEgpEXYOdPYa4bQsPeTIhc7RWKUHBhDE8q6Bi08AzBb1Uc_rxI/s320/Image6.jpg)
Make the road a little darker.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoHYLovUdfhjEU5IMpNyHfwtSSz_UebDdKgMnOhjBAcjchodwHJKFIyIbKIsRg0KeQBU5fuaY27aZXv_gXxUdr9Ehuo7u3Pp13AxmewK3NLqD-h3Fco83vr6Uz-xX-XeKoYcTfHs1jPY/s320/Image7.jpg)
Then I add another photo. This one illustrates the crumbling city that is the idea behind the name of my book, Towers of Dust.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6eWYFCHq6Qgw7sJdjpzIsMQj1kP3bQ0H0aZVZ06JW7DeL-vXtOkI6ySHsDiXgqPyPrqF5RJK3JaRkTHUgvCn1Nx8QqQY7l86DpnasMB5hpnKIsRHrWPxfi8j7-hyqJrD51gaxxIM_zE/s320/Image8.jpg)
Get rid of the white and uncover the road beneath.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEVJixQ8GtisRZFrjd6SUOsLNbhZ4eZ0FYRUjVUca57D7mYolPsuhyXjA23U3tYjii2e8Vi4yMD9koSzpZ_09IcrIEbV98iS4cToqYIkjed6qu79QfpdyeOWS3nvhvLKBxdH2vOamxCI/s320/Image9.jpg)
Add some vines creeping toward the city to illustrate the takeover of civilization by the natural world.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEcW9pegD9JTeCxjee1RnHbA5jgOzBWv-p6JnSixOCswhCgUHAPrZmJGp2XzR4q8MAAjQbObh8YLYcO3EadkDYBfQUmg2D-xu8g-ZNp0V66oAQABFCZAfBFKOmAkorwGbZujCxATh6A0/s320/Image10.jpg)
And finally add the title and my name to the cover after trying out a lot of different fonts.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWZWlTeqXes9XdAnkkPFELRj4vu44WPlstM7Yy5YSCeF6ir1o5FdsdPtoimqP_WM4kF-6GIGj-BTKUUNY2NyI3Vz7_8I0_GnDaw9oOki9xkkRvK4DAlWjVB4vWP964-MKfFzMANflPTQ/s320/Image11.jpg)
Of course, this cover is for a fictitious book, and done quickly and not well, but I went through the same process with Towers of Dust - The First Year and Towers of Dust - The Passing Years(not for sale yet).
I discarded a lot of ideas that I had for covers. Here are some of them.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7h22N6t1awmrzDqzSuPgiUG6PZ9pe3QHzPLWifuOILm7YCgH66pQVdxc0bje4NohntSVLuL3SMnRc9ZF3LOwUmgitoJBRlgguy3ezBhIm3OzNRlhFMknESUuWBRwHtay3e7Bk-3xt_c/s320/Towers+of+Dust5.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpYyZrfoHF0zsv1z9susLcQJ39L3jehLCd0Z0M4p67vZV5m1bYJFpSYUdc8L9baDRCoiuK1y9XTkNTD4pFK2ipm_JzrwvBO9i14PoEBJY6ov-X2azRYSdKytkOs5qVwRfeUWa0yqWRbM/s320/Towers+of+Dust8.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkoqtPtjlg6TbHwUk8lDUntzEW7vf6M0nzSA8icb24F6Dm6DTj6yu_Y0Onu6tF3BSGf-yQlpKI4AD_o7B2cGm8nkM9bvfCMA9qv7cfgQLOQKfEkJyqNxJfwVcSwv2KbvNHPgtxttuWk4/s320/Towers+of+Dust10.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WvSwTZrTGk5PAxRrxwJDpEKPavCMU7a_RNJ8b8V2aPv4ZMFQEZrZ-Gkfla3YpKCAacoZkG61x1EcyxpEgXzBEtynRWDCttklup0nA3VlclXCYJc9BM1ysm6_5a7VdezGy-eRYs9_SF8/s320/Cover+2.jpg)
And that is how I do it! Thanks for stopping by.
Let's say I am going to write a third Towers of Dust book called The Next Generation. Kind of like Star Trek, but not in space. The first thing I do is scour the internet for books that are similar to mine in genre and subgenre. What is popular? What are all the cool books wearing this season? After I have chosen a few ideas, I search for photos or graphics that I can use to put the cover together. I use either my own, those in public domain or those that are out of copyright. If I am very lucky, I can find one photo that says it all.
Then I begin. Here is one of the pictures I chose for this cover. I wanted it to be dark and dangerous.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yDN3ih_e-GDHRTM6qt-NKMAZ0AJVcgHXXcx_JLOiMc-1j4cNTfM7-n7qsC_goriPS_uTPaU42cCFcmuf3BEew-Pbxjrpul8KxVp6ernRE7ItwS1XZBIuhrs8rAi5Pxo_R4iqHCV0P4U/s320/image1.jpg)
Next I fill in the background.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgv87eZw7-2L1d0thLsKWUQ_Xm9BM1f9XVigDMQSbrD7Qn9n-SqKJR2f728ixw_DLA0oGjvT9lstIF5_Ludw2uwea0njQdlytvRWvJsE5V6wArIpQ9z_KTuDwFSTk4IyPgLl3xLJiCLo/s320/Image2.jpg)
Get rid of some of the photo so that I have a place to put the title.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEm3BpQnDiOjQ8dy2i-82LUtkXs4dr1qKP2R9pdVyzhRgCToooDLUXHSVHlXgRfMcbMDhr05hDaDg-68gg0h53XXpXTIxye-ccSrLfqoO-sRwVe5tUm-En_L8naV6IpgDthiXCiLHQvqI/s320/Image3.jpg)
Add another image, a road going somewhere to illustrate the idea that we are on a journey.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNJA07PzMPThz_QBdJrz_VnhFOaUMTUDCiE6x3veCZ7g7DdQKM22Hzp2uqZ1jcRj6xn_HF8kV1MFNLknk_h1BRQSOKa3BjN5XqNwXbhVkRHlSmdnRIYTap72ZJEPhcVjEkTCiU-fU_6c/s320/Image4.jpg)
Get rid of the pretty sunshine.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGVRMHlXj5idftNyA2rTKGtKOIfK2S5ZauXg-abCb_TE9c36jCuEA2B7n-YFei4Lz3QYseXmnRpP9XS4q2O9q44BPqMeA1jClTH_cCyLmHkjg_hb76lHqHWAVQJeP4EfiXVHLnQGieeM/s320/Image5.jpg)
Make the road a little more blue and a little less orange.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ndoMA15ac3MUrbemDu_d2AgM8kmGgnYWUueSxkyiPcnjBIVFL1y4ycENX29w-RLutenhOXNWB_30mvMm3mHkE2tnmPEgpEXYOdPYa4bQsPeTIhc7RWKUHBhDE8q6Bi08AzBb1Uc_rxI/s320/Image6.jpg)
Make the road a little darker.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoHYLovUdfhjEU5IMpNyHfwtSSz_UebDdKgMnOhjBAcjchodwHJKFIyIbKIsRg0KeQBU5fuaY27aZXv_gXxUdr9Ehuo7u3Pp13AxmewK3NLqD-h3Fco83vr6Uz-xX-XeKoYcTfHs1jPY/s320/Image7.jpg)
Then I add another photo. This one illustrates the crumbling city that is the idea behind the name of my book, Towers of Dust.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6eWYFCHq6Qgw7sJdjpzIsMQj1kP3bQ0H0aZVZ06JW7DeL-vXtOkI6ySHsDiXgqPyPrqF5RJK3JaRkTHUgvCn1Nx8QqQY7l86DpnasMB5hpnKIsRHrWPxfi8j7-hyqJrD51gaxxIM_zE/s320/Image8.jpg)
Get rid of the white and uncover the road beneath.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEVJixQ8GtisRZFrjd6SUOsLNbhZ4eZ0FYRUjVUca57D7mYolPsuhyXjA23U3tYjii2e8Vi4yMD9koSzpZ_09IcrIEbV98iS4cToqYIkjed6qu79QfpdyeOWS3nvhvLKBxdH2vOamxCI/s320/Image9.jpg)
Add some vines creeping toward the city to illustrate the takeover of civilization by the natural world.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEcW9pegD9JTeCxjee1RnHbA5jgOzBWv-p6JnSixOCswhCgUHAPrZmJGp2XzR4q8MAAjQbObh8YLYcO3EadkDYBfQUmg2D-xu8g-ZNp0V66oAQABFCZAfBFKOmAkorwGbZujCxATh6A0/s320/Image10.jpg)
And finally add the title and my name to the cover after trying out a lot of different fonts.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWZWlTeqXes9XdAnkkPFELRj4vu44WPlstM7Yy5YSCeF6ir1o5FdsdPtoimqP_WM4kF-6GIGj-BTKUUNY2NyI3Vz7_8I0_GnDaw9oOki9xkkRvK4DAlWjVB4vWP964-MKfFzMANflPTQ/s320/Image11.jpg)
Of course, this cover is for a fictitious book, and done quickly and not well, but I went through the same process with Towers of Dust - The First Year and Towers of Dust - The Passing Years(not for sale yet).
I discarded a lot of ideas that I had for covers. Here are some of them.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7h22N6t1awmrzDqzSuPgiUG6PZ9pe3QHzPLWifuOILm7YCgH66pQVdxc0bje4NohntSVLuL3SMnRc9ZF3LOwUmgitoJBRlgguy3ezBhIm3OzNRlhFMknESUuWBRwHtay3e7Bk-3xt_c/s320/Towers+of+Dust5.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpYyZrfoHF0zsv1z9susLcQJ39L3jehLCd0Z0M4p67vZV5m1bYJFpSYUdc8L9baDRCoiuK1y9XTkNTD4pFK2ipm_JzrwvBO9i14PoEBJY6ov-X2azRYSdKytkOs5qVwRfeUWa0yqWRbM/s320/Towers+of+Dust8.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkoqtPtjlg6TbHwUk8lDUntzEW7vf6M0nzSA8icb24F6Dm6DTj6yu_Y0Onu6tF3BSGf-yQlpKI4AD_o7B2cGm8nkM9bvfCMA9qv7cfgQLOQKfEkJyqNxJfwVcSwv2KbvNHPgtxttuWk4/s320/Towers+of+Dust10.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WvSwTZrTGk5PAxRrxwJDpEKPavCMU7a_RNJ8b8V2aPv4ZMFQEZrZ-Gkfla3YpKCAacoZkG61x1EcyxpEgXzBEtynRWDCttklup0nA3VlclXCYJc9BM1ysm6_5a7VdezGy-eRYs9_SF8/s320/Cover+2.jpg)
And that is how I do it! Thanks for stopping by.
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