Let’s Look at Working With a Cover Artist
Have you ever worked with a cover artist?
They are a fellow creative soul. But they express their artistry in a far different way from how you and I do.
It is like any business relationship, or it should be. Respect your cover artist, and they will help you. Don’t, and beware!
Get an Idea of What You Want Before You Start
So the last thing a cover artist wants to hear is, “Surprise me!” When they ask you how you envision your cover, you need to have an idea. One of the best ways to get such ideas is to browse Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and even your local bookstore.
Look at the typical covers in your genre. Are they natural-looking? Industrial? Hand-drawn?
What are the predominant colors? Black and white? Green? Pink? Red? Something else? So are they angular, or are the shapes softer and more muted?
Consider the fonts as well. Science fiction tends to have sans serif fonts. Romances tend to have serifs and script display fonts.
Also, are there people on the covers of the books in your genre? Is it two people holding each other, or just someone’s impressively chiseled abs?
Use Care!
Now we have all heard or read the expression, don’t judge a book by its cover.
Except that it’s absolutely untrue. We do judge books by their covers. All. The. Time.
Do Your Cover Artist a Favor and Do Some Research
If the covers in your genre’s section of the bookstore are all orange, should your cover be orange, too? It’s hard to say. You want it to look like it belongs in that section, right? But you also want it to stand out.
I would say, if you are a new author and you are predominantly selling online, you need to consider how your work is going to look when it’s shown with others in the genre.
Perform an Amazon or Barnes & Noble search for your genre, and for any keywords related to your plot. If your book is a children’s work about a super-ocelot named Clive (please don’t steal this work. I suddenly have a wicked plot bunny ping-ponging around my head), then you could search under children’s works and then under superheroes or animal stories, etc.
Do some in depth research because your cover is a valuable piece of your marketing.
It might even be helpful to take a screenshot, print it and then consider images which would fit in and images which would stand out.
Your Name
So, your name is probably not going to be recognizable to most people. While it is an important part of the cover, it might be better for the artist to make the title stand out more.
Unless you are very famous already, it is highly likely that the cover will have the title of your book at the top and your name at the bottom.
Cover Artist Contracts!
Oh, and another thing – be sure to have a written agreement with this person. Even something relatively informal, signed by both of you, is better than nothing. But why? Because you’re exchanging money for labor. And that means, sometimes, people sue.
This is the very essence of the business side of writing. So, it’s time to pull out all the stops and be a professional about such things. 
Want More About Creating, Commissioning, and Deciding on Book Covers?
If my experiences with book covers resonate with you, then check out my other articles about getting the best cover for your book. Because, like it or not, we all use them to judge books..
Book Covers and You, the Writer
• Color Theory, Part 1
† Color Theory, Part 2
• Part 3 of Color Theory
† Part 4 of Color Theory
• Color Theory Videos
† Working with a Cover Artist, Part 1
• Working with a Cover Artist, Part 2
† Covers, Working with Them
• Video on Working with a Cover Artist
† The Weird World of Being Published
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