DIY vs. Professional Book Cover Design: What’s Best for You?

So you have written a book. Congratulations! That is a massive accomplishment itself, as many people won’t even get past chapter one.

However, now comes the big decision: how will your book look on the outside?

Yup! That is right! We are talking about your cover - the first impression, your silent salesperson, and the ticket to getting noticed in the fierce book market.

Well, here is the real question:

Should you design it yourself (DIY) or hire a professional designer?

Ah! One of the most sought-after questions you would see on the decision. Moreover,  it completely depends on certain factors.

Come on! Let’s break it down for you so that you can make the best decision for the book and the budget.

Why Does A Book Cover Even Matter?

First things first, let’s discover why a book cover even matters. Well, we all know the saying that Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Unfortunately, we always do. No one will want to pick the book which looks bland and uninteresting, especially on platforms like Amazon or BookTok, where you get a second to grab someone’s attention.

Hence, a strong cover is essential. It can:

• Instantly show your genre
• Additionally, it make your book look legit
• Furthermore, spark curiosity
• Drive sales

On the contrary, a weak and amateur cover can sink a great story before someone even thinks of giving it a chance.

DIY Book Cover Design: Should You Go For It?

In the debate on DIY vs. professional Book Cover design, let’s start with DIY. This option is perfect, especially if you are:

• On a tight budget.
• Additionally, you have exceptional graphic design skills, tools, and resources.
• Furthermore, if you need complete creative control.

Here are the advantages of doing your book cover yourself:

Pros

• Cost-Effective: You heard that right! DIY-ing your cover can save you money, allowing you to invest in other essential aspects, such as marketing or publishing. Furthermore, with affordable tools and resources like Canva, you can create a book cover which suits your preferences. They even allow you to customise templates.
• Creative Control: Are you a control freak who likes having everything done according to you? Well, DIY-ing can give you that. Additionally, from the font selection to colour palette, you can choose everything however you like.
• Quick Turnaround Time: With the DIY option, you'll no longer experience endless drafts and revisions. Just open the software, create your draft, and you are done.
• Growth: By creating the cover design yourself, you get to learn different things, such as what appeals to your audience and choosing colours based on genre.

But There’s A Catch

While creating a book cover yourself has its perks, you can’t overlook its cons, like:

• Quality Concerns: Designing a cover doesn’t mean adding different fonts, visuals and colours - in fact, you need to understand the audience and know what appeals to them. Furthermore, from the tone to the colour to the imagery, you need to pay attention to everything. Additionally, without seeking guidance from a Book Cover Design Company, you might end up with a cover that doesn’t attract readers.
• Time Consuming: Creating the cover is not a piece of cake. In fact, it is time-consuming, especially if you haven’t done this before.

Professional Book Cover Design Service: Is this the Answer?

Now, let’s imagine you have written a book, and now for the cover, you hand over the design to the professional graphic designer who eats colour palettes and fonts for breakfast.

Sounds fancy, right?
But is it worth it? Come on! Let’s find out!

Pros

• Expertise and Experience: Hiring a professional designer means they know what your book wants. Furthermore, they are aware of the design that your audience might find appealing.
• High-Quality Visuals: These services have proper tools and resources like Adobe Illustrator, which they use to create your book cover design, ensuring the visuals are of high quality.
• Branding: Your cover helps you build a professional brand. So if you want to create a consistent image throughout the series, an expert design service has your back.
• Time Saving: Knowing that your cover design is being handled by professionals, you can be stress-free and focus on other things, like publishing or marketing.

Consider These Cons

Hold on! Don’t make your decision yet; consider these cons first.

• Expensive: Hiring a professional cover design service can be costly. Well, the cost might range from $200 to $500 depending on the designer’s expertise, genre, and detailings.
• Lack of Creative Control: Yep! You lose all the creative control. Thus, this means you have no say in creating a cover.
• Finding the Right Designer: Another con is that with so many companies offering their services, it can be challenging to find the one that suits your needs and is reliable.

What’s the Best for You? Let’s Compare

Now that you know the pros and cons of both DIY-ing and hiring professionals for book cover design, it is time for a decision.

Let’s compare and see what fits you the best:

Furthermore, when deciding which option is the best for you, here are some questions that you need to ask yourself:

What You Need to Ask?

1. What’s Your Budget?

If you're on a tight budget and can’t afford to hire professionals, it's better to DIY the book cover. Furthermore, just be cautious, or else the poor cover can negatively impact sales.

2. How important is your first impression?

For most authors, the first impression is everything. Hence, if you are one of those investing in professional services, it is the best. Moreover, to save money, you can opt for book publisher companies UK, which offer 2-in-1 services, including cover design and book publishing.

3. Are you designing for fun or profit?

If you actually want sales from your book, then getting the book cover done by professionals is the best. However, if you are doing it for fun, then go for it.

Wrap Up! The Final Decision

In a nutshell, your book cover is not an ordinary thing. Instead, it is your key to success, sales, and branding. Therefore, whether you DIY it or get it professionally done, you want to make sure that it looks polished, relates to the audience, and is visually appealing.

For those who want sales, can afford the additional cost, and have time, consider getting it done by the professionals. However, if you don’t have enough money or time and can handle the designing, go for the DIY option. Ultimately, the decision is yours as the book cover can either make or break your book!