Great news: my latest novel won an IndieReader Discovery Award for the Best Cover Design (fiction)! This is exciting news – I knew I’d found an amazing cover designer, and that they had produced excellent work – but I had no idea it was better than literally hundreds of other covers!
One of the reasons I like to consider myself an indie publisher, and not just a self-publisher, is because I take the process quite seriously. This means hiring a number of professionals with the skills to help me create the best book I possibly can. One of those skill sets I really need help with – in addition to editing and proofreading – is cover design. And IndieReader rewarded that decision!
IndieReader launched the IRDAs in 2011 to help notable indie authors receive the attention of top publishing professionals, with the goal of reaching more readers. Amy Edelman, author and founder of IR, says: “The books that won the IRDAs this year are not simply great indie books; they are great books, period. We hope that our efforts via the IRDAs ensure that they receive attention from the people who matter most. Potential readers.”
Working with great cover design artists is a treat
This time around, I ended up using a website called Reedsy.com to help connect me with a designer. I’ve been very lucky to work with excellent designers and artists on several books, but for this book, I knew I needed a specific aesthetic.
For Alpha Max, I hired Coverkitchen. (You should really check out their site to see some of the work they do — it’s great.) Xavier Comas, the director, was professional and had a great process.
The cover design aesthetic
I wanted to convey the existential and absurdist dimensions of the book, as well as the idea of the multiverse. It was critical to me that this book was at a glance humorous and science fiction from its design; I was sure that an illustration on a solid background color would work best. After that, it was up to Xavier’s touch. The split head, with galaxies inside, the trademark Tundra hair and beard – plus the handwritten font – were all perfect!
And I never would have come up with the idea myself. Cover design is such a specific artform, taking the essence of a book, and rending it in a visual that describes it, the genre and its tone, all in one go. And in this case, it won an award for that cover design!
Get the book wherever you like to purchase books online, or from Amazon, here: