There are disagreements over whether or not you can truly tell a book by its cover. And these days, with the advent of ebooks and Amazon, postage-stamp sized covers have to convey more in a much smaller size than ever before, making it even more of a challenge to balance the overall look with what is contained in the book.
As IndieReader’s goal for over a decade has been to provide support and services to self, hybrid and small press authors, we though that offering a quarterly book cover contest (next up: Fall/October!) would be just another way to put deserving indie books and authors in the spotlight.
Guest Judge
IndieReader is pleased to welcome Phil Leo to as our first guest judge! Phil has been a partner in PM Images for eighteen years. In that time, Phil and his partner, Michael Denora, have created hundreds of images, licensed through Getty Images, which have been used for the covers of internationally bestselling books, including Sheryl Sandberg’s bestseller, Option B.
Award Winners and Comments
Phil has added comments to many of the entries, keeping in mind that the aim of these awards is to spotlight what he deemed “exceptional.” We’ve also included Amazon sales links for the two winning covers and all those mentioned below.
Now, without any further ado, here are the winners of this quarter’s e-Book Cover Design Awards.
106 Fiction entries
WINNER/Fiction
Terrin Prohaska submitted the cover for his book, GET OFF MY LAWN!, a book that teaches” children how to look at situations from the point of view of others, designed by Michael Garland (patricia.martens@boystown.org).
PL: From the expressions on the faces of the diverse group of kids and the raised arms of Mr. Smith (the green thumb of the neighborhood) to the way the image bleeds off the cover and the colors, the book cover is a winner all around.
WINNER/Non-Fiction
Samuel Sanders submitted the cover for his book, Your Next Big Idea: Improve Your Creativity and Problem-Solving, designed by David Miles (david@daviddesignsbooks.com)
PL: Readers will know exactly what they’re getting without having to read the description just from the great graphics. The color combinations and the placing of the title and subtitle are also stellar.
Honorable Mentions/FICTION
Ron George designed the cover for his book, Elizabeth Franklin: A Witch’s Tale, “the beginning of a dark trilogy.”
PL: It’s a very creepy image which fits the genre of the story and I really love how the hair color pops!
Kathryn Scarborough submitted the cover for her book, Deception, the story of Ian Richardson, a bilingual analyst for the British government, designed by Robert Williams (designs@Ilovemycover.com).
PL: Good font choice which anchors the cover and contrasts with image of the flags through the mist creates a sense of mystery that draws the reader in.
Anna J Walner submitted the cover for her book, Garkain: Book One of The Uluru Legacy Series, which blends “myth with reality” and “provides a truly unique and realistic spin on the genre you love”. which she designed.
PL: Love the font combination balanced with the central image and the pop of color.
Karmen Špiljak submitted the cover for her book, Add Cyanide to Taste: A collection of dark tales with culinary twists, designed by Miladinka Milic.
PL: Great combination of fonts, color, dark humor and graphics which really go a long way in telling what the book is about.
Ed Charlton submitted the cover for his book, The Problem with Uncle Teddy’s Memoir: An Epistolary Sci-Fi Novel and book 1 of The Aleronde Trilogy, designed by Nemanja Vranjkovic (vranjkovicnemanja@gmail.com)
PL: Spooky cover matches the mood of the book, and the guy in the picture looks kind of familiar (rumor has it that it’s the author)!
Adam Bender submitted the cover for his book, Utopia PR, a “sci-fi satire about seeking work-life balance while doing public relations for an authoritarian president”, designed by Bailey McGinn.
PL: Love the colors, the use of different font styles and sizes and the fun graphics.
Michele Amitrani submitted the cover for her book, Soul of Stone, A Mythological Fantasy Novella, designed by 100 Covers.
PL: I really love the whole aesthetic–from colors of the striking image and background combined with the color of the font.
Catalina Claussen submitted the cover for her book, Being Home: A Southwestern Almanac, “a laugh-out-loud story collection made for radio featuring quirky characters shaped by the seasons, the desert landscape, and small-town living…”, which she designed.
PL: The theme and contents of the book are all laid out on the cover with a mix of great photos combined with an elegant font.
Alice McVeigh submitted the cover for her book, Susan, A Jane Austen Prequel, “brilliantly capturing Austen’s own Lady Susan as a young girl”, designed by Andrew Brown (hello@designforwriters.com).
PL: The image on the cover fits nicely with the subject and time in which the story is placed.
Steve McManus submitted the cover for his book, Calendula Proof , “a story about friendship proving stronger than fear, and believing in yourself, even when no one else does, designed by Dennis Lenzi (denislenzi@gmail.com).
PL: From the colors to the placement it’s a solid cover design, but the addition of the silly glasses and mustache makes it clear that there’s more to this story than meets the eye.
Philip Elliott submitted the cover for his book, Nobody Move , which IndieReader called, “fast-paced and chock full of interesting characters [and] chillingly delicious evil”. Elliott designed the cover himself.
PL: I’m a sucker for for old motel signs juxtaposed with palm trees. That and the pastel colors and sans serif font scream “noir” to me.
Tammy Ruggles submitted the cover for her book, Verboten, “a sci-fi romance story with a dark side but underlying themes of tolerance and acceptance”, which she designed herself.
PL: There’s a real harmony of color and the image seems to float on the shades of blue suggesting an other-worldly feel that works well with the story genre.
29 non-fiction entries
Linda Steiner submitted the cover for her book, Hayley’s Courage – Diversity Builds Character, a story uniting “the courage and struggles of a young child feeling different because of a birthmark on her face and her emerging strength of character and friendship.”
PL: The combination of the illustration and the warm colors makes me want to know more about the story.
Sarahbeth Persiani submitted the cover for her book, Run, Walk, Crawl– A Caregiver Caught Between Generations, designed by Tony Persiani (persiat71@gmail.com).
PL: I really like the way the cover is laid out and overall graphic design really communicates the subject of the book.
William Hart submitted the cover for his book, Roller Rink Starlight a coming of age memoir that “begins when at fourteen he joins an amateur roller racing team comprised of both sexes and loaded with RSROA national champions”, designed by Colin Rolfe (colin@epigraphps.com).
PL: The soft colors combined with the font create a very whimsical feel.
Thanks to everyone who participated and please send your covers by the end of October for next quarter’s contest!
Vive la indie!