Judging a Book by its Cover

A few weeks ago, I received the proof copy of my book Working Through It. While reviewing the proof I realized that my cover was telling its own story. My book cover brings back so many memories about this entire writing and self-publishing process.

It starts with the Instagram account on the back cover. Instagram was the first place I declared I was writing a book. My WIP was still mostly in my head, but I was boldly speaking my future into existence. If you know me, this was a huge step. I’m a private person and don’t often like sharing information about myself. Instagram allowed me to connect with a community of like-minded authors, avid readers, and awesome creatives. I found my editor in these Instagram streets. Each day I’m inspired and impressed by all the success and talent of the people and businesses I follow.

This website - With the help of YouTube videos, specifically author Brittany Wang’s step-by-step tutorial, I was able to build my website on my own. Once again, I was putting myself out there and claiming the author title in a big way. When I first published the site, it was just a bunch of aesthetic photos under the book tab because I didn’t have a cover. Over the past month, I’ve updated my website to include images of my characters and a shopping feature so people can purchase signed copies.

My author photo (Which is on the back cover) - I had intended to just do my hair and makeup and have my son or husband take some pictures of me outside. But after some thought, I decided to invest in myself and hired a professional photographer for a two-hour shoot. I remember being excited because I was doing this really big thing in my author journey. The cost was super affordable, and I got a bunch of pictures that I can use on my website and social media or for promotional events for years to come.

The book blurb and all the work that went into making it attention-grabbing. I wrote a blurb, and it was mediocre, and I couldn’t figure out what was missing. I read tons of book blurbs trying to figure out the formula. Finally, I enlisted my editor for help. She provided some notes that helped me craft the perfect blurb.

The title – I had a list a mile long trying to come up with a name for this book. Nothing stood out and I settled on Unresolved Issues, but my editor hated it. I wanted to come up with some witty pun and I Googled office work terms to see if anything would stick. One day I was thinking about the book and Travis and Makayla, and their issues and I said under my breath, “They're just gonna have to work through it.” And that is how the title Working Through It was born.

The cover art – I remember the first character sketch of Travis and Makayla. Travis looked amazing, better than I’d imagined him, but Makayla was too light, and her hair wasn’t natural. It took a lot of retooling to get her right. First, it was her dress, then her hair, her shoes, her arms, and her earrings. Makayla was a problem much like she is in the book. It eventually all came together, and I am super happy with the finished product.

I said all that to say this … most people only see the story between the pages, but a book's cover oftentimes has a unique story of its own. My cover tells the story of a woman who finally stepped out of her comfort zone and took a risk to accomplish a lifelong dream.