MARYLEE MACDONALD

Hello Reader,

I want to talk about book covers today, because I see authors make the same mistake over and over. They spend a year writing a beautiful book, then put a homemade cover on it that signals to every potential reader: "This is an amateur."

Readers really do judge books by their covers. That's not cynical. It's how their brains work. A cover tells a reader in less than three seconds whether your book belongs in their hands.

What a Professional Cover Does

A great cover does two things. First, it looks good as a thumbnail. Most readers discover books on Amazon or in an email newsletter, where your cover is the size of a postage stamp. If it can't catch someone's eye at that size, it won't catch anyone.

Second, a great cover signals genre. If you write cozy mysteries, your cover should look like other cozy mysteries. That sounds boring, but it's actually strategic. Readers use covers as a shortcut to find what they love.

What to Budget

You can get a solid, professional ebook cover for between $300 and $700. For a print cover (which wraps around the spine and back), budget a little more. Platforms like Reedsy, The Book Cover Designer​https://thebookcoverdesigner.com/, or 99designs connect you with designers who specialize in book covers specifically.

If your budget is very tight, look at premade covers. Several designers sell beautiful premade covers for $50 to $150. You customize the title and author name, and you're done.

Whatever you do, please don't ask your nephew who "knows Photoshop." Your book deserves better, and so do your readers.

Sincerely,

Marylee MacDonald

P.S. Before hiring anyone, look at the top 20 books in your genre on Amazon. Screenshot the covers. Send those screenshots to your designer and say: "This is the neighborhood my book lives in."

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✦ THIS WEEK'S FEATURED BOOK ✦

All Our Lies Are True

by Lisa Manterfield

Abby Kirkpatrick was six years old when her twin sister Cassie disappeared without a trace. Now 22, Abby is finally trying to build a life outside the shadow of that day — until police arrive with news that Cassie's body has been found in a lake bed. It was murder. And all evidence points to Abby's father.

As Abby digs for the truth, she begins to suspect not just her father but her mother, her sister, and everything the family has told her about that day. What starts as a search for a killer becomes a reckoning with what loyalty, memory, and love actually cost.

Kirkus Reviews gave it their coveted "GET IT" verdict, calling it "a harrowing and unpredictable yet psychologically subtle story...as thoughtful as it is haunting." Publishers Weekly called it "gut-wrenching...with lived-in family dynamics and legitimately gripping suspense."

And since this newsletter is all about book covers: take a look at hers. It's a beautiful example of a self-published cover done exactly right. It doesn't just decorate the book — it invites you into the world of it. That's what a great cover does.

Lisa is a friend from my years living in Sonoma County, and I had the privilege of reading this book in draft form. I can tell you firsthand that watching it come together from manuscript to finished novel was a joy. Lisa is not only a gifted storyteller but a writing mentor to other writers in Northern California, and she published this book herself under her own imprint, Steel Rose Press. If you're curious what self-publishing done with real craft and intention looks like, Lisa is a wonderful example.

Available now on Amazon: All Our Lies Are True →​

Winner: Independent Publishers Book Award. Her work has appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Los Angeles Times, and Psychology Today. Learn more at LisaManterfield.com.