how to use inkscape to format a book cover for createspace

Assemble the photos so that they construct more or less a fluid setting.

Name of the Wind‘s cover communicates nothing about its story, merely that it is in the fantasy genre. The point of a cover is to get somebody to pick up the book and read it. Generally, it is probably better to have really good images that don’t quite match your story than to have bad images that do.

Go find really good photos that match the ideas and genre.

Is it romance? A pretty woman and a guy with abs would be best, with a photo that represents the setting as a background.

Is it urban fantasy? You might want a cityscape and a wizard figure. These should work to communicate your genre. Decide on what elements you want in your book cover.

The basic steps for executing this type of design would be: In the case of Name of the Wind, the designer uses asymmetry to compliment an asymmetrical image and disguise some of the flaws in the image design. Then the title and author name are placed on top using whatever design approach fits the image. In essence, most modern book covers are composed of several photographs that are blended together to create the image of a scene or location, and usually mixed with a human face or figure to round out the package and create the illusion of a real photo session or piece of art. I demonstrate this by copying the design of the cover for Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss, a best-selling fantasy epic that uses a standard photographic book cover. Every wonder what goes into a modern book cover? In the video below you can watch me go through every step, from blank document to finished product, to create a modern book cover using only stock photography, Inkscape (a free vector and object program), and a little know-how.

How to use inkscape to format a book cover for createspace