Comments on: Author and Ebook Cover Artist Julie Ortolon

By: Duncan Long

Duncan Long — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:11:39 +0000

It is always interesting to learn how fellow book illustrators approach their work – and this interview does a nice job of giving such insights. The sample covers were interesting as well – though I wish they were a tad larger.

Keep up the good work!

~Duncan
======================
Book cover illustrator for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, ILEX, Fort Ross, Moonstone Books, ISFiC Press, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors.

By: Nancy Herkness

Nancy Herkness — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:24:27 +0000

Julie, thanks so much for the excellent advice on font resolution. You’re right; when I reduced the size and dpi, the copy looks ten times better!

By: Julie Ortolon

Julie Ortolon — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:12:35 +0000

Thank you Mary Jo!

By: Julie Ortolon

Julie Ortolon — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:10:16 +0000

Nancy, on the fonts looking low resolution, I’m wondering what dpi and size you’re working in. The final image has to be 72dpi, 600pixels x 900 pixels, but I always design the whole cover in 300dpi, 8.33 inches x 12.5 inches. When it’s finished, I flatten, convert to 72dpi, and save it as a .jpg. That really helps the fonts look smoother.

By: Julie Ortolon

Julie Ortolon — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:03:38 +0000

Karin, I think Dara did a great job answering the question. Thank you Dara!

By: Mary Jo Putney

Mary Jo Putney — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:43:33 +0000

Your covers are lovely, Julie! Like you, I have a design background. Unlike you, I’ve never learned Photoshop (nor have the time or inclination), so I’m adrift in the brave new world of publishing our backlists. It’s incredibly generous of you to share your process and this information with other writers.

By: Nancy Herkness

Nancy Herkness — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:46:24 +0000

Julie, your cover designs are fabulous! I’ve been experimenting with designing covers for my OOP books. I have Photoshop Elements 5.0. I don’t have a problem manipulating the photos that I buy from stock photo sites. What I struggle with is making the words look like they’re not computer-generated. When I use Elements to create the copy, it looks kind of cheap and low-res. Any tips for fixing this? Thanks so much for a great blog!

By: Dara Girard

Dara Girard — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:25:10 +0000

Thanks for commenting Karin and you bring up a very good point. I’m sure Julie will have some feedback for you, but here are my two cents.

It depends on whether an author is working with an ebook publisher (who would handle editing, cover design, distribution etc..) or self-publishing (the author takes on all the various tasks herself). When working with a publisher (both online and off) an author sometimes has to give up a lot of control.

By: Karin

Karin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:41:57 +0000

I enjoyed the interview. Do ebook authors have more control over their covers. I know several authors who have complained that they had no control over the book title or the cover. That’s how they end up with a book about a blond and the cover picture is a red head!

By: Anna Jacobs

Anna Jacobs — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:11:03 +0000

I found your post very interesting and informative. I’ll be sending my husband to have a look, since he’s designing my ebook covers.

It’s a whole new world, isn’t it? Thank you for sharing so much information with us.