Announcing … My New Book!

My new book, Don’t Make It Look Self-Published: The Indie Author’s Guide to Book Design is coming on August 13! Read on to learn why I decided to write it, and who it might help.

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I decided to write Don’t Make It Look Self-Published … but this might have been it:

It was four summers ago. An author in search of a book cover designer reached out to me for a proposal. It was a business nonfiction title—right up my alley. We enjoyed a nice back-and-forth before I zipped over a proposal.

Her response: My estimate was on the higher end of those she’d received and she would be going another direction. Oh well, it happens. On to the next.

But a funny thing happened. A month or so later, she reached back out to ask if I was still available. She’d been burned by whatever fast and cheap design service she hired, and learned the hard way that this process was a little more complicated than she bargained for. I was saddened to learn that she’d actually paid them in full, and was now on the hook for my rate plus whatever the previous service charged her. In any case, the author and I moved forward and had a terrific collaboration. Her cover remains one of my personal favorites to this day.

The whole experience revealed something to me—a realization confirmed by many authors I’ve met over the years who suffered through poor book design experiences in the past. Most self-publishing authors just don’t know what to expect or what to look for when it comes to the book design process. And why should they? After all, who thinks about commissioning book design until you need to do it?

Compounding this issue is the fact that the book design service landscape is like the Wild West. There is no standardization, no governing body, no certification required of its providers.

And amidst all this confusion and murkiness, it’s up to the authors to find their way.

When I founded G Sharp Design in 2019, my stated mission was to “Make Self-Publishing Look Better”. The most obvious way to do this was to design books for independent authors. But the most audacious way to do it was staring me right in the face: write my own book. After all, I’ve spent my entire career working with individuals who are seeking to impact a broader audience via publishing. Why shouldn’t I follow their lead?

I spent the better part of three years writing this book. Like many of my authors, I wrote in fits and spurts. Sometimes it flowed, other times it was a slog. I’d take a few months off, come back to it, and rewrite everything. This process revealed an unexpected benefit of the endeavor: I have developed a newfound respect for my authors. This bookwriting thing is not easy.

Finally, it’s on the precipice of publication. My hope is that this book will become a trusted guide for anyone who has the ambition to self-publish. I believe it will save them time, avoid pitfalls, and provide an understanding of what real value is when it comes to investing in book design.

The book is written in a playful and linear fashion that spends very little time discussing graphic design. Rather, it helps authors understand where and how to find book design resources. It will help them identify what’s important to them in a collaborator. And it will define their role in the partnership; how they can help (and hurt!) the ongoing process.

Thanks to the support of those I’ve counted on during the production process.

Don’t Make It Look Self-Published: An Indie Author’s Guide to Book Design will be released in paperback and e-book formats on August 13, 2025.