My Face, Or Not My Face? That Was The Question

Picking the perfect cover for my new retirement book wasn’t as easy as I thought…

I’m about to publish my tenth book, Dare to Discover Your Purpose and over the years I’ve learned a lot about being an author.

Back in the day, I did everything myself.  I wrote the book, edited it, found a printer, designed the cover, published, marketed and… well you get the picture. It was a labour of love.

Things have thankfully changed since then, but some things remain…

Judging a book by its back cover

I’m very conscious of the fact that most people don’t look at the front cover of a book. They give it a cursory glance, flip the book over and digest what’s on the back.

That said, the front cover still needs thought and my, oh my, did I do a lot of thinking with this one!

Words matter

My original plan was to have the title of my retirement book emblazoned across the front cover: DARE to Discover Your Purpose

I thought this alone was enticing enough, but then I thought some more.

The page looked so empty, and so I added more words, following in the footsteps of the great Brene Brown…

Lots of words really work for her – but not, I decided, for me.

I needed visuals – something that summed up what the book was about.

Map, tree or riverbed?

In this retirement book I ask people to discover their treasure. The thing that fills them with joy – and in many cases, the thing they’ve locked away for a very long time. THAT was the image I wanted to grace the front cover.

I came up with a design and showed it to family and friends.

“Is it a tree?”

“The seabed?”

“Wrinkles?”

People asked.

But this just spurred me on. I liked the confusion. The idea that, like good art, people could interpret it in many ways.  I was sold.

My face or not my face?

Until… I picked up a Gabby Bernstein book.

If you don’t know, this New York Times bestselling author always graces the front cover of her books – and the back. Should I?

After all, this book is a big part of me – and I am a big part of this book.

I couldn’t. Could I? I did. And to be honest, I really liked it.

But then I stopped listening to my ego and turned instead to my trusted gut.

A treasure map it was – and is – and I couldn’t be more proud or more satisfied with the design.

I hope you also like what’s on the inside and the outside of the book.

Pre-order your copy now and you’ll automatically qualify for a free LIVE interactive workshop with me.

Go on, what are you waiting for? I DARE you to discover your treasure.