For indie authors such as myself, one of the best ways to capture a prospective reader is to have a kickass book cover. Let’s face it, we can’t really expect everyone to not judge a book by its cover, especially if you’re a relatively unknown author competing against big names. I remember having a conversation with author and #romanceclass mentor Mina V. Esguerra during the recent Manila International Book Fair about the factors that get people to pick up our indie titles when there are literally thousands of other books at the SMX Convention Center that week. The top factor? Book covers.

It makes perfect sense when you think about it. We are very visual beings, especially nowadays. We like scrolling through our Instagram feeds and Tumblr dashboards and pin photos on Pinterest. We like taking selfies, OOTD photos, photos of our food, and of course, books! You can’t deny the power of the #bookstagram hashtag! I’ve personally met readers who found my books through Instagram and decided to give them a try because they found the cover/s pretty or interesting. There was already an “I need to have that book!” thought in their minds before they could even read what it’s about. I think that’s amazing.

For the next three weeks, Design Talk will be featuring interviews with three different book cover designers whose work you may have already seen (especially if you’re a #romanceclass suki). Let’s learn more about them and how they work, and who knows–if you’re an indie author yourself, you might get ideas for your next book cover or meet your next book cover designer. ^_^

Click on the Continue Reading button to meet our featured designer this week, Porcupine Strongwill.