Marketing, websites, newsletters, and social media all rely on compelling images and design to reach an audience. Writers sometimes face a challenge in finding effective visual branding for their work.
My book styling service offers custom images—including cover and spine photos, interior design, character imagery, and theme/scene details—that make it easier for writers to promote their book effectively and creatively.
This summer I had the privilege of creating book styling photos for an upcoming release by Caroline Beidler, You Are Not Your Trauma. Before I start brainstorming for a book styling set, I ask the author to answer a series of questions about their book. I ask about themes and tone, and ask them to list any significant concrete details from the book. For a novel, this might be a wedding dress or typewriter important to a character. For a nonfiction book like Beidler’s, details might include a metaphor used throughout the book, or a location that is significant.
In her questionnaire, Beidler wrote that tree imagery is significant throughout her book. I used this as the main theme for the photos, leaning into it by creating images with branches, dirt, roots, and seedlings.
I sometimes describe book styling photos as visual back cover copy. If someone sees the image on social media or on a poster, they get an accurate impression of the tone, genre, and direction the book takes on a topic.
The tone of this book is serious, talking about family trauma and other heavy topics, and I wanted the photos to reflect that. I used a neutral backdrop to complement the cover and keep the feeling of the images contemplative and respectful of the seriousness of the topics.
The cover of You Are Not Your Trauma has a beautiful graphic, and I leaned into that by painting a similar pattern with colors from the cover. I love creating custom backgrounds like this for a book styling, giving the images a unique look and feel.
Here are the main things I keep in mind while creating photos for a nonfiction book:
1. Reflect on the book’s main message. It’s crucial to design the visuals around the book’s core themes. Whether it’s professional, inspirational, or educational, the imagery should align with the tone and purpose of the content. I use props, textures, and backgrounds to achieve this.
2. Use light to create feeling. Lighting sets the tone in an image. In Beidler’s book, I kept the lighting clean and simple, and used shadows as a prop in many of the images.
3. Tell a visual story. These images should give readers a snapshot of what to expect. I think about how the images work together to contribute to the larger narrative of the book.
You Are Not Your Trauma is releasing in September with Lake Drive Books.
