Let's say I am going to write a third Towers of Dust book called The Next Generation. Kind of like Star Trek, but not in space. The first thing I do is scour the internet for books that are similar to mine in genre and subgenre. What is popular? What are all the cool books wearing this season? After I have chosen a few ideas, I search for photos or graphics that I can use to put the cover together. I use either my own, those in public domain or those that are out of copyright. If I am very lucky, I can find one photo that says it all.
Then I begin. Here is one of the pictures I chose for this cover. I wanted it to be dark and dangerous.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKjEKlYXOKXVoBPoxw1xGllvUS3ye50qFq9wL58EZ4oNsJFfH6ab939BFp0vj1kxTD0rc-ZVI2dar2AltoIdw-Lkyq-7z1oJyLlVxhddX4TkIIjU3_z0mPazPSyRtzGCGprjPkXFHXDs/s320/image1.jpg)
Next I fill in the background.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOhj3OsQsBEnkGmhcPiQeIHOLu365Atj7lUsuVAlTVpZ27Ly4xb3RS1u8kujHXP18LtPJR0rdai5hSwJllVk_O9BqXUKrco7akwWNcWi0572SUbVGpn_A4luW5x1fMGhsLeIUk4MYWz0/s320/Image2.jpg)
Get rid of some of the photo so that I have a place to put the title.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaddfvI9wopH2rSTbTOUAuShLT20iDxUzHNBgt51_-zdn3DG0RUJ0NhSls7DQ__XH6CbBGLVIbkVpTl5kJX21M20hfNbM2TpTRUovFz-5_1hx1xsBH2FuaiInz4-uGSYgn4tRZdzWc7mk/s320/Image3.jpg)
Add another image, a road going somewhere to illustrate the idea that we are on a journey.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXL5wxGXq29YwHiWNmaQaO8AJ71q3zt8YBHzhsXe7MXKYCBQkdV-kPDcDsXOQ2WSAq5kGshebaXZwI1Pc-KO1I0ByEYpPtvBJiRfaSEqFtEqgY-G5nCRiVOVVVH3ZtDsnYWQjjxiN4X6g/s320/Image4.jpg)
Get rid of the pretty sunshine.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAKxtJwtHS57CYPcYkcLwevU22E5SUn5E7SVsd7PrUa8XLUGBdNT9dOrYFCHsSfiwJewOQZEC7J9bmA2EvPfu2e-wzhE5zOiePyXskpvQAoRLC-9NWSQ7B4MGvtKXOjyfGpLHNyKwvR4/s320/Image5.jpg)
Make the road a little more blue and a little less orange.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5KHlg-UDNk1Qa9SdEmuSvfc92WhtI7QKdamMqhZK94FTXYlu3KB7e_gFWXAm_DICb4Qk6dWKssf2jJVHYG5-W2_ENPBmwfNRtp4o7lho0r0UEb1PbmjdYpKAnSmg0EjpSspfL-N3g3w/s320/Image6.jpg)
Make the road a little darker.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbvmSSUcDD4eBn46YhOm3UlpjcCJxcVKifX8XWo9_FLgRG1dCWKqcvFseHhLxxc3s-dzRFCZM-_cq2W8ox_U04vmLF3spGnB-VMH-QPc5EfZCiIWGRcSFAaEpIm0RdCIueKvgOe9ntyU/s320/Image7.jpg)
Then I add another photo. This one illustrates the crumbling city that is the idea behind the name of my book, Towers of Dust.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmYpwxgyRBfqmPUwQnnG3SDhvBlWAtU_cnt2Nr5JtxiK4YuGgQx2HPO1NjWigOGYYNNM6HAhiX7r7cdZdf0vPVWb1UCBDr3J3WqK0IRS5fleZcMJhKXJ66Vt6v6bbCv5oahCoG8h_0BM/s320/Image8.jpg)
Get rid of the white and uncover the road beneath.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9by16m_iDI6At669J_o7V3O_rMCh2AhSJW21C_IcoNQKmS3BHGKPg0dWWp8t0VksXZpOfckOwc-868dh6UFZf6QPyFBZEOENHabrV4fZwEM4bvit8CL40VbH-YJgd7U9ITtK-dzvrJAQ/s320/Image9.jpg)
Add some vines creeping toward the city to illustrate the takeover of civilization by the natural world.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvtVst3y2mZLLKVMmO6mAXiri3mkiXPDk2KaoquDBBo48njyvsDIVqLIZWGc4q4bAF6GhZl8aJdV7sySYYuibRPzty6Wr9oWHmihywIIpab910VNoJchTc9NzYDR-CtfCC4051_YB8lc/s320/Image10.jpg)
And finally add the title and my name to the cover after trying out a lot of different fonts.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULROOoaR6VCC6n6BfoN6Zv4wMbRDMRx3Cj37HoXIpdmdDhcSG5RPP1qc89qgtNMEWAN_uKuDRI5VEUt0qhwyeiHF3b6vF2dF_jv0nHwdncKuId7Yeq0JFNoqRnikheRYHmKh4oGvTo-0/s320/Image11.jpg)
Of course, this cover is for a fictitious book, and done quickly and not well, but I went through the same process with Towers of Dust - The First Year and Towers of Dust - The Passing Years(not for sale yet).
I discarded a lot of ideas that I had for covers. Here are some of them.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixayrs3DRtz5T0PgXhPpZG5pHWaCaNx3qC9CuBTie4zOyqI34w3t1IwzI6IFXLEoTBoB2qKsO9MFOjhM0fPRbaopAMs-mDaNqCquV7GC5benh-AOnRtfUS9SK5RQFxbY0-8hc14_llTg4/s320/Towers+of+Dust5.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wu2gDT9wcXuzkSXhHtQpMK9avxZR20HhJ0-cOaFdMV4ePj4Tqzf-_iiq0YUiTsG1Sg3Lxh-iD-NuTMLChmpKN6dTwyqsqWQ_5_3hqDrNt_Mwt4twIK_wTO7YQ5LKcfOdBKnPUcU_T70/s320/Towers+of+Dust8.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfCeMMfcl6oi3_HQUVVxASBggNg-WwUfLkUr6I5SXeEsMB6tfYt0YESZvkGDk3wL5Z93wndtIs9lh309SYHQcikEhMcJ5OpoVQACGBUwDfLrQf1JlIBVHeGiU0Tl58uqkcgMUirieBDc/s320/Towers+of+Dust10.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaj-U7zEhzamjJRS8Hk4tY0vTr1vlnivPxRn5PslixT-Wi7htdv5C4gvT4EON-13fygDvhD2iBve5dHf0NIGVZGwNamPokDIAGDOh0TQwNGJRhTZMcituP3HY8MmWkrgM2hBBAOxU-x3U/s320/Cover+2.jpg)
And that is how I do it! Thanks for stopping by.
This is exactly what I'm looking for! :D
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