As an author and adesigner, I truly and deeply understand how precarious the balance can be between the craft and the business of books. I design all my own book covers and there are many times where I want nothing more than to fire myself for just not‘getting it’.Those are the moments where I have to force myself to step back, shut off Photoshop, and remind myself that I’m getting too emotionally invested in what is meant to be an advertisement for the most important part–the story.Here are five things authors do to get in the way of their own cover success.1. Making it about youBooks are for readers. Yes, we write for ourselves and we write what we want/love to write about, but once that book is done and in the world it’s not about us anymore. That book belongs to the readers. The cover is meant to sell the reader, not the author. Creating something that is only meant to impress the author can potentially alienate people and we want ALL the people to read our books, right?2. Getting too attached to detailsSpending months and months finding a picture that is *exactly* like the character is accomplishing nothing but pushing deadlines. Take a browse through Goodreads reviews where so many readers are awesome enough to do fan casting or vision boards for books and there is one universal things in all of them…Everyone interprets the characters differently. Pushing deadlines and forcing images that may not be suitable for a cover design can also lower the potential reach a cover might have.3. Not understanding genre/marketTrends are hard. Especially for authors who don’t write to trend. But the temptation to design a cover to trend is shockingly common. Stay true to actual genre/tone of the book instead of chasing dollars. Readers will notice and authors will get called out for advertising their book as something it’s not.4. Hiring for cost instead of styleDon’t hire a designer just because they are cheap. In the same breath, don’t hire a designer just because they are popular or expensive.Hire a designer for their style. Designers are always looking for theirI-love-my-job clientswho let them swim freely in their talents. You are that client for some designer out there. Find them. The two of you will create cover magic together. I promise.5. Valuing friendship over businessThe author/designer relationship is one of business. Lots of designers are personable and friendly (or they should be at least polite) but their job is to help sell the book. Over time and many covers the relationship may develop into friendship over a mutual love of similar books or similar outside interests but for the sake of your career there has to be boundaries. Once the relationship tips into friendship the risk of it becoming too personal is too high.Bonus tip:As harsh as it may sound, your designer doesn’t love your book like you do. Most designers I know actually make a point of not reading the books they design (to avoid claims of bias or favor) but even if your designer has read and enjoyed your books they will still never love it like you do. Your book is their job, and often times, nothing more. Make sure to keep your expectations of your designer realistic.Sign up for ournewsletterwhere I’ll layout some ways to avoid getting caught in these cover derailing traps.