You finished your book, but do you know what the cover will look like? The sad fact is people don’t read your book when considering it. They look at the cover and base their buying decision on that single feature. Sure, some might read the cover summary on the back or the inside sleeve, but most people base their decision on the cover design.
So, how do you create a book cover design adding value to your marketing campaign? If you’re not a graphic designer or artist, how do you get a compelling, creative book cover as a self-published author? This post unpacks five tips for designing your book cover to attract prospective readers.
Tip #1 – Make the Title Stand Out
The title is the primary focal point on the cover and should jump off the page at the reader. The title communicates the book’s content and essence, differentiating it from others on the shelf. It’s the distinguishing factor, separating it from the competition while defining its character.
Readers should never find the title confusing or struggle to read it when looking at the cover. That means you’ll need a title that’s easy to read, in a font that’s easy on the eyes, and stands out from the background art and colors.
The title’s font size should be easily visible, even in a thumbnail image on sites like Amazon. Finally, it’s crucial to correctly position graphic and text elements to avoid competing for visibility with the title. Today, readers shop for their books online. So, your book cover must be legible, a fraction of its actual display size.
Your readers must have a clear representation of your book cover and its title, even when looking at a thumbnail on their phone. While attractive cover imagery is critical to selling more books, it should never get in the way of discerning the title.
Tips #2 – Choose Colors and Fonts that Make Reading Easy
The book cover title and other fonts must be easy to read. If the design undermines the readability of the title, the audience doesn’t connect with what your book is about. It might seem this tactic is silly. After all, we’re visual beings, and the cover art should surely be as important as the title, not so?
The reality is that the title draws the most attention, and then the artwork. Choose colors that complement the title and the cover art. Failing to use the correct colors and fonts undermines the book’s ability to connect with your target audience.
Avoid color and font combinations that are hard to look at. Choose a contrasting font and background colors for enhanced visibility and select easy-to-read fonts like serif or Times New Roman.
Tip #3 – Avoid a Crowded Cover Design
Overcrowding the cover is another common design mistake for new self-published authors. Staring at too much text makes it challenging for the prospective reader to tell the difference between important words or sentences.
If they all have the same visual aesthetic, they make it impossible for the prospective reader to recognize the important stuff. Readers don’t look at the cover with the same engagement as reading pages from your book. If they’re perusing books, they’re just browsing and need more time to be ready to invest deep concentration into the decision-making process.
A well-designed cover engages their visual senses, persuading them to consider your book. So, the cover should grab their eyeballs, pushing them into a situation where they’re ready to pull the buying trigger.
Don’t make the prospective reader work too hard to understand the design concepts on the cover. Leave white space (blank space without design or text elements) to make critical information you want to share easily visible.
Your name, title, synopsis, and reviews are all crucial elements of the design package capturing prospective readers’ attention. Keep the design uncluttered and allow the reader to find them.
Tip #4 – Keep the Cover Design Consistent with Your Genre
Despite every book being a unique story, it’s important to use the cover to pay homage to the genre. Genres are shorthand, assisting prospective readers with assuming if they’ll enjoy reading your work. Each genre, from thrillers to dramas, has a unique cover design style.
When the prospective reader is browsing the shelf or skipping through thumbnails, they’ll find it easy to pick out the genre and theme of your work just by looking at the cover. It’s the same concept as a well-designed movie poster – you get everything you need to know about the movie’s contents just by looking at the poster in the line at the theater.
So, when reviewing book cover design possibilities, look at examples of best-selling books in your genre and emulate these design elements in your cover design. What layouts, fonts, colors, and are common for that specific genre?
Tip #5 – Understand which Design Elements Apply to Your Book Cover
Your cover design should stay true to your book and storyline. Capture the essence of the book in cover imagery fitting within the bigger picture and framework of the design style for your genre. Fans find themselves subconsciously drawn to these design features, presenting your book as a top consideration for their next read.
The cover design features key themes from your book, so look to your writing to inspire the cover artwork. Look to visually represent specific ideas or storyline elements from your writing, transferring them into graphic concepts for your cover art.
Don’t overwhelm the prospective reader with too many design elements on the cover. There’s limited space to communicate your message to the prospective reader, so use it wisely. Think carefully about the right one to feature on the cover.
It’s not a good idea to cram too much imagery into the cover. Stik to one element and communicate the most relevant information to the reader with the design. Use colors, fonts, and imagery to give the prospective reader a visually compelling story, grabbing their attention.
The Final Word
Your book cover communicates your novel’s theme, genre, and content. If you do it right, you motivate the reader to take a second look and consider if your book is worth reading.
The artwork draws their attention to the synopsis, piquing their curiosity while ramping up their senses to make a buying decision. The right cover design closes the deal, giving you a sale and a new fan.