Your Book Cover Design Will Make or Break Your Book
Despite what you have been told all of your life, people are judging your book by its cover. Whether they are browsing options online or in a brick-and-mortar store, the first thing that catches their attention is the images and fonts on the front, which means that you need to make sure you have a darn good book cover design.
If you are planning on self-publishing your book, you may think that to save yourself some money, you can create a cover on your own. How hard could it be?
There are programs online and you’re pretty savvy with photos, so it’ll be easy to throw something together. While you always have the option of going the do-it-yourself route, working with a book designer is in your best interest.
Make a Good First Impression
Not only have you heard the saying about book covers, but you’ve also no doubt heard the one about how many opportunities you get to make a good first impression.
When book shopping, you only have seconds to attract a potential reader and get them interested in your book.
Know how you do that? With an amazing book cover design.
Your cover has to do more than just draw attention, it has to hint at what your story is about, it has to visually tempt a reader to find out more.
Only after your reader has been drawn in by the amazing cover will they pick up the book and turn it over to read the blurb to find out more about the story.
Readers are picky — and they can be. There are millions of books available on the market, and you have to figure out how to attract a reader’s attention and get them to choose what you have to offer.
The book cover can help you with that endeavor. After that, your writing had better keep them interested to read the book from beginning to end.
Give Your Book a Fighting Chance
Another saying you have probably heard at some point in your life is the one where you have to spend money if you plan on making any, and that’s true when it comes to your book cover.
If you want to give your book a fighting chance, especially when it’s so easy to get lost in the crowd, then you need a professional cover to help it stand out.
Book promotion isn’t easy; it takes time and dedication, but if you are serious about your craft and wanting to sell books, then you’ll invest in yourself and ensure your book is dressed properly to go to the ball.
You’ve no doubt seen books with awful book covers and have known that the author created it themselves.
You may think that your skills are better than some of those — and they very well could be — but your readers will still be able to tell the difference between a professionally created book cover and one that you did on your own.
That could be the difference between having your book chosen or ignored.
Why You Should Work with a Book Designer
Grabbing a reader’s attention sounds easy, which means you may still believe that you can create an astounding book cover on your own, but you need to think about more than what picture and font look good.
You also have to understand what your readers are looking for and how book promotion works.
Think about the books you have on your shelf at home. Ask yourself what it was about them that attracted you to pick them up in the first place. If it was the cover, what specifically spoke to you? You want readers to feel the same when it comes to your books.
The genre of your book plays an important role in how your cover should look. You are trying to target a specific audience, and there are trends and tropes they look for in a cover to know that the story fits into what they want to read.
At the same time, your book also needs to stand out from the crowd.
Finding the balance between these specific elements takes knowledge of the industry. It means including specific font types or certain colors or the right symbols, while also being unique.
Knowing how to blend all of these things together can be tricky, but a professional will have the skills and experience to create a cover that attracts attention.
You’ve spent a lot of time writing your book and getting it ready for readers. Don’t compromise now that you are so close to the finish line. It seems unfair and nitpicky, but readers are superficial and judge-y when it comes to your book cover.
This is a great video by Penguin Random House UK about book design:
2 comments
Great advice and article, really reminds me that a book cover is more than just artwork.
TY, great tips!