They say, “Never judge a book by its cover,” but that is precisely what we do. Your book spine or book cover has only 8 seconds to impress a bookshop browser to purchase. For eBooks, the click time reduces to 2 seconds as readers peruse several thumbnails. So, your book cover must distil the essence of the story and look as though it belongs on the bestseller list. It has a lot of work to do.
6 Steps to an impressive book cover
TITLE
The title is one of the most critical elements on your cover, and you must have nailed your title before you can begin to play around with the design.
- The title should be big enough to see clearly and should fit attractively on the page.
- It should be easily legible, especially when seen on a screen at thumbnail size.
- Use fonts that are comfortable to read in small sizes.
- Avoid colours that blend too closely with the cover art.
USE A TEASER
That could be a subtitle or even a short quote. The emphasis is on short. A good teaser will evoke an emotional response and spike the reader’s curiosity.
PICK THE RIGHT FONT
Less is more when using fonts. Using too many types of font can make it cluttered and difficult to read. Keep to two types of font and use a more unusual one. When people are familiar with a particular font, they tend to ignore it, since they often see it. Using a slightly more unusual font will appear fresh and exciting, and readers will be intrigued to know more.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT COVER IMAGE FOR YOUR GENRE
A picture is worth a thousand words, so how do you condense your 60000 words into an image? What does your story look like? Browse Amazon or Goodreads in your genre for inspiration. When you find ones you like, right-click and save a copy to a file on your computer. It will also help a designer (if you are using one) on the type of design you would like to emulate. You will notice patterns in design elements – colour schemes, fonts, layouts, and images. You will want your book cover to stand out by design but still fit comfortably in its genre.
IS YOUR BOOK PART OF A SERIES?
If you’re an author of a series, choose some design element to keep the same, such as a theme, image, or font, to strengthen your branding as an author.
AND FINALLY … KISS
Keep It Simple Silly. It is a common novice mistake to try and fit everything into the cover. If in doubt, less is more. If the cover is too ‘busy’ the reader will not know what to focus on and pass over it.
Don’t forget to look at your final version’s thumbprint size as this will be how online stores will present your book, and it has to make an impact amongst the other thumbnails on the page.
A FINAL WORD
As you can see, a book cover is critical to the click or shelf appeal of your book. It is the first thing a potential reader will see, and it has to send a clear emotional message which intrigues the reader to buy within that short two to eight-second browsing window. Designing is part art and part psychology, so it is worth investing in a professional graphic designer for this critical marketing device. Remember, a designer will do the best for your book – it’s their reputation on the line.
Book Cover Checklist
This checklist is to help you create a design brief. A design brief is the information a designer needs to develop the best cover possible. You can download it here . . . .
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