We know we’re not supposed to do it. We know we should focus on what’s written on the pages, but we can’t help doing it anyway.
Like it or not, people judge books by their covers.
We’re all driven by first impressions, and as authors, the first impression we give potential readers is driven by our book’s cover.
Book covers are the gateway to creating lifelong fans, and they do a lot more than just grab the eye of prospective readers. As much as a great cover can bring readers flocking to your work, bad covers can chase them away and guarantee they’ll never come looking your way again.
A poorly designed or unattractive book cover will make potential readers question the value of the content within—and your ability to write a great story.
But, if designed correctly, a strong cover design will inspire your readers to buy your book by capturing the reader’s interest. Strong covers communicate what the book is about by their strategically chosen image and title.
Most independent authors have no idea of how to create book covers, and unless you are a skilled graphic designer, it is highly advisable that you hire a professional designer. A professional book cover designer understands the nuances of design and has the right tools and resources to implement your vision of the book into a visual on the cover. They understand the importance of color choice, fonts, images, etc. that fit the current trends and reader expectations based on the genre.
But before you begin your search for a designer for your book cover, let’s take a closer look at my top three tips for creating a book cover that makes readers want to crack the spine.
1. Evoke an emotion—make the reader feel something.
People read books because they want to feel something. They want to escape to a new world or momentarily live someone else’s life. They want to connect with characters and imagine they’re friends.
When a book makes the reader feel emotional, the author can call it a success.
The same is true about your book’s cover. It’s more important for a book cover to make a reader feel something rather than have it tell them something. Too often, authors get caught up in the minutia of story details and forget that it’s about a feeling.
When deciding on a book cover design, stop thinking about the story you want it to tell and instead focus on the feeling you want it to evoke. When you achieve that, readers will pick up your book to learn more.
2. Your book’s title is your greatest asset—make it prominent.
If you want to attract a reader, never, ever make them search to find the title. I don’t care who you are, how many books you’ve written, or how many fans you already have. Your book’s title should be the primary focus on your cover. It must be clear and visible.
It also needs to work with your cover art and help hit home the emotion you want to evoke in readers. Your book’s title should help communicate the essence of your story and solidify its place within the genre.
A book’s title on the cover is about a lot more than just the words. Things like placement, font choice, color, and size all need to be taken into consideration, as well as how it works with the emotional vibe of the cover art. A good designer will understand this and make sure that the cover art works with instead of detracts from the title to help sell your book.
3. Know your audience because every genre is different.
This tip definitely feeds the design choices associated with tips one and two. While every cover design is unique, ensuring it fits the intended genre is important.
Genres exist for a reason. And every reader has their favorites. Think of genre as a shorthand for helping a reader decide, at a glance, if they’ll like your book or not. Fans of your book’s genre will be drawn to your book subconsciously, and it’s an automatic foot in the door. They will pick up you book, flip it over (or use the look inside feature), and read the blurb. That’s half the battle won right there.
To learn more tips for brilliant book covers, visit Misadventure Press’s Resources for six bonus tips for making a great first impression with your book’s cover design.
Angelique Bochnak is a dreamer and believes all things are possible with a lot of hard work, persistence, and determination. She writes science fiction and fantasy under her pen name A.M. Bochnak, with her focus on epic fantasies, apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. Fortitude Rising, a sci-fi dystopian fantasy, is her first published novel. Angelique writes contemporary romance under the pen name Aria Bliss. Aria’s first novel is In Charge: An After Hours Affair. Angelique is also the founder of the indie publishing company Misadventure Press, where she offers several author services including cover design and interior layout. You can follow A.M. Bochnak on her various social media platforms, and Aria Bliss by signing up for her newsletter. She is an American author and publisher, born and raised in southern Ohio and now lives in Gainesville, Florida.
