We’ve been told to never judge a book by it’s cover… but we all do it. Book cover design is a make or break factor in making good sales. If it’s not pretty, unique or attention-grabbing, no one is going to purchase the book. Authors today need to have the outside of the book be as pretty and interesting as the inside of the book.
With the rise of self-publishing authors comes a need for the best book cover design tips. Being a printing house and having printed tons of books, we have created the ultimate good to book cover design. Ready?
Book Cover Design Tips
Tip #1: Create a Concept and Rely on it.
Determine what message you want to send with you book. Your book’s cover needs to reflect one idea – what your book is about.
- What is the book’s purpose?
- What is the book’s value proposition?
- What kind of design does your target audience look for?
Don’t forget to create a style guide as you create the concept of your book cover. Stay within a few colors – less is more. Use color palettes to understand how colors work together to create a feeling, thought, and emotion.
Tip #2: Generate Excitement.
Your book cover design needs to generate excitement. It needs to have that attention-grabbing element. Remember that the book cover design is the hook that will stop consumers from walking down the aisle (or scrolling past your ebook’s thumbnail).
Tip #3: Consider the Genre.
You can’t have a romance novel with a murder and revenge book cover design. The book cover design needs to show what genre the book falls in.
Tip #4: Use Quality Photos.
Unless you are a professional photographer, don’t use photos you’ve taken yourself. Don’t use pictures your child drew. Unless it is 100% appropriate to use these, you need to use high quality images that are unique. Remember to research stock images to ensure they haven’t been overused on other book covers.
Tip #5: Don’t Over (or Under) Do Typography.
There is nothing worse than a book cover design with a million different fonts and typefaces. The same goes for too little typographic choices. Make your fonts work together. On that note, use a font that is easy to read. Click here for help on pairing fonts.
Tip #6: Consider How it Will Look as a Thumbnail.
Books are still being sold in stores, but also online as ebooks and in mobile stores for electronics, such as a Kindle Fire.
Keep this in mind as you create your book cover design for print and for these other methods. Make it look just as pretty as a thumbnail image. With the rise of social media comes the rise for self-promotion. You can share your book through Facebook, Twitter and the most recent hype: Pinterest.
Taking your time creating a unique and aesthetic book cover design can produce big results in the end. Don’t rush the process.
Do you need help printing your book and/or designing your cover?
Alexander’s is both a print house and a contact for book cover design. Call our office at 801-224-8666 or fill out the contact form below to get started. We would love to help you!
