Tips for attractive book covers
As important as it is to write the best book possible (quality will lead to word-of-mouth sales), the book may never leave the bookstore shelf if the cover doesn’t grab the reader’s attention. Simply put, the look of your book cover is probably the most important aspect of the entire book design and marketing process.
When designing your book cover, remember: “Less is more.” A simple and straightforward concept on the cover will do more than complicated layouts and fancy artwork. If the cover doesn’t catch readers’ attention and make them curious about your book in a couple of seconds, the sale is lost.
Here are some tips to make sure your book cover is as visually effective as possible.
Study similar book covers:
Go to your local bookstore (you can also look at books online, but you don’t get as immediate an effect or see books side by side). Look for books in the same category as yours, whether it’s romance novels, cookbooks, self-help, or fishing. When you go to the section of the store where your book will one day be, what is the first cover that catches your eye? Why that cover? Is it the colour, the people or scenery on the cover, the boldness of the title? What makes the cover stand out compared to the other covers? See what you consider the best cover(s) and also the worst covers. What makes you judge a book by its cover the way you do?
Colors:
Think about the psychological effect of the colors you will use on your cover. If you’re writing a book on meditation, you probably don’t want a black or red cover because those colors traditionally suggest danger, fear, guilt, death, or anger. White or blue colors, which are more relaxing and peaceful, are probably more appropriate. Again, look at other books in the same category and consider the colors they use. How do you want people to feel about the content of your book? What color makes you feel this way?
As an interesting side note, in the 1980s when Helen Hooven Santmyer’s bestseller “…And Ladies of the Club” was published, the publisher printed four different covers. Each book had the same design, but the book came out in different colors: pink, yellow, green, and blue. I’m sure the multiple colors generated more sales because the blue cover appealed to people who might not have been paying attention to the yellow one. I remember seeing all four versions side by side in the department store on a table in the center aisle. It was hard not to pay attention.
Title and author name:
Unless you are Stephen King, your name should appear at the bottom of the cover. His name is unlikely to be what sells his book, so it shouldn’t be the first words the customer reads. Instead, put his title at the top and make it as big and preferably bigger than his name. Make sure it’s easy to read, clear, and stands out. Simple fonts are better than fancy scripts that can make a letter difficult to read or misunderstand the title. Make sure to choose a neutral color like black or white, but one that won’t blend in with the color behind it.
Artwork:
Make sure the artwork matches the content of your book and does not distort the theme of the book. An excellent example of what not to do is the marketing that has been done for some of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery novels. Christie is not a gory or gory writer, but various publishers since her death have created book covers that have mouths with blood coming out of them and knitting needles in people’s heads. These covers can be sensational and attention-grabbing, but they also do a disservice because readers who might otherwise enjoy the books will be kept away with the impression that the books are awful. Similarly, people who like a scary story will feel cheated when they pay for the book and find no guts or blood in it.
I have seen books with pictures on their covers that have nothing to do with the content of the book, but the author just liked the artwork. Although the author should have something to say on the cover, he should give some ideas or concepts to the artist and then let the artist, the expert, create the cover. Make sure the hired artist has designed book covers before and is willing to give multiple samples and will continue to modify the cover until you are satisfied. Especially if you want to have people or animals on your cover, ask for samples of the artist’s work; nothing looks worse than a badly drawn person.
Don’t hire an amateur to do your book cover. It will look unprofessional and may even be ridiculous. Don’t let hurting the feelings of your niece, the art student, get in the way of your book sales. Don’t try to save money by making your own cover. Book covers are no reason to get sentimental, nor should you skimp on expense. Paying a professional to design the cover is the best investment you will make in your book.
Make sure the deck is not too busy. Take a remote test. Have the cover cut down to an inch tall, about the size it will be on the internet. If at that size the artwork cannot be easily distinguished, the artwork is too complicated. Also take the book-sized cover and stand ten to twenty feet away to make sure you can tell.
From time to time, photographs are used on book covers. Photographs are fine if the photograph clearly represents the book. Nature scenes are preferable for spirituality and self-help type books. Historical books, both fiction and non-fiction, may use a historical photograph. Authors should avoid putting pictures of themselves on their covers unless their faces are well known (Dr. Phil, Bill Cosby, or Barack Obama are well known). Unfortunately, unless you’re absolutely beautiful, your face will likely hurt your sales.
Column layout:
What to include on the back cover will be a separate article, but here I will include what to do with the spine of the book cover. Most likely, only the spine of your book will be visible in the bookstore, so make sure your name and book title are clear and easy to read on the spine. Do something simple to make the spine stand out, like including a small version or detail of the cover. I’m a big fan of book covers that carry the illustration from front cover to spine to back cover; in my opinion, this layout makes the books feel lush and exciting. This larger image will make the spine stand out, but make sure it doesn’t take up too much of it. It might have a ship on the front cover and a lighthouse on the back cover, but on the spine, just have some ocean waves towards the bottom so it doesn’t take away from the book’s title.
Final tip:
No book cover is perfect, and different covers will appeal to different readers. Do your best to create the cover that will attract the most people. Don’t settle for the first option, look at your book with multiple covers and multiple colors, and get as many comments from people as possible. Don’t just ask your friends, take your samples to the bookstores and ask the workers what they think will sell. Once the book is published, if it gets positive feedback on the covers, great. If sales are slow and you don’t get feedback on the book cover, consider changing it for the next print run.
Remember, your cover is your first selling point, so take the time and spend the money to make sure it’s done right.