You know the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Well, the truth is, people still do.
How many of us don’t consider how a book looks before we make a purchase? Whenever we buy a book (and especially for authors who are new and haven’t made a name for themselves yet), we tend to go after the ones with the most appealing cover designs. Honestly, if the cover catches your eye, then we likely will pick it up. Then, we turn it around to read the book description or flip through it to see if it matches our tastes.
Thus, the book cover plays an important step to draw in potential readers who hopefully will be intrigued by your synopsis to make a purchase. So, doesn’t that mean you need to get the cover right too? Exactly!
Here are some tips to make sure you come up with a great book cover. If you’re hiring a cover designer, make sure you check if your design follows these guidelines:
- Match your genre: Do your research and check to see the designs of your competition in the same genre. Your cover should fit your book’s genre.
- Keep it simple: Pick a few strong elements (at most 3), a simple colour pallete (2 main colours are best), and make sure its not too cluttered. This will help your book look professional.
- Include awards or reviews: If you’ve won accolades, mention this on your cover. If you have testimony from someone well-known, then use that to trigger potential readers.
- Match your story: Make sure your cover matches what your story is about. You don’t want to fool your readers in thinking they are reading a thriller, but then find out your book was actually a romance. Your cover should attract the attention of readers who like what your book represents, so drawing their attention with a cover that matches the theme or plot is extremely important.