When designing a book, it’s crucial to remember that first impressions are of the utmost importance. In fact, did you know that upon first sight, people form opinions in less than a second?
This means you quite literally have a split second to catch a potential reader’s attention with your cover, making the process of crafting the best book covers a stressful task.
But don’t let the pressure ruin the experience for you – we’ve got you covered! Listed below are five things to keep in mind when creating your book cover to sell the most books possible.
Keep reading to learn more!
- Tell a Story
Think of your cover as an extension of your title. It needs to entice the reader and tell a story, without giving away the whole story.
The main purpose of your cover is to catch the reader’s attention so that they open the book. Once the book is open, your beautiful writing will do the rest of the work! Ensure that your cover stands out among the rest in the genre, sparks interest, and represents your story well.
- Strong Composition is Crucial
When designing a book cover, you shouldn’t simply throw something together and hope it works. The composition of your cover goes a long way with making your book aesthetically pleasing.
Keeping your cover symmetrical, utilizing the rule of thirds, and giving your book texture to add detail are great guidelines to keep in mind. Take a look at these book cover design ideas to see some examples of what we mean by “strong composition.”
- Draw the Reader’s Eye
Your book cover should have a clear focal point. When looking at your cover, where does the reader’s eye go first?
You can have one focal point or many, as long as they don’t compete with each other. This doesn’t have to be an illustration, either. It can be your title, your author byline, or another element; if it grabs your attention, it’s doing its job.
- Make the Title Pop
Speaking of titles and author bylines, your title should be front and center. You want a potential reader to see your book from across the store and make their way straight to it.
Get creative when designing your title! It can do wonders with helping your cover art tell the story of your book before the reader ever opens it.
- Keep It Simple
While a complex design can be eye-catching, a simple and minimalistic cover is actually more effective. A clean, simple design communicates a confident and strong message. You know your book is great, you know your message is a powerful one, there’s no need to go overboard with the cover design.
Use the Best Book Covers as Inspiration
If you’re feeling a bit lost while crafting your book cover, take a look at some of your favorites! While you never want to copy someone else’s ideas, it’s okay to draw inspiration from what you feel are the best book covers out there.
As you study your chosen covers, take note of what drew you to them in the first place. Your list will probably resemble this one!
And if you need more help crafting the perfect cover, be sure to check out our blog for further tips and tricks for authors.