Three Design Tips for a Winning Book Cover

Great book covers compel readers to grab and buy the book. This feat is a veritable art form in itself. Often, either authors take this matter for granted and commit little effort to ensure it looks artfully compelling, or worse, they take matters into their own hands and do the artwork themselves. This would be okay if they really know what they are doing. Often, the DIY approach proves devastating to first-time authors without sufficient book cover art experience.

How about actually selling your book to your readers? Is your cover design targeting the reader most likely to buy your book? Your cover must all at once catch the eye and instantly convey the message, “This is the book for you.”

Here are a few pointers that will help you create a book that catches your readers’ attention and communicates a direct, clear message that the book has been written specifically for them.

1. Your Cover’s Image Should Reflect What’s Inside

Shout out your book's interesting plot and story by appealing to their sense of interest. Depict an image, illustration or artwork that will announce your story in a big and clear way.

Your readers already know what they want. Make your book cover simple but certainly not plain. Clear but not necessarily loud. Help them conclude that your book is clearly one that they shouldn't miss.

2. Your Cover’s Typography Should Tell a Story

Typography is the style and positioning of the words on your book’s cover. Every word should have a definite meaning and serve a specific function. That purpose is to tell your readers a succinct, concise story that will encourage them to buy your book.

Take note of the following typographical guidelines:

• Your choice of type face, font size, style, and color will make an impact on your cover’s design. The words must be a part of the overall image you are trying to create.

• Isolating a particular word or words immediately increases their significance. By doing so, you are calling the reader’s attention to them. This may be a good idea if you are a famous author and can sell books by your name alone. But in other cases it might dilute your cover’s intent.

• Positioning is crucial. The most important element of your message should be at the top of your book’s cover.

3. Choose Every Element of Your Book Cover for Harmony

Typography, illustrations, design, size, positioning, color, and every other visual element of your book’s cover must be organized in a fashion that communicates their overall message to your reader clearly, quickly, and efficiently. Remember,

• The larger the size of the element, the greater its importance to the overall message.

• Use color to make a particular element pop.

• Position each element in a way that your reader’s eyes flow from one to the next as though they are being told a visual story.

For more writing tips, head over to the iUniverse Writers Tips and learn from the experience of iUniverse Author Focus.