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4 Things Every Awesome Book Cover Needs

by | Aug 8, 2016 | The Writer's Tool Box

4 Things Every Awesome Book Cover Needs

Don’t judge a book by its cover! Or so we’ve all heard. In all honesty, an awesome book cover can make or break your book’s sales. While it’s certainly romantic to think that your book’s worth is solely determined by its content, the fact of the matter is that it’s the cover that will entice a customer. The better the cover, the more likely the book will sell. Here are four points to consider when designing your own awesome book cover.

 

Get Yourself an Awesome Book Cover

 

A focal point: Every awesome book cover will immediately demand attention, and the best way to do this is by creating focus. There are several ways to go about doing this. You can use white space to draw the eye, or an interesting photograph or other visual, or a bold font to highlight your title. Whatever your choice, be certain to make it unique to your book and your style. And keep it simple – it should be interesting enough to provoke further investigation, but clean enough to convey all appropriate information (title, genre, etc.) at no more than a glance.

Atmosphere: Separate from a book, an awesome book cover will have a flair all its own. It will have a hook, something that pulls you deeper in and makes you want to know more. Now, what this hook will be will differ from cover to cover. It could be a specific color scheme that sets the mood for the pages within, or a particular scene from your book that sets the pace from the start. Like any piece of art, it should have a life and vibrancy of its own.

Harmony with content: Here’s where you need to step it up a notch. An awesome book cover should be more than eye-catching; it needs to be congruous with the contents of your book. An interested consumer should be able to look at your book cover and already have an idea of what they would be reading. Use fonts, colors, and images that align with the main ideas and themes of your book.

Attention-grabbing thumbnail: Imagine you’re browsing on Amazon for a new book to read. Unless something really strikes your fancy, you’re most likely to stick to the initial search results page before following any links to find additional information. That leaves you with nothing but the cover, title, and author to make your initial choices. This is why it’s of vital importance that your cover, no matter what design you ultimately settle on, looks appealing even at thumbnail size. To do this, you’ll want to keep your cover from being too busy or cluttered. Make sure that your title stands out and is easily readable, or, if you’d prefer a focus other than your title, that it’s strong enough to convey the appropriate message without words. Whatever your decision, choose a design that can create a big impact within a small space.

Designing an awesome book cover is no easy task, but if you follow your instincts and know what’s right for your book, you’ll have no problem making the best choice. And if you’re still having trouble, try keeping a collection of other awesome book covers that stand out to you. It’s only a matter of time before you find the perfect inspiration! If you have any favorites that you’d love to share, I’d love to see them in the comments below! What do you think makes an awesome book cover?

NEXT: What Book Cover Font Should You Use?

4 Things Every Awesome Book Cover Needs

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