According to WordsRated, the most common way that people decide to read a new book is based on recommendations from friends or family members. Other popular ways people pick their next read are because it’s from their favorite author, they saw it on social media, they heard about it on a book-related website, or they saw it on a best-sellers list.
If you’re an author who wants people to randomly pick up your book in a store, though, you’re going to have to rely on having a great cover. And apparently, that can be extremely difficult to achieve. The BBC notes that “a successful cover conveys something about the words inside.” If there’s a disconnect between what vibe the cover gives off and what the story is actually about, readers might be disappointed.
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Artists who design book covers know that they have to create something that will really stand out if they want the book to be picked up. “Bookshops are such a riot,” says Jon Gray, who’s been designing covers for popular writers for over two decades. “It’s like a big crowded party and you’re trying to get your face to stand out in the crowd. To make an impact and get someone to pick up a book and turn it over is getting harder and harder.”
Whitefox also urges authors to invest in an excellent design before publishing their books. This can help build credibility and convey professionalism to readers. It also allows authors to target the right audience. We all know that certain genres have styles or fonts that loyal readers are used to seeing. So the cover should make it clear to readers what they’re getting themselves into.
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When it comes to what makes a great book cover, Whitefox notes that it must, above all, be visually pleasing. Authors hope that their books will be on bookshelves for decades to come, so you’ll want something that’s going to look nice forever.
Meanwhile, it should represent the tone and genre of the story. And there should be extreme attention to detail in its design. If the book is part of a series, there should be consistency in each book’s design. And nowadays, the design should also translate well to digital formats, such as a Kindle.
If you’re designing a book cover and you want to avoid making any mistakes that will hurt your sales, LitReactor has some advice. First, they recommend starting with a “bestseller swipe file.” Find the most popular books in your subgenre from recent years, and compile a list of all of their covers. Notice similarities in fonts, styles, colors, and more. You obviously don’t want to copy any of these covers, but they can provide you with inspiration and steer you in the right direction.
When choosing the color scheme for a book cover, you want to choose something bold, but don’t go against the grain. LitReactor notes that if the vast majority of books in your genre use the same colors, you might need to follow suit, so readers understand the tone of your story. The same goes for fonts. First and foremost, it should be legible. But you might also need to pick something that is a popular choice for your particular genre.
