A large number of books are published every year. Some of them are highly anticipated and they go straight to number one, while others have to find their way to the audience. Yes, we can all agree that the plot is the most important and that it is a thing that will make a book successful. However, the cover is equally important because it has to draw the attention of shoppers, and in this text, we are going to give you some tips on how to design the best one.
When working on the design of the covers, one has to start with the author. Is it their first book, or are they established in the literary world? Have they previously published some books, maybe from the same series, thus are there already expectations what the cover should be like? Furthermore, consider the genre of the book. As you can imagine, the same cover cannot be applied to both romance and mystery novel.
The key is to try to describe the plot in the book jacket.
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Moreover, you have to consider where the book will be sold. Nowadays, more and more authors opt to completely disregard book stores and hardcopies and only publish their work online via e-readers. If this is the case then the title has to be larger and eye-catching in order to attract attention among hundreds of other thumbnails.
Now that you have decided on all this, we are going to move on to some practical tips. Firstly, you have to choose the size and format. When it comes to the size, it can be almost anything you want but have in mind that 350-page book will be extremely thick if designed to be too small. Secondly, available formats are paperback and hardback.
If you are new at this, our advice is to hire a professional designer who will work with you. Clearly, you can make a rough sketch of what you think it should look like, but in the end, it is for the best to leave this part of work to the professionals. They will help you with the design and also deal with other aspects of the process, such as hiring a printing company. Hire a designer that you can connect with and that will completely understand the idea you have.
Designing a book cover isn’t something that should be taken lightly. There is not a single author who will tell you that they don’t care about this part of the publishing process, no matter how well-established they are. And you can imagine how important this is for the first-time writers. This is their baby, the proudest point in their career and something that they will cherish forever. Choosing a printing company is equally important. You need someone that can offer you different types of binding options, diverse sizes and formats like the ones mentioned above, and most importantly you want to employ a business that will meet the deadline, according to QINPrinting.
Source: LinkedIn
It is also important to understand the elements of a book cover. It consists of the front and back cover as well as other parts so you have to take this into consideration when making a design. You should think about whether you want to use thicker paper and incorporate varnishing, foil stamping, and so on. If you are not sure what is available, why not go to a book store and investigate different books and covers and make a list of what you like and what you don’t like. This is also a great way to get inspired before starting the work on the design. Check out other books from your genre, inspect the design, and find the thing that makes them unique. You will also need some elements that will make your book stand out and be one-of-a-kind.
In addition, you have to find the element that will perfectly describe the plot. Is it a character, topic or even the setting? You should try to incorporate the most important feature in the design of the front cover. Or if you are planning to write a sequel or an entire series, then you should think of something that will work well for each book in the future. The front cover will speak to the readers when displayed at a bookstore. It has to be immediately appealing and noticeable, something that will make the customers take it in their hands, read the summary on the back, and eventually buy it.
Source: 717 Graphic Design
The last thing you have to do is to decide on graphics and font. Believe us, there is not a single thing you cannot do, which can be a bit daunting if you don’t have a specific design in mind. You can opt for a photograph, a sketch or an illustration, basically everything from doodle to modern typography. When deciding on this, once again you have to think about the plot of the novel. It doesn’t make sense to use a picture of the Eiffel Tower if the book is set in New York. Similarly, keep in mind that neutral shades and soft fonts are usually used in romance novels, colorful backgrounds and doodles for children’s and young adult’s books, and so on. On the other hand, if you want to use a photograph, our recommendation is to buy it from a professional. If you use one that is available for everyone, some other designer might use it for the cover of another book.
All in all, don’t forget to ask your close friends and family for feedback. If a lot of people sees it and tell you their opinion you will be able to see if you have made a perfect choice. Start with your close friends and family and then you can move to outsiders. Ask them what they think the book is about. Their opinion is valuable and might help you further improve the look of your new novel.
