Suggestions for Great Book Cover Design for Independent Authors

People will often judge a book by its cover; that’s normal because there are simply so many books out there that it can be overwhelming trying to choose your next read. That’s why as an independent author you should be designing an engaging and memorable book cover. Something that’s unique and different can drive a potential customer to look at it with more interest. Here are the top suggestions for getting a great book design.

1. Hire a Professional Designer

As an author, you’re probably a great writer but you don’t have much experience creating a book cover. That’s why you should hire a designer that has experience and can make sure your cover is optimized to appeal to readers. Look at their design portfolios and styles and hire one that works in your budget. On top of designing it, they can explain to you the different aspects of a successful cover.

2. Come Up with a Unique Concept

Once you have your designer, you need to decide your cover concept. Discuss with your designer the theme for the book, and if you can, they should read your book as well. Afterwards, you can develop the concept.

3. Choose One Element to Emphasize

As per George Ford, creative writer at Dissertation Writing Service and Essay Help, “a good book cover should have only one element highlighted. That’s because you want one particular thing to dominate the whole cover and draw in your customers’ eyes. That can be either an image, a symbol, an object, or even text.”

4. Play with Sizing

You need to have some different sizes and scales for your cover because if everything is the same size, nothing will stand out. Make one of your elements in a bigger size to draw the attention. For new authors, you don’t want that to be your name since no one knows it. Instead, focus on the title of the book.

5. Don’t Clutter the Cover

If you have too much going on on your cover, such as images, type, and more, it will create what’s known as visual noise. Too many aspects will be fighting for the viewer’s attention. Floyd Weir, a business writer at Professional Essay Writer and Assignment Writing, says “that means the viewer won’t know what’s the core message and won’t be appealed by this cover. To avoid clutter, don’t use too many colors, fonts, or quotes.”

6. Choose Your Typography

Using the right typography has a big impact on your big cover. Colors speak to our emotions but the typeface will give your design a personality. Use only one or two so the cover isn’t too busy, and try to stay away from all caps typefaces. Play around with different weights and options and try different combinations. Don’t use font smaller than 8 points, and don’t outline it because that’s rarely a pleasant look. 

These are the main points to think about when you design your book cover. If you’re in doubt about any step, consider hiring a professional. 

Bea Potter, a writer and editor for Custom Essay and Assignment Writer services, helps independent writers and artists get successful. She enjoys helping them with marketing and social media strategies and is passionate about giving indie artists a platform. In her spare time, she travels and writes at BoomEssays about her adventures.