How to Design a Book Cover for Maximum Exposure

You only have a few seconds to grab the attention of readers. Those seconds are priceless. Each cover component matters.

1. Match your branding

If you are an author looking to build your brand, this is vitally important. If you are a business owner publishing a book to position your brand, you also want to pay attention here.

Your book should and business branding should be cohesive. Follow your company Brand Guide if you have one. If not, this is the time to create one.

Brand Guides have been around in the marketing world forever in some form or another. You may have heard it referred to as a style guide or storyboard. So what is a Brand Guide? It is a simple guide for what your brand or company communicates to your audience. Basically, a Brand Guide tells your marketing team what fonts, styles, colors, emotions your brand is trying to communicate to your audience. In this case, you’ll use it with your book cover designer. Providing them with a Brand Guide is a simple way to stay cohesive. You can read more about how Brand Guides will provide brand consistency here.

Why should your book and brand be cohesive? You are building brand recognition. As you can see from this image all three of Brenda’s books are cohesive in color and style even though one is a self-help book, one is a Bible Study and the other is a business book.?

2. Intriguing title

Book titles always come to me before the rest of the book. I’ve been told that is rare. At any given time, I have ten titles rattling around in my head begging to be written. Here’s the thing about a title, it has to catch the attention of a reader in a matter of seconds and hold it long enough for the rest of the cover to do its job. When I shared the title of my first book prior to having my subtitle nailed down, most people loved it and were intrigued. One person told me that no one was googling butter tubs and that I should let it go. It turned out to be the metaphor for the entire book. It is memorable and stirs up the right amount of nostalgia.? Sure, I could have filled my title with searchable keywords, but, Save the Butter Tubs!: Discover Your Worth in a Disposable World is memorable and intriguing. This title catches the attention and makes people wonder what the book is about. The subtitle fills them in.

3. Beneficial subtitle

If you have a catchy or one word title, this is where you get to share the benefits. Share at least one, if not three, benefits you readers will get from reading your book. Keep it simple. Remember you only have seconds. Save the longer explanation for the back cover copy. It is also common in the U.S. to use Title Case here. If you don’t know what that is … Google it. Professionalism matters.

4. Color contrast

This lesson, unfortunately, I learned the hard way. I was up against a deadline and didn’t print out a color copy of my cover for Save the Butter Tubs!: Discover Your Worth in a Disposable World prior to approval. I first realized my flaw when I had a three foot by seven foot banner printed with my cover on it. The red wording in the title and the blue background suddenly looked muddy. I was so disappointed. I had actually changed it from white to red to give it more punch. Mistake!

The big mistake was not printing it in color prior to hitting the publish button. Instead, I trusted the backlit computer screen to determine my choice. Always, always print your cover in color before approving it. I suggest sending it to your local photo printer and getting the true results. This is what will be reflected on the book and all of the promotional materials. Be sure that your colors are high contrast from the start, and you will save time, money, and hassle of reprints and ordering new marketing materials down the road.

5. The “Z” still matters

Many moons ago in a marketing class, I learned that the eyes naturally scan or read from top left across to the right, down diagonally to bottom left and across to the right. This “Z” pattern is something that happens naturally. If the components of your cover don’t follow the “Z,” it better be on purpose. Disrupting the norm can be a good thing sometimes, but be purposeful in doing so. Make sure you have a good balance in your placement of the text and images. Font sizes need to be appropriate as well.

6. Suitable unique image

A common mistake with covers is designers using stock photos and not making any adjustments to the image. The problem with this is that anyone can use that same stock photo. Using stock images is fine, but use a professional designer that knows how to layer images and make them personal. Take extra care in using images that are popular or trendy. If it is associated with a book that tanks or has negative press, this could hurt you in the long run. Readers might never pick your book up thinking they’ve seen it before.

Now is the time to stand out in a good way.

7. You’ve got one inch

Most new authors dream of how their book will look on the bookshelf at a big chain store. The problem is most new authors are blessed if they get a big chain store to carry their book, but the likelihood of them getting front facing space is rare. Therefore, in a book store you might have less than an inch. You have a spine. Use it wisely. The inch you are sure to get is online. Amazon is the largest bookseller and you get a thumbnail. If the reader can’t make out your cover in the thumbnail, they might never give your book a chance. Make sure that it catches the eye enough to get the click.

You’ve put countless hours into writing and your book. Now, give your cover the same level of attention. It is the first impression your book will make! Follow these tips to maximize the potential of your book.?

In need of more publishing advice? No matter where you are in the process, our Calling Keepers Publishing Pursuit will make sure you have what you need to get it done.?