Book cover, either hard copy or digital use, should make you want to pick the book up or make a purchase. This is because of its attractiveness compels its effectiveness. Its main job is to make people move their attention towards your book and then the contents make them want to buy your book or click links for the digital.

Couple of researches have shown that a book’s cover is more important to online customers than those browsing shelves or library in a bookshop. Think about this; when you visit Amazon or Kindle store, aside the author or title, what is the first thing that made you want to pause and read the content on the book?

This is because book shoppers, mostly online shoppers, often buy on the strength of the cover layout or outlook, the catchy title, the author and many times due to recommendations. But always know that many secrets to books being recommended are due to great contents which are seen after its cover drew the attention.

This is because PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER
The topic of a book sells, but the cover compels. Personally, I have purchased so many eBooks online just because of the promising topics and uniqueness in the cover. It’s so disappointing that the contents I find in the book is different from what I had in mind. Now the funniest part is that this does not stop me from buying another, since I am so compelled with the catchy cover and promising topic.

In designing your own book cover, always give your designer the chance to try things out. It’s very ok if you have enough options or ideas you will like to see, but it is very advisable to let the designer come up with his/her creative expertise. You can also show your designer samples of books or images you love, but after he/she has come up with his/her ideas.

To sell more books with great cover design, here are 5 things you should know:


1. The cover should communicate the genre of the book’s content
The genre or the mood of the book for any category, needs to be seen with the help of your book cover. By looking at the layout, imagery, colour & font preference of a book’s front cover, one should be able to tell what category it belongs. There are different colour emotions based on various purposes.

For example, it will be very confusing using a “pinky” palette on the cover of a book that talks “horror” or “sci-fiction” rather than romance.

2. The design imagery should interpret the content
Imagery matters in cover designs. There is this message a particular image can pass that will touch the heart and feelings of a book’s potential readers. It’s not a must to use images that directly interpret the exact contents in the book or the topics.

For example, there are some natural images that give this sense of feeling of hope and they make you feel expectant in what to come from the book. You can check out free stock image websites such as; Pixabay, Pexels – for several illustrations.

Now note this: if you are just starting a career as a writer and yet to build your personal brand to enough influence or credibility, or if you are not “well-known” in your niche, you necessarily don’t need to put your personal picture on the front cover of your book.

3. Research enough Ideas for your cover
One of the most important aspect of your book is that the cover outlook can connect with the target market. This means with the help of your catchy headline and attractive cover, people are able to buy your content.

Therefore, you need to first garner inspiration for what to expect by looking at similar books in the same genre with yours. With enough research you will get enough ideas on what to create or how to explain it to your book designer.

For example, before I start any book cover design project, I first look at bestselling books of the same category or genre. This gives me standard idea on what to come up with for a design.

4. Know your Typography & keep it simple
There are thousands of fonts, which make it a little bit confusing on what exact kind to use on the book cover. But note that there are different fonts for various reasons, as the class of font you use matters.

For example, simple Sans serif, Script and Serif fonts relate well with Love & Romance genre. They are mostly used as the book title or sub-title. But avoid some unprofessional fonts such as; Comic sans, Jokerman, Blackoak Std, Papyrus or any other typeface mostly found in memes.

Always remember that simplicity is key. Keep the number of fonts used in a cover at minimal. At most 3 fonts. Keeping a design simple create this professional outlook.

5. Test your cover design before final draft
Always create room for options. You can create 2 different set of cover for the same book. Then test them among friends or potential market. You can even run a Facebook Ad to see if cover design A has more preference than cover design B.

Also know that this is another form of advertising your book for pre-sales.
https://creativedohl.com/how-to-sell-more-books-with-great-cover-design-5-things-you-should-know/

Damilare H. Oyekanmi (Creative Designer, Content Writer & Brand Consultant @ [url]creativedohl.com[/url])