The book cover is a quick gist of your tale wrapped in a creative visual representation. A gorgeous book cover lures in readers and eventually generates sales.

In this situation, a reader’s judgment of the book cover matters. The book cover is an author’s first impression and nailing it helps big time. The cover sets the tone for the content inside the book and drives readers to go through the synopsis and finally consider buying the book.

A poorly designed cover discourages readers and results in a guaranteed sales dip. Hence, the book cover is a significant marketing tool for authors.


HOW TO DESIGN A SUCCESSFUL BOOK COVER?

One inquiry that’s repeatedly made by both authors and designers revolves around the steps involved in creating a successful book cover. The book covers that garner appreciation is an amalgamation of several factors affecting its layout.

Here are a few factors to consider to achieve a positive audience response:

Garnering the buyers’ attention.
Promoting positive book reviews.
Representing the book’s vision.
Giving a glimpse of the genre or core message of the book.
Attention to details like – typography, cover image, etc.

HOW DOES THE BOOK COVER HELP IN MARKETING?

First Impressions
According to a Forbes article, “There’s a well-told adage that you only get one chance to make a first impression.” For the book, this first impression is given to a reader by its cover and seems to be lasting in most cases.

A book cover must convince the audience that the book is worth the reader’s time, attention and money. For this to happen, it must capture the genre specifications accurately without revealing the plot.

Given the growth of self-publishing, a good book cover creates an impression that the author is more involved in the entire process of completing the book. It gives the author credibility and the freedom to present genre-specific requirements targeting specific sets of readers.

Benefits of a Professional Designer?

A professionally designed book cover communicates the author’s interest in giving a fascinating form to the initial manuscript. The book cover designer’s prior experience in the field helps the cover stand apart in the reader’s eye.

With so many designs and patterns available in the market at present, it becomes significant to create something unique that stands apart from the crowd.

Hence, it is recommended that a professional and experienced designer be hired to create a book cover. Such a designer would be able to enter a creative space and design something outstanding while respecting the author’s vision and taking into account the latter’s requirements and general genre expectations.

A GREAT COVER SELLS


In an experiment conducted by Reedsy.com, self-published authors were invited to get their book covers re-designed by a professional book cover designer. The new sales figures (conducted by a parallel survey) witnessed a 35% rise.

This example proves that a professionally designed book cover results in a direct and significant increase in the sales of a book. If the cover can intrigue the reader, the book has a higher chance of being successful.

Therefore, a book cover can either make or break the publisher’s marketing strategy. And no matter how good the book, a poorly covered book won’t sell.

Author Susan Rodgers says, “some of the best little bubbles of excitement in the self-publishing world come from the anticipation of new cover designs.”

It is a misconception that self-publishing authors cannot afford to hire a professional book cover designer. However, the book cover has proven to be the most important marketing tool for them. Interestingly, there have been numerous instances where the book sales have increased significantly after a book cover re-design.

Book covers provide indie authors with the opportunity to get involved in the publishing process of their books. Especially for self-publishing authors, the book cover is the only marketing strategy they need to capture the interest of their target audience.

Some factors reinforcing this strategy are:

*Book covers influence readers greatly during selection. A cover must fit the book’s description, match the reader’s expectations and be a pleasing visual representation of the book’s tone.


*According to Jellybooks, people subconsciously recommend books based on book covers. Consequently, a professional book cover is more likely to receive recommendations.


*A great book cover appeals to the target audience if it matches the genre expectations. Moreover, it also promotes the author to other readers interested in a particular genre.


Therefore, a professionally designed book cover has the potential of becoming the best marketing tool available to an author. With the growth of the self-publishing industry in recent years, several options have become available to indie authors that allow them to hire a professional book designer without having to extend their budget. A good example would be Killerbookcovers.

The book cover is like an extension of the actual content that lies inside it. It is a form of expression that creatively conveys the synopsis of the book to the reader. The book cover is thus significantly responsible for the eventual purchase made by the reader.

Hence, an author must never ignore the role of the book cover in drawing the attention of a reader and being responsible for literally selling the book. A great cover has the potential of branding your book.

Source: https://www.killerbookcovers.com/why-a-book-cover-is-the-1-marketing-tool/