Select the Appropriate Cover Design When Self-Publishing
Self-publishing your own book may seem daunting at first, but choosing an eye-catching cover design for it to succeed can make all of the difference in attracting readers to pick it up and read further. Here are some helpful guidelines on selecting an attractive book cover design when self-publishing a novel or memoir.
Before selecting a cover design, it’s essential that you understand what your book is about. Consider its tone and genre — romance novel? thriller? self-help guide? Your book cover should reflect this information by featuring soft pastel tones with couples cuddling close or darker tones with prominent font. For instance, romance books could have soft pastel covers while thriller books might sport dark covers featuring an eye-catching font and image depicting blood and violence.
Research Your Genre
Look through best-selling books in your genre to gain an idea of which cover designs are popular among readers in it, paying particular attention to colors, fonts and images used regularly within it. While copying an existing cover would not be appropriate here; rather, use these examples as inspiration when crafting your own unique cover design.
Stay Simplistic
When it comes to book covers, less is often more. Cluttered covers with too many images and text can become distracting and might drive away potential readers, so strive to create an uncluttered design by choosing just one focal point such as an image or title that stands out on your cover design.
Make Sure Images Are High-Quality
When selecting images for your book cover, be sure they are high-quality and professional-looking. Any blurry or pixelated pictures could cause your book to come across as untrustworthy and cheap-looking. If you don’t consider yourself to be a designer yourself, hire a professional cover designer instead to craft one just for your book.
Prior to selecting your final cover design, take some time to experiment with various design choices. Show it to friends, family, or strangers and solicit their opinion; you might be amazed by which ones people prefer; this information could provide invaluable help when making an informed decision.
Consider Your Target Audience
Consider who your target audience is when selecting a cover design. For books aimed at younger adults, eye-catching and trendy may be desirable while for books intended for older adults more traditional designs may be most fitting.
Avoid Fear When it Comes to Risk-Taking
Though genre and target audience considerations should always come first when designing book covers, don’t be intimidated to take risks and think outside the box when selecting one for your book’s cover design. A creative, unexpected cover can set it apart from its competition while drawing readers in.
Before finalizing your cover design, don’t be intimidated to gather feedback from others before finalizing it. Present it to other authors, book bloggers or potential readers in order to get their input; their advice could lead to any necessary modifications being made before publishing your book.
Selecting an effective cover design for self-publishing books is crucial in creating successful books. By understanding your book and research genre, using high quality images, keeping design simple, testing different designs, taking risks and receiving feedback you can craft an eye-catching cover which draws readers’ interest and compels them to purchase your book.