Book Cover 101: Designing a Best Seller.
I’ve noticed most people, myself included, who go into book stores are usually creatures of a certain shopping ritual.
Once we have entered the store, the hunt has begun for the
next perfect book to read!
Step one, we scan the
shelves for interesting covers.
I have to admit, from the first day I started outlining and writing my
manuscript, I couldn’t help but day dream about what the cover of my novel was
going to look like! My characters at the top of their game, posed with weapons
and powers displayed in an amazing work of art!
No doubt delusions of grandeur from a first time author, without
the funding to back it up. (lol)
The cover design for a book can no doubt make or break it in
the eyes of a potential buyer at first glance.
As fans in the literary world, we cannot help but judge a book by its cover, so
given this knowledge as authors, we must think about
what types of elements are best able catch the eye of a potential customer and potential long term fan.
I’ve been doing research into the various aspects of getting
published for a few years now, and there are elements I’ve noticed about cover
design that can really help or hurt an author’s chances at success.
Take these two book cover designs for instance. The one on the left is very poorly done, and looks a product of what some people might expect from self-publishing, versus the one on the right, which chose better images that an artist was able to smoothly blend together, setting a mood for the book, which will catch the eye of a potential reader aka customer.
First off, make it look legit:
(Best selling series a self-published author, Amanda Hocking. Based off her hark work and sales, she got a traditional publishing deal. This is my ultimate goal.
http://www.hockingbooks.com/)
A lot of people already have an idea in their head that
self-published books aren’t “real books.” No doubt a ridiculous notion.
So, what is one thing self-publishing authors can do to dispel this
misguided idea? Hire a professional editor to go over your work!! I will go over that topic more in my next blog.
For this blog though, my tip is to make your book cover look as
professional as possible! And here are some elements and factors I’ve seen that successfully work for best-selling authors in the fantasy genre, such as Cassandra Clare (@cassieclare) author of #1 best-selling
series, “The Mortal Instruments.” and Rick Riordan (@camphalfblood) #1 best-selling
series, “Percy Jackson.”
For my first book series, using stock images, I’m going to coordinate
a theme so that each book cover flows with the next; this can be important in a couple of ways.
1)Avid
book lovers, aka your super readers are going to appreciate how beautiful something
themed looks on their shelf.
Remember the #1 rule of marketing and often times selling a book. People will notice and judge an unknown book title by the cover first, and tend to have an appreciation for it even after initial purchase.
So, 2) Many book collectors will pay extra for very unique covers or special editions of book covers.
Once I release the first three books in my “Chosen” series, I plan to
hire an artist to have customized covers done for fans who appreciate collector
edition items.
(left: The original cover of Clare's New York Best selling title, "City of Bones." and on the right, the recently released edition with brand new art.)
www.cassandraclare.com/
Cassandra Clare recently did this with her #1 best-selling series, “The
Mortal Instruments.”
I own all of the books in the series already, but still plan to buy them again for the
beautiful new covers!
Claim it!
Yes! Make sure you properly tag your work on the top or bottom of your book in clear print.
After all, didn't you just spend countless hours, days, weeks, month if not YEARS
writing your book!
One mistake some self-published authors are known to make is printing
their name off on the side of the bottom corner of their book. Any successful book I’ve seen on the New York
best-selling list has the author's name boldly displayed. So, don’t be shy! Own
your cover.
Fonts:
This is also a key element in making your cover stand out, and can
make a crucial difference in its quality. A poor or basic font will make your book look
very cheap and amateur. However, a unique font that stands out, and compliments
the cover's images and art will often greatly aid in selling your book.
Clutter:
This can often become a problem for authors that try to fit too many
themes from their story on the cover of the book. Think back to when you were
done with your manuscript, and were in full editing mode.
Personally, I had to
decide what content more served me, the writer, versus the story itself, and its
ability to guide my readers through the adventure my book offers, at a reasonable pace that will keep them turning the pages!
I found that the key to this, was to find the heart of the story, and everything else would come together.
Find your theme:
Find your theme:
The themes decided on for my novel cover speak to the mood of the book,
and heart of the story. There is symbolism, but nothing too revealing. You want to give the reader a hint of what lies beyond the cover of your book, just of taste of adventure to come; an enticement for their imagination.
I hope you enjoyed this blog and found the tips to be helpful! My next blog will be on manuscript editing. Please join my blog and share my link.
The next step in my personal journey in self-publishing! (Book cover design.)I can’t wait to work with my BookFuel graphic
artist, and finally unveil my book cover!
Please subscribe to my other social media for future updates on my projects! Thank you!!
Twitter: @JHarkreader
Please check out my campaign link;
http://www.fundmybook.com/…/chosen-cursed-blood-funding-pu…/
Donate & share!
Donate & share!
For affordable self-publish with payments as low as $99 per month! Every service an author needs!
Manuscript editing, get your work copyrighted, print layout for ebooks and print plus marketing to help your book sell!
Check out BookFuel! https://www.bookfuel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BookFuelbyWaveCloud/
https://www.facebook.com/BookFuelbyWaveCloud/
