How Important is a Book Cover? And What Makes a Good One?

Image Source: (Shiromani Kant / Unsplash)

We've all heard the old adage "don't judge a book by its cover," but the truth is that is exactly what we do. A cover tells the reader a ton about a book and can be the difference between them taking a closer look or moving on. 

For self-publishing authors it can be tempting to push the cover aside in favor of the manuscript itself. But a cover is one of the best marketing tools you have. A good cover will help your sales—and a bad one will hurt them. Getting a professionally designed cover may be more expensive, but it is important.

Readers know the difference between a professional cover and one you made in photoshop. A nice cover tells the reader you cared enough to invest in your book, and implies you did the same with your writing. 

Looking at these examples, you can tell right away what covers aren't professionally done. They aren't horrible, but they also aren't great. Some of them don't really tell the viewer anything about the book.

Now look at these examples of better covers. Think about what message the covers send to the reader about the book and its value.

One of the best ways to get ideas for your cover is to look at other books in your genre. The cover should reflect the genre of the book. It doesn't have to look like every other cover, but you should look at the cues to the reader and what the covers have in common. For example, let's look at books about Google Adwords. They all have the same specific topic but they aren't at all the same cover. Which book would you pick up? Why? Think about how you evaluate covers, what you like, and what you don't. 

Another important consideration is how the cover will look as a thumbnail. A lot of people buy ebooks or order books online, so the thumbnail is going to be a large factor in their decision to move on or click to the product page. Take a look at these covers and how they translate into thumbnails. What is successful? What isn't? 

If you hire a designer for your cover it is important to have a specific idea of what you want. The designer is going to base their cover off what you tell them. Making a design brief is very helpful. My next post will cover how to create a design brief, but the most important thing is to be specific. Show the designer examples of covers that you like and ones you don't. And don't be afraid to ask them to revise a design. 

It can be helpful to get feedback from your readers or other authors. Some authors ask readers to vote on a cover through their social media or newsletter. If you know other authors in your genre they might have some great feedback.