Everyone Judges Books by Their Covers (Publishers Know It and You Should Too)



You've written a book. Maybe it's a great book. But no one is going to bother reading it if it doesn't have an engaging cover. 

It's a harsh reality, yes, but important if you want to sell books. And why create a book and then not give it the best chance possible to sell? 

Covers matter a lot when it comes to 

  • getting your book into a bookstore
  • convincing readers to buy your book
  • sending the message that your book is professionally created
In fact, the whole graphic design of a physical book is very important. I talk about it a little bit in this post a about what I learned while working for a publisher. 

If you are self-publishing or using a cooperative-style publisher, you want to be sure that your book has a professional look. This almost always means that it was professionally designed both inside and out. 

What are the important aspects of a great cover? Besides not looking photoshopped (that is absolutely the worst thing you can do) here are some things to consider. 

It should be appropriate for the genre and the readers' age. 

You want your YA novel to pull in a teenager and your crime novel to look a little bit edgy. Let your reader know what to expect with your cover. 

It shouldn't be too busy. 

You may only have a fraction of a second to pull that reader into your world. Adding too many details will work against you. 

Use a good font. 

A font isn't just a font. It's a tool. There are good reasons to use and not use various fonts, and a professional graphic designer will be able to advise you on the right choices for your cover and interior. 

I know one story about an author who wanted Papyrus (the Avatar font) for his book cover. The designer actually had to show him a video of Saturday Night Live making fun of his choice. Luckily, he changed his mind. 

Some similar choices are Comic Sans and Helvetica. 

You do want a font that is easily readable. 

Also, keep in mind that graphic designers with cover design experience will play with a font to make sure it is exactly right before putting it on a book. 

Make the reader feel something. 

Surprise, anger, fear, compassion. It doesn't really matter. Give your reader something to feel. 

Pick the right color. 

Pay attention to the colors of other covers in your genre. Colors automatically convey certain messages. Bright colors like yellow tend to express happiness or energy. Darker colors are more serious. Decide what you want to say, and express it with color. 

Get lots of feedback. 

Ask everybody what they think of your cover before you make a final choice, and listen to what they say. It's particularly important what people who represent potential readers think. For example, if your book is being marketed to women, women's voices are going to matter the most. 

A professional cover is critically important in selling your book, so pay a lot of attention to having it created. You may end up spending a lot of money on a professional graphic designer, but having the perfect cover will be worth the expense. 





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