Why covers matter?
Like it or not, people judge books by their covers. We all know that we're not supposed to... but we do it anyway. And, honestly – how else can you really choose?
With the thousands of books you compete against on WP, book cover design is the most effective way to catch a reader's attention. Strong cover design will catch a reader's eye, capture their interest, and communicate what the story is about. These are the things that will inspire someone to click on your first chapter.
So what makes a great cover?
A. Make your title prominent
The story title should be the primary focus of your book cover and must be clearly visible. The title communicates the essence of your story and differentiates it from other books on WP.
In practical terms, this means:
* choosing a font that is easy to read
* selecting a font color that stands out from the background
* using a font size that is easily visible even when your cover is a thumbnail
* positioning other text and graphic elements to avoid competing with the title
Keep in mind that your title must be legible even when appearing at a fraction of its actual size, since many WP users read on a small phone screen. Even as a thumbnail, your potential readers must be able to read the title of your book.
B. Choose fonts and colors to make reading easier
This may seem obvious, but your book cover should be easy to read. If you let design choices get in the way of readability, you're undermining your ability to communicate with your audience.
Font and color choices that support readability.
* Avoid color combinations that are garish or hard to look at for any length of time
* Do choose font colors and background colors that contrast sufficiently for easy visibility
* Select fonts that are easy to read
* Limit yourself to only two fonts – more than that can start to look disjointed or busy.
C. Don't over-crowd the cover design
A crowded design will render it impossible to pick out the important stuff. Readers don't approach a book cover with the same engagement that they do when reading a page from your story. If they're perusing covers, they're simply browsing. They're not ready to invest any deep concentration in your story yet.
But, that's what your cover should persuade them to do! Don't make the reader have to work for it.
Leave plenty of white space (a design term meaning blank space without text or design elements) to give the important information easy visibility. Your design should be uncluttered so that your message is conveyed without having to search for it.
D. Embrace your genre
While every story is unique, honoring your genre is important.
Genres exist for a reason. They're a shorthand for helping a reader guess if they'll like your story or not. And each of those genres has its own design style. So, when the reader browses, they generally pick out a story in one of their preferred genres without even reading the title.
A horror novel should look like a horror novel. Just like a fantasy novel should look like a fantasy novel.
When searching for book cover design ideas, start by browsing other popular books in your genre. What colors, layouts, fonts, and graphic elements are common in that genre?
Which of those elements make sense for your book?
Always create a unique book cover design that remains true to you and your book. But, do it within the larger framework of your genre's design style. Fans of your genre will be drawn to your book subconsciously, which gets your foot in the door. Then your quality writing and fascinating story can take care of the rest.
E. The cover should feature a key theme from your book
If you're looking for book cover design inspiration, look no further than your own writing. The best path to a unique, creative book cover design is to visually represent a specific element or idea from your writing.
The cover should communicate as much about your story to your potential audience as possible. But you don't want to overwhelm them with everything on one small cover. Book covers have limited space in which to communicate. So, think carefully about the most important theme or element to feature.
Choose just one element – the one that communicates the most relevant information about your story.
Then use colors, imagery, and fonts to tell a visually compelling story on your cover that will grab a reader's attention.
Um, okay. But how do I actually design a cover?
We're glad you asked. A few months back, WP released some great videos that offer pointers on how to design great book covers in Canva. Check them out here:
NOW IT'S TIME TO GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR COVER. HOP OVER TO DISCORD AND JOIN US FOR OUR FINAL WORKSHOP! HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.
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