They say never judge a book by its cover, but guess what? Here on Wattpad that's all we do!
While you want to say you don't do it, you'll notice that you're more likely to read the blurbs on the books with more attractive covers.
I've noticed I do it on here (and I'm a "look on the inside" type of gal), so I know many others have to do it as well. I'm not the only one 😂
So if you want to attract readers, having a good cover will help!
Don't use wattpad's cover maker since it's really crappy. I'd suggest getting some photo editing apps for your phone (Phonto for fonts and then Superimpose and PicsArt for actual "photoshop" stuff) or download GIMP (it's a free type of photoshop) on your computer! And if you use a chromebook, then picmonkey works pretty well!
But if you're not confident in making your own cover, then there's always cover shop books or even some threads in the multimedia club! Just make sure to follow the artist's payment rules! 😉 They'll get prissy if you don't (and I mean it. I've seen friends get upset at people scamming for covers).
I can actually show some examples of what I've made on my phone for covers and then on computer as well!
Phone
(This one is a book cover for a story I'm planning in the future 😁 It's an extension to the Colliding Elements world!)
And this here is a fanfic cover for a Quotev fanfic I'll be posting at some point. 😂
Computer
An alternate cover for Awakening. But friend's and family prefer the person one, so I'll surprise you with that one when the book's released. 😜
My old Colliding Elements cover.
And the first cover I made for a book I plan on releasing sometime this summer or autumn!
But as you can see, some look more appealing than others. And tbh, I'm tempted to change the Only for Girls cover back to the original. The one I have right now is just too pink. Ew
When it comes to covers, you want to make something that will appeal to you and also to your readers. The best way to do it is by asking what friends and family think, maybe even do a poll on your social media. I did that with my Creatures of the Night covers.
So just take this advice and think about what you want your cover to look like, what font to use, and if you're making or you'll ask someone else to (you're paying them, remember!).
I can't say what's attractive and what's not as all of us have differing opinions on what looks best, but I do have one big tip for covers.
Make it stand out.