Book Cover Designs

Image: Steven Winduo. Design: Tom Slone 

Designing Book Covers are best done by those trained in Graphic Arts or desktop designs. As a writer I want a book cover the catches the attention of the curious book owl. In the book publishing world covers are the marketing tools. Covers sell a book.

In an essay on book cover designs, the writer Jacqueline Thomas writes in www.canva.com that book designs can make or break a book. She writes: “A successful book cover is never an afterthought. It will lead readers to your pages and because of its role as an ambassador, your book cover deserves thoughtful planning.

Thomas makes several remarks that are important for any writers or self -publishers to keep in mind.

Design: Peter Leo Elaveara

Design: Peter Leo Elaveara 

“Book cover design is a crucial part of your marketing effort. You can string together the most insightful, lyrical words ever connected in human history, but if your book cover looks like Photoshop amateur hour, no one will ever pick it up."

“But I’m also embarrassed for the author who chose a sad representation for what’s probably an awesome book."

Design: Peter Leo Elaveara

“Another concern is the notoriously ruthless online browser.  A third of all book sales are eBooks. While there’s no shame in clicking on an ugly book cover online, there’s no reason why anyone would. With so much information competing for our attention, us browsers use visual clues to weed out inferior products. If you don’t package your book in an appealing way, you risk drowning in the sea of competition."

Design: Peter Leo Elaveara

“Design matters for two important reasons: It’s what gets people to pick up your book in the bookstore or click on the thumbnail when browsing online."

“Design also helps you tell your story. A successfully designed book cover will convey the tone of your book, will whisper hints without giving it all away, and will excite readers into actually opening up the book and reading.”

Keep in mind the following pointers, according to Thomas:

Image: Steven Winduo. Design: Tom Slone

Design: Amanda Floyd Waite

1. Use white Space to create focus
2. Use photography for a professional touch
3. Set the tone before you start designing
4. Stand out from the crows with a 3D book cover
5. Weave your narrative into your cover design
6. Design should make sense even as a thumbnail
7. Speak to your audience’s emotions
8. Explore the colours of your story
9. But keep colours simple
10. Make typography the star
11. Use imagery to speak the imagination
12. Create a focal point
13. You don’t always need to be literal
14. Create an interesting atmosphere
15. Work awards and reviews into the design
16. Use custom photography.

Just being aware of this information on book cover design is important.

I have collaborated with many artists and editors over the years. One of the important decisions I have to make is on the cover design. I trust the artist I work with to get the right cover. 

In this post I show case some of the artists and published I worked with to get the best cover for my books.

Image: Steven Winduo. Design: Peter Leo Elaveara

I acknowledge the main artist Peter Leo Elaveara with whom I had many collaborations. Amanda Floyd Waite did the first cover of my first book. Tom Slone does miracles with covers before the books get printed.