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IMPACT OF YOUR BOOK COVER DESIGN

WRITE-BYTES blog for developing writers. Here ya go. FUN TOPIC! Read this week’s blog post below or go to

 www.lindasgunther.com

June 30,2023 issue #42 – 
BOOK COVER DESIGN in a Multi-Media World

As an author, visual identity is an important success factor. And that’s why the design of the book cover is a longer-term decision than just for this book, for this one time.

When I wrote my first novel, Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, my very talented cover designer Julie Tipton asked me, “what do you want to see on the cover?” The answer came to me instantly. I wanted an artistic rendition of the Hotel Inglaterra where I actually stayed in Old Havana, Cuba. I gave her a few photos of the hotel from a few different angles. Julie did three first draft renditions with various fonts, colors, and layouts. My favorite version was done in shades of blue with hints of a light aqua color jumping off the page and with a 1950’s classic car parked in front of the hotel. The good news is that this novel actually peaked as a best seller on Amazon for a period of time. I was thrilled and I believe I owe it to a few key components: word of mouth, having a knowledgeable marketeer and the “attraction” of the simple, clear cover design.

Had I known that I would write several more suspense novels at that time, I would have thought more broadly about my longer-term visual author identity. It doesn’t mean I’d have chosen a completely different cover design BUT maybe I would have thought more about font choice, spacing, hierarchy of what’s most important, and how my ‘author’ name appears, whether in a ‘script’ format or in ‘printed block lettering.’

Here are some Key Considerations when thinking about book cover design:

- Think long-term regarding theme, color, font, spacing, and how your name appears including location. (Think beyond the first book.)

- There are THREE different ways your book cover is most likely seen:

On-line: Potential readers often see just a thumbnail of your cover

On a bookshelf – Potential readers see the spine of your book and make a nano-second judgement on whether to pull it from the bookshelf and at least look at the front cover and maybe read the back cover.

On display in a bookstore – Potential readers will hopefully spot your book cover and feel compelled to pick it up and take a look.

- Target a sense of consistency in your cover designs, an opportunity to establish your UNIQUE VISUAL IDENTITY over time.

For any book cover design, look at the BALANCE between color, font, spacing, image vs. words and PRIORITIZE each element
We want our book cover design to SHINE and CAUSE ACTION from the potential reader.

And, here are some BASIC PRINCIPLES for choosing a “best in class” cover design:

THINK SIMPLICITY – Be careful not to have too many places for the eye to focus on when seeing your book cover. You want the eye to go to PRIMARILY ONE PLACE on that cover. Which place is it? Your author name? An object? Your book title and font?

TEMPT WITH TONALITY – What MOOD are you going for with your book cover design? How are you tempting readers? What era does the book cover represent so it gives an idea as to story setting and time period? Does the cover communicate whether the book is a Mystery? Romance? Self-help guide? Business reference? Memoir?

TUNE IN TO YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE – Assess who will likely read your book? Age group? Interests? Professions? Demographic? Gender? Genre preference? The book cover design will need to capture the attention of that audience. Also, consider what kind of emotional response you desire from that book browser at the first sight of your cover? What would cause her/him to open the book and thumb through it, whether the book is physically in hand or viewed on-line?

PLAN THE BOOK COVER – Don’t underestimate the POWER of your BOOK COVER DESIGN. Keep in mind that our visual attention span in this 21st century world is just a few heartbeats long, somewhere around 9-10 seconds whereas some years ago it was maybe 15 minutes or longer. Compose a list of things that are important for your book cover designer to understand up-front: era, color preferences, font choice, #1 thing most important message to get across on cover, target audience demographics, possible image if desired, etc.

With so many books being published in the world today, cover design choice is a critical component for attracting readers and for long-term success!

Have a few final book cover design possibilities. TEST THEM OUT with potential readers and writing colleagues you trust. And use a draft cover design to inspire you to complete your book project. I do this and it works wonders to inspire me.

Next Friday’s WRITE-BYTES post will be titled THE IMPACT OF JOINING A WRITING CRITIQUE GROUP.