Why is a Professional Book Cover Necessary?

When your book competes against thousands of other books, a professional book cover will showcase you as an author and give your book an advantage. Your writing could be strong enough to achieve this, but if readers are not drawn to your book, you’ll never get a chance to showcase your writing. Making a good first impression with a professional book cover is an absolute requirement if you want to have a shot at success. The odds are stacked against an author who thinks their book doesn’t need a proper cover or interior. (Not to mention professional editing.) The benefits of wrapping your writing in a beautiful cover are worth the time and money. You get one shot at making an impression!

A well-designed professional book cover will:

• Capture the attention of readers
• Make a good first impression
• Create an emotional response with readers
• Set the tone for the book and give readers an idea of what it’s about
• Show you are a professional author serious about your work
• Affirm or reaffirm your brand
• Get more readers looking at your book resulting in more sales
• Allow you to gain more reviews and recognition

When it comes to deciding on a book cover there are several things to consider. Let’s start with some book cover design basics.

Components of a Professional Book Cover

There are three parts to a book cover. The front, back, and spine. When you think about designing the cover, you want to take a holistic approach and have all the parts complement each other. When you are working on the design elements, font style, colors, title, and subtitle, you want to have your readers in mind. You also want to consider your brand. Take your time and think things through to avoid having to make future changes.

Your front cover consists of visual elements and typography.

Visual elements- The elements you use should evoke an emotional response. To have this happen, ask yourself the following questions. When a reader sees your cover for the first time, how do you want them to feel? What do you want them to think about? How do you incorporate your brand into the cover? Do you want a style that will be used in future books? Even if you are using the most basic elements, the front cover needs to look professional.

Typography- The font style, size, and color should match the genre of the book and be easy to read. The title, subtitle, and author name should be properly sized and complement the elements. Sometimes less is more.

The spine of a book should have the title of the book and the author’s name. If you have been writing for years, you remember that the spine used to play a more significant role in the overall cover design. When books were sold mostly through physical bookstores, the spine was a way readers could find a book on the shelves. An attractive spine would grab the attention of a reader who was browsing books. It would be interesting to know how many sales resulted from an attractive spine.

The back cover should be a continuation from the front or at least complement it. The synopsis and barcode are must-haves for the back while your bio and headshot are optional. Although adding your bio is a personal choice, you should take every opportunity to introduce yourself to readers in your target audience.

If money is the only reason holding you back from having a professional book cover designed, rest assured this is money well spent. The costs for a qualified designer can range from $400-$700 and are worth every penny. If you are looking on websites like Upward or Fiverr, you might be able to find a rising designer who is just starting but has the talent of a seasoned pro.

Once you hire a designer, you might be tempted to show them your idea(s) for a design. Sometimes this is necessary to begin the project, but you might want to discuss having your designer create something first. To do this properly, make sure you send them a copy of your book or summary and any other relevant components you want to be conveyed in the cover design.

Note: When you first communicate with designers, ask them if you will get the source files once the project is completed. Although designers are not obligated to do so, it’s always a good idea to have the master files for your work. Some designers will load the final design into print-ready templates, (.pdfs) so make sure you ask them if they can do this.

Final thoughts

The process of putting a book together can be stressful at times. Even if things go smoothly, you’re investing your time and money putting your writing in the public eye. It’s an emotional process, but it’s a huge accomplishment, especially for the first-time author. Before you know it, the project will be completed, the book will be published, and you will be on to the next project. So instead of allowing yourself to become overwhelmed, embrace each phase of the process. One of the best ways to achieve this is to prepare yourself with a realistic timeline that excludes artificial deadlines. Be positive, smile a lot, and surround yourself with supportive people. Happy writing!

Rick Lite of Stress Free Book Marketing, stands at the forefront of the ever-changing book industry. He is a seasoned book marketing professional with over 18 years of experience in the book industry. Rick’s expertise comes from tirelessly working on new and innovative ways to market his own books and CDs with his company and parent company, Stress Free Kids. Embracing the core values of integrity, innovation, and growth, Rick works closely with authors to create custom, robust book marketing programs. His easy-going manner provides “stress-free” support and comfort to authors going through the book marketing process for the first time. Rick is quick to share his knowledge and “insider tips” for a successful marketing campaign that will lead to increased exposure, awareness, and most importantly, sales.