Six Tips to Choose the Best Cover for Your Upcoming Book

Nothing matches the feeling of completing your manuscript and being confident that it is ready to be sent to your literary agents. You can pat yourself on the shoulder for a job well done and lay back for a while. However, it is not the end of hard work for you. 

Among several crucial steps that must be taken ahead, choosing the right book cover holds great importance. After all, your book cover speaks to the potential reader a lot before the text does. Of course, this aspect cannot be neglected by anyone wishing to make their book successful.

Here are some of the tips you need to choose the best cover for your upcoming book.

1. Keep Your Theme in Mind

Asking an author about the theme of their book may sound like the most unnecessary question. However, answering this question may be a bit more challenging than you may have thought because books do not have a single theme.

A book can comprise several themes, each contributing to the story in its own way. However, choosing the predominant theme for your book cover can be challenging. Since you cannot display all the themes of your book on its cover, some tough decisions must be made.

You can ask your book cover designer for their suggestion and even receive constructive feedback from your editor. Every professional involved in the conversation can give valued feedback that can help you achieve perfection with your book cover.

2. Communicate with the Reader

Just like every author, you must have conducted your research to identify your target audience long before. Now, you understand who your target audience is and what attracts or repels them. You can use all this information to your benefit.

You do not always need words to communicate with your readers. A good book cover can do a good job. All you need to focus on is appealing to your target audience through the right art, font, color, patterns, and much more.

The attractiveness of your book cover should be so strong that the ideal customer has no other way than to be lured in by an unforgettable book cover. You can pique the reader’s interest, even more, to know what the book is all about through a beautiful display of color and art.

3. Ask a Professional

Just because you are a master at writing does not mean that you have to prove yourself in every field. Yes, some authors are also gifted with enough artistic skills to create their own book covers but many do not possess these skills. It does not mean that their books cannot have great covers.

Authors who want help in this aspect can hire a book cover designer. A book cover designer is a professional who can help you create the book cover of your dreams without any restrictions you may face. From helping you learn about the best medium to finding the right color scheme, their expertise and years of experience can give you peace of mind and a sense of confidence.

In addition to providing their expert service and suggestions, the best part about working with a professional book cover designer is that you can feel sure at every step. 

4. Think Like a Reader

Another great trick for appealing to readers through your book covers is to think like them. You may think this tip is too vague to be helpful, but you can learn more about its utility by applying it to a real-life situation.

As you take another step towards improving your book cover, ask yourself if you would have liked it as a reader. The answer you get from this exercise can give you confidence about using the right approach or stopping to reconsider doubtful alterations.

Thinking like a reader is an opportunity to turn to your target audience for help without actually doing so. This practice can give you a deeper insight into what’s in demand and what you should avoid to better understand what readers are looking for. 

5. Revise and Edit

Life would be so convenient if the first draft of everything were perfect and acceptable. No author would ever have to write several drafts before feeling satisfied with their own work. Well, revising and editing are not limited to the text only. Your book cover also needs several reconsiderations before being finalized.

You can ask your book cover designers to share some options with you. Once you view these options, it is best to shortlist them or ask your book cover designer for more options. In either case, you will end up with a few considerable options.

Now, you can work side by side with the drafts that seem like they can lead you closer to your ideal book cover that you envisioned. It is likely that you will come up with an option that perfectly fits your book and the themes it cloaks within its covers.

6. Avoid Writing Too Much

One of the most common mistakes you can make is writing too much on your book cover. A lot of text on your cover cannot only look bad but also overwhelm the reader at first glance. It is always recommended to keep it sweet and short.

Your book cover should attract the reader’s attention, not tell them the whole story. As a reader scans a cover, remember that they are likely surrounded by many more options. You do not have a lot of time to make your case.

Do not focus on what others are doing. Instead, keep your mind dedicated to finding innovative ways to inspire your reader. Tell them how your book is exactly what they need and something that will surpass their expectations simultaneously.

Focus on saying what you feel will get your potential reader interested in a few words. If these words are relevant to what the reader is looking for, there is no reason why they would not want to take your book home with them.




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