We are deeply visual people, therefore, the first thing your audience will see will be the cover of your book. If the image seems striking, attractive or simply “beautiful”, you have already got the first hook to stop reading the title, you may read the argument and in the best case, decide to take it. Thus, increase your sales possibilities. As you can see, the cover is a fundamental element for the success of sales of your work to be published and you must give yourself the job of getting the best since it is your cover letter in a fairly saturated market.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when choosing the cover of your book, so that you do not make beginner mistakes and save yourself a series of bad decisions that in the long run, could be very expensive.
Don’t be literal: the cover does not need to be literal to the story you are telling. The most important thing about a cover is that it can suggest and evoke, instead of revealing certain details of the plot or the characters. Then, do not destroy the surprise factor and remember that the magic of reading lies in the ability to discover and imagine the reader.
To sell, you have to impress: prevent your cover from becoming a spoiler of your book and use it in your favor as a way to raise a question to the reader. In other words, avoid falling into the clichés of boring landscapes and give it a creative twist, the idea is that your book does not look like one more of the bunch. The goal is to achieve the public’s gaze, attract him to your book and awaken the desire to devour him.
Confectioner to his cakes, the design in the hands of a professional: you may have many ideas to develop your cover, but remember, you are a writer, not a designer (unless you are). A designer will have a greater analytical capacity, therefore, the result, objectively, will be much more functional for your goal: sell your book.
If you are going to hire this service, keep in mind to send the designer a short review of your book: What is it about, what is the genre, who and how are the main characters, the space-time in which the story takes place, elements important to highlight and ideas or style you have in mind. This way you can help the designer to connect with the essence of your book and reach a better result.
Creativity and design: this point is fundamental, and it has to do with the ability to abstract and see beyond literalness. Give your cover the necessary art, so that if a reader turns to look at your book, it is because he has detected something that the rest does not possess.
Photography, drawing or illustration of good quality: the main thing to keep in mind when choosing the cover image, is that it meets the quality requirements. A professional job cannot have a pixelated or deformed image. On the other hand, for no reason do you choose free internet material since you can infringe the associated copyright and also, you may see that image again in many other places (usually with free bank images).
Remember to keep all these points in mind when you reach the process of building your cover. As we mentioned, if you do not handle design, it is best to hire a graphic designer with experience in editorial design. At Kelly Commercial Printing we have design advice for those who need to strengthen this point.