Choosing a cover is one of the most important decisions you will make when it comes to your book. Some studies have shown that up to 80% of people are initially interested in a book because of its cover, and up to 60% of people will choose whether or not to buy a book (even after they’ve read the back cover) based on the visual design of the cover itself.
In my interview with Deborah from Skoobs, she informed me that if the cover doesn’t interest her within the first 3 seconds of looking at it, she doesn’t even turn it over, she just passes over it. This could be the kiss of death for an author. See what Paper Raven Books has to say about it below.
So … how do you choose a cover for your self-published book?
1. Think Like Your Reader
People buy non-fiction books to learn something they don’t know. Whether it’s a solve a problem or expand their current realm of knowledge, people buy non-fiction books for a purpose. When they’re browsing through a bookstore or online store, they’re going to head right for the section that has the types of books that will solve their problem. Spend at least 30 minutes on Amazon.com, searching for the key topic of your book. Since your book isn’t on the market yet, browse around to see what books people are buying NOW to solve their problem.
What do the covers look like?
What do you like about the covers?
What do you NOT like about the covers?
Which covers draw you in and make you want to click?
Take notes on colours, photographs versus graphics, placement of the title, and anything else that catches your eye (or immediately turns you off).
Bonus: Start saving the images of the book covers that really grab your eye – even if they aren’t the same topic as your book! These covers will be an inspiration for when you start the book cover design process.
2. Understand the Emotions of Colour
As a means of survival, your brain operates mostly on split-second judgments.
Is it safe? Is it not safe?
Is it familiar? Is it not familiar?
Is it friendly? Is it not friendly?
You’re making these decisions all day, every day, including when you’re looking at book covers.
One of the key factors influencing your split-second judgment is colour. If you’ve ever watched a multi-coloured sunset, encountered a poisonous creature, or been instantly drawn to a product in a store, then you’ve experienced the emotional power of colour.
While the specific emotions and split-second judgments of colours can vary from culture to culture (America sees red as dominating while Japan sees red as good luck), there are some overarching emotions that each colour can trigger:
Red = passionate, powerful, confident, aggressive, important
Pink = feminine, innocent, young, sensitive, nurturing
Purple = deep, creative, luxurious, mysterious, unconventional
Green = growth, balanced, generosity, stability, good judgment
Blue = inviting, ambitious, serene, trustworthy, modern
Orange = warmth, optimism, freedom, energetic, playful
Gray = neutral, formal, gloomy, calm, balanced
Black = sophisticated, edgy, mysterious, strong, authoritative
You’ll notice that some of the emotions are listed in more than one colour, lending to the variation in how people perceive a color individually based on their personal experience. While these are not hard and fast rules, if you’re looking to publish a book that is comforting and supportive, using red or orange wouldn’t be the way to go. You can use the emotions of colour as an overall guideline when considering options for your book cover to help elicit the natural reaction you hope people will have to your book cover.
Bonus: If you already have an established business, compile your branding information to share with designers – colours, fonts, graphics … etc. When your book cover matches your already established branding, it will be much more recognizable to your followers (and new fans).
3. Keep It Simple. Keep It Simple. Keep It Simple.
You don’t want an ugly book cover, right? An ugly book cover is a cluttered book cover.
Ugly book covers also include:
- Tiny text
- Fonts, all the same size
- Unappealing colours
- Too many pictures and graphics – or none at all
You don’t want an ugly book cover.
What does a successful self-published book cover look like?
Here are a few of our best-selling covers to date:
Heidi’s book focuses on relieving pain at home and work due to sitting for long periods. She chose calm, relaxing blues and a powerful graphic image that speaks directly to the topic of her book.
Joey’s book is for millennial entrepreneurs looking to start and run a successful business. He chose a strong, authoritative black background while adding bits of innovative colour in a design that speaks directly to his young, creative audience.
Mercedes’s book is for parents who want to have a healthy, communication-filled relationship with their kids without shame. Mixing warm, energetic orange with inviting, trustworthy blue, the large graphic on the cover symbolizes the many ways a family can be healthy and shame-free.
Successful book covers include:
- Modern, clean fonts
- Only 1-2 fonts
- A variety of font sizes for emphasis
- Striking, contrasting colours
- 1-2 images or graphics
Bonus: Return to that collection of book covers you created in Step 1 and see how those covers caught your eye compared to the ugly versus successful book cover elements.
Remember to have a good idea of what you want before hiring a cover designer and then properly relaying to them what you are looking for in a cover to avoid them double charging you for having to start from the beginning again.
That’s it from me for now…
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