Everyone knows the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. But is it true? Your cover is the first thing readers see in the bookstore or on a website. If it catches their eye, they will pick it up and look inside. If it doesn’t, they won’t. Recent research by the ‘Booksmugglers’ website underscores its importance. 40% of respondents admitted to buying a book because they liked the cover, while 80% said the cover played a ‘decisive role’ in their decision to buy.
You can understand why: a beautiful cover pulls readers in. It captures their imagination and piques their interest. For better or worse, would-be readers make assumptions about you and your book based on the cover.
This is why we take cover design so seriously at Lettertec. We want to give our authors the very best chance of reaching readers and selling books. In our expert opinion, high-quality cover design must be a priority.
The Six Magic Ingredients
In our experience, the perfect cover will have the following six ingredients:
This is a high bar, but these are the standards we have set at Lettertec, and we always follow through with them. All our designers have years of experience in book publishing. They have the technical know-how to bring your cover to life.
When it comes to your cover, ask yourself does it have all of the above six ingredients. If it does, then you are ready to go, but if not, it needs work.
We always strongly encourage authors to seek professional advice when it comes to design. While it can be tempting to try and design your own cover, in our experience, this doesn’t work. Free software on the internet does not do nearly as good a job as a professional designer. While it is tempting to try and save money, this route usually ends up costing you money. A badly designed cover will cost you in book sales, and also impact how readers see you as an author.
Hiring a book cover designer
Hiring a designer does not, as some people think, mean you lose control over your cover. A good designer will take direction from you. You tell the designer your vision, and they make it a reality. At Lettertec, we appreciate how personal our clients’ books are to them. The authors we work with are often experts in their fields, or they have been honing their craft for years. A historical author could, for example, want a certain image on the front cover; an author writing a memoir a personal photograph; a romance or crime writer could be inspired by their favourite author in that genre, and want their cover to take its cue from them. In these cases, the role of the professional designer is to take the author’s ideas and turn them into a reality. At Lettertec, design is a collaborative process, with the author and the designer working together to produce the perfect cover. Hence our tagline, ‘Together Inspired’.
A professional will ensure you get the technical aspects right. While composition, contrast and negative space might sound like gobbledygook to you and me, getting them right is essential. The difference between a flat and a perfect cover can often be a subtle difference in composition.
The importance of good composition
Good composition can prevent a cover from looking cluttered, contrast can create impact, and negative space can draw the reader’s eye to certain text or images. Understanding colour is essential to good cover design. Whereas blue, for example, can denote peace and tranquility, red conveys danger and excitement. The professional designer will use colour to convey the book’s story, atmosphere and genre, as well as the author’s personal vision.
Your book cover has many facets. Designed expertly, it will help convey to readers what your book is about. A professional designer will ensure your cover has tone, atmosphere and personality. Covers have always been the face of the book, but, in modern publishing, they are more than that. When done correctly, they can be an indispensable marketing tool. A beautiful cover can create excitement on social media. Get people talking about your book and drive sales. The cover design process can also be fun. It’s exciting to watch a designer bring your vision to life and give your book a face. Just make sure to follow our six ingredients and always seek professional advice.
