Book Cover Design Basics: Tips & Best Book Cover Ideas

• Oct 09, 2024
• 7 min read

• Tags: Book Cover Design

‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’. This popular saying does not apply to books while publishing. The reason is that a good book cover is the thin line between buying the book and not buying the book.  To help you design an attractive cover, this blog includes useful book cover design tips.

We’ve also explained all the basic elements of a book cover. To help authors brainstorm ideas for book covers, we’ve given simple tips. We’ve also explained how to select the perfect book cover design service. So let’s begin by understanding the important elements of a book cover design. 

Anatomy of a book cover design

If you think that your book cover is only all about the graphics, think again! These elements go into making one:

1. Title: Your title should be the core of your book. Try to keep it short and simple, instead of aiming for a clever title, because remember, you’re thinking like a reader and not an author. 
2. Subtitle: Add a subtitle only if necessary. Most romance or thriller novels have subtitles that span two lines, a pinch of vague, and enough to intrigue the reader about the book. 
3. Author’s name: Very obvious. And if it’s your first book, a matter of pride. But it should not overpower the title in font and size. 
4. Front cover: Your front cover is the main hook of the book cover design. Along with the title, it includes the author’s name and artwork. The publisher’s logo, a positive review, a subtitle, a tagline, and any awards or bestseller status are optional elements. 
5. Back cover: The back cover contains a summary of the book, the author’s name, ISBN, barcode, and the publisher’s name and location. It also consists of an author bio and photo, copyright information, price, social media handles, author website, other books by the author, and awards and accolades.
6. Spine: The spine is the narrow side of the book cover that you see when books are on a shelf. It usually shows the book’s title, author’s name, and publisher’s logo.

Quick tips for designing a book cover 

To design a book cover, it’s crucial to research and be aware if the conventions of your genre. It’s also important to use high-quality images that look professional.

Here are some other important tips for designing a book cover: 

1. Book title

Ensure that your book title stands out. Some strategies you can use to do this are: use colors that contrast strongly with the background, use bold, heavy-weight fonts, and place the title within a frame or shape to make it stand out.  

2. Subtitle 

While adding a subtitle, ensure that it’s smaller than the title, place it near the main title. You can use a lighter shade near the title for the subtitle. You can also italicize, use different fonts, capitalize letters, or remove all capitalization to create an impact. 

3. Author’s name 

You can place the author’s name below the title or at the bottom of the cover. Another strategy you can use is to choose the same font as the title but a different font size. Leave some space around the author’s name so it doesn’t look crowded. Furthermore, you can consider using a different color from the title to create separation. 

Bonus tip: For new authors, prioritize the title over the author’s name. For bestselling authors, make the name more prominent. 

4. Front cover 

To create a front cover, select images that accurately reflect your book’s content. You can use shadows or overlays to create a good impression. You can also try to show movements by using design elements like lines. For print books, you can explore options like embossing, debossing, or foil stamping. 

5. Back cover 

You can use lines and borders to separate sections of the back cover. This ensures clarity while reading. If you’re using review quotes, make them stand out using larger fonts. It’s also important to use readable fonts like sans serif for books. 

To know more about fonts, consider reading the article “An Easy Guide to the Best Fonts and Font Sizes for Your Book”. 

6. Spine 

While creating a spine, use colors and fonts that complement the front and back cover. If your book has a thin spine, you can consider using vertical text. You can also use a background color different from the front and back cover for impact. Furthermore, you can create a visual hierarchy. This means that the title should be the largest, followed by the author’s name, and publisher. 

Crucial pre-design steps for your book cover 

To have a clear idea of your book cover, jot down any ideas you have about the design. You can also use free AI image generators provided by Canva, Gemini, and GenCraft for brainstorming. Here are some useful strategies for coming up with good cover ideas:

1. Thoroughly understand what your book is about. Try and make a short summary of the book to get a clearer idea. Another thing that might work for you is listing down words that immediately remind you of your book, which indirectly means that you want the reader to feel the same way. For example, the cover design for ‘A Girl on the Train’ immediately invokes thrill and mystery, along with the subtitle.
2. Finalize the title and the subtitle (if there is one). The title is the identity of your book for a reader who is going to pick it up for the first time. Make sure you discuss with experts in this field, take criticism and feedback from your editors and closest friends, and carefully contemplate what exactly will the title be.
3. Define your target audience. Determine the age range, interests, educational level, areas of expertise, and geographical interests of your readers. 
4. Study your genre. Analyze bestsellers in your category for good book cover ideas. This will help you identify common design elements and trends.
5. Decide a budget. Cover design depends on the level of complexity and at a later stage, on the material to be used for the book cover. If you want to be a little flexible to ensure a stunning cover, decide on a price bracket instead of a fixed budget. 

Why do you need a good book cover?

Think of your book cover as a movie’s trailer. If the trailer is good, packs a punch, and tells what to expect without revealing what the whole movie is, bingo! You have yourself an exciting wait. The same applies to book cover design. A good book cover catches the eye of the reader almost immediately, igniting curiosity about the book.

Sometimes, a good cover design becomes the identity of your book and can remain the same for multiple editions as opposed to a new cover for an anniversary edition, or 10th edition.

Book cover design ideas 

Following are popular book cover design ideas for popular genres: 

• • • Romance: Soft colors, romantic imagery (silhouettes, flowers, couples), elegant fonts (e.g. Garamond, Playfair Display), and a sense of longing or anticipation.
    • Thriller/Mystery: Darker colors, suspenseful imagery (shadows, weapons, obscured faces), bold fonts (e.g. Impact, Benbas Neue), a sense of danger or intrigue.
    • Fantasy: Rich colors, fantastical imagery (mythical creatures, landscapes, magic), ornate fonts (e.g. Brush Script, Pacifico), and a sense of wonder or adventure.
    • Science fiction: Futuristic imagery (technology, space, robots), bold colors, geometric shapes, a sense of innovation or mystery.
    • Historical fiction: Vintage imagery (clothing, architecture, objects), muted colors, elegant fonts (e.g. Godoni, Boudi Old Style), a sense of timelessness or nostalgia.

For more book cover ideas, you can browse through the following document! 

Book cover design ideas

Professional book cover designers for self-publishers are crucial to creating captivating covers. The next section explores the advantages of hiring professional book cover design services.

Benefits of hiring a professional book cover design service  

When you hire a professional book cover design service, you don’t need to worry about design skills or technical details – the experts handle it all for you. They’ll create a cover that fits your book’s genre and appeals to your target readers.

Another important factor is the insight that a creative mind brings to the desk. When you approach a professional book cover designer, they will dedicate their entire time to your cover, give you a variety of options, and also provide another perspective if you already know what you want your design to be.

They are more skilled and trained in identifying how the visual really works for the story and the audience. Hence, you’ll save time and avoid stress, which lets you focus on other tasks like marketing and promotion.

If you think that you will be wasting money by hiring a professional cover designer, think again; think of it as an investment in a good book. It’s a golden opportunity to immortalize your book in the eyes of your readers. Moreover, money is always secondary in this case. 

How to hire book designers for your book? 

To hire a book designer, start by researching portfolios of designers specializing in your genre. Next, reach out to a few designers you like, discuss your project, timeline, and budget, and ask for quotes. Finally, choose the designer whose work, communication style, and pricing best fit your needs. Make sure to clearly outline expectations and deliverables in a contract before starting the project.

Why should you choose PaperTrue for cover design?

PaperTrue offers professional book cover design services for eBooks, paperbacks, and hardbacks. This includes typesetting and creating graphics for book covers.

When you choose PaperTrue for your book cover design, you get:

• • 1. Three sample options that are professionally designed, keeping your specific requirements in mind. 
    2. Fast and timely delivery; we work weekends too!
    3. Free design revision (if required). 

We can also design a dust jacket for your book. Furthermore, we also adjust the size according to the book’s format (eBook/paperback/hardcover). Our pricing for a book cover is $348. 

In conclusion, book cover design is a crucial element of your publishing journey. To create an appealing book cover, you can approach PaperTrue. Our cover designers can provide high-quality book cover design services. Along with these services, we also provide high-quality editing and proofreading services. 

Here are some useful resources for you: 

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Priya

Priya has a talent for academic research and enjoys simplifying complex topics. When she's not helping students improve their writing, she can be seen reading poetry, playing the harmonium, or learning classical dance.