Book covers are all about expressing the essence of your book’s content, and doing so in a common language shared with your ideal readers. And your future readers are smart. They’ve been reading a long time, and they know the visual cues that indicate a book’s atmosphere, or aesthetic. A good book cover is more than just the sum of its parts, isn’t it? There’s something to the way the parts are put together visually that matters. That matters a great deal. Because when push comes to shove, readers really do judge a book by its cover, and they pull out their wallets accordingly.
Making covers is hard, and not everyone has an eye (or software program) to make a brilliant, eye-catching, solidly designed cover. The critical components to an eye-catching cover don’t come naturally to most of us. But if you find yourself in this situation, we have good news! There are some incredible resources and services out there to assist you when you’ve reached the end of your skill set. The key is to know your strengths and to be realistic about your strengths, and to accept help when you really need it.
Still looking for more reasons to select a professionally designed custom cover for your book? Think on these five, for starters:
- Authority — Professionally created covers subconsciously cue readers in on the fact that the same level of care which was put into a book’s cover art was also taken in crafting its content. They speak to your professionalism and credibility as an author and to the quality of your work. A smart, eye-catching cover can elevate an entire book to a new level of appeal!
- Visibility — While you may spend months or even years honing your work, if no one picks up or views a copy, all the fine content and time spent won’t matter. Any cover that gets a potential book buyer to slow down while scrolling through a web listing or while browsing bookstore shelves greatly increases the odds that readers will investigate further. This simple pause translates directly into book sales.
- Messaging — A book’s cover art instantly cues potential book buyers into whether or not it holds interest for them by giving away clues to its content and tone. Have you ever noticed how many science fiction books share the same title font? Or how contemporary young adult literature has a tendency to a certain, bright color palette? Each genre and publishing category has its own set of visual cues that form a kind of shorthand for readers. For some readers, this messaging is the most important aspect of the book shopping experience.
- Targeting — It’s not enough to have a pretty package; that package has to reel in the right people … all the way to the cash register! For example, a book that targets women aged 18-34 will feature cover art far different from the cover of a book intended for retired men. A professional book cover designer is trained to craft artwork that appeals specifically to the people your content is meant to entertain or inform. If the cover resonates with readers on an emotional level they’ll be more likely to buy.
- Marketability — The previous four advantages of a professional book cover all add up to a total package that is more marketable and infinitely more likely to sell than either a beautiful cover or compelling content can do on its own. A book is more than the sum of its parts, but the sum total really and absolutely matters!
Just as readers choose books by their covers, so a custom cover is important to the success of your book and worth factoring into your publishing budget. Do you need a little help navigating your options and choosing the best ones for you? Talk with a Publishing Consultant to get exactly what you need — and get the most out of it! There are three convenient ways to connect:
- Call us at 1-888-672-6657 (OP-BOOKS)
- Live-chat with us via our website
- Go online to schedule an appointment