It is a piece of common knowledge in the book community that one must never judge a book by its cover, and no matter how idealistic that sounds, nobody seems to follow it, honestly.
We all love the moment we enter a beautiful library or a bookstore and see that shiny, brand-new, and better-than-the-rest book cover that suits the vibe of the novel just fine!
So, of course, we assess novels by their covers, as unjustified as that truth is. It is so that most writers and published authors look for book cover designers that they can hire and work with on their books so that their work can catch the attention they deserve!
That's why we created this article so that you can use these tips and create a fantastic book cover.
1. Research -
The first step to finding the best match of a cover designer for your story is to research other popular book covers that have been fruitful for other authors of the same genre.
Like everything else, people’s interests in a typical genre or trope change with the coming and going of trends. Therefore, a particular genre often has a specific trendsetting layout of the book cover design.
For example, nowadays, most romance genre covers have a cartoon or animated people to attract its infamous cute and goofy vibe.
A historical fiction book will most likely have a headless photograph of a historical period's character, giving it an old, mysterious outlook.
A historical fiction book will most likely have a headless photograph of a historical period's character, giving it an old, mysterious outlook.
Non-fictional books are primarily textual with a plain background.
You can look for cover design ideas by searching for bookish themes and vision boards of books already published in your genre through Pinterest, Goodreads, and Amazon.
So, while you’re out scouting for your book cover on the grounds of the genre they come under, you might want to know the popularity and your target audience's appeal towards the type of covers that are primarily marketed in a specific category.
So, while you’re out scouting for your book cover on the grounds of the genre they come under, you might want to know the popularity and your target audience's appeal towards the type of covers that are primarily marketed in a specific category.
Once you find the kind of book cover design that appeals to you and the readers of that genre, you can contact the person listed as a designer. You can also look for book cover designing services offered by various online software.
Once you know which book cover you are looking for, it’s time to look for a designer who will deliver it to you. 99Designs, eBook Launch, and 100 Covers are some of the most well-known book cover designers.
2. Paid Designing Services -
Once you know which book cover you are looking for, it’s time to look for a designer who will deliver it to you. 99Designs, eBook Launch, and 100 Covers are some of the most well-known book cover designers.
Unfortunately, these are networks of book cover designers that you will have to pay in advance and then explain to them the kind of book cover you’re interested in.
If you want more freedom of thought and effort, you can hire freelancer book cover designers and explain the cover you’re looking for. These freelancers are found on Deviant Art, UpWork, and Fiverr websites.
Once you get to know a couple of designers who can help you with your book cover design, it’s time for the trickiest part: selection.
If you want more freedom of thought and effort, you can hire freelancer book cover designers and explain the cover you’re looking for. These freelancers are found on Deviant Art, UpWork, and Fiverr websites.
3. Selection Process and the Budget -
Once you get to know a couple of designers who can help you with your book cover design, it’s time for the trickiest part: selection.
While one of the main things that must be kept in mind during the choice of your cover design is its looks and how appealing it is, another significant thing you can’t possibly miss out on is the budget it comes with.
The budget of any book cover design varies from designer to designer, and their design experience and the work expected for your book cover.
Therefore, we advise that you clear all the money-related terms before the designer starts the process to avoid issues in the future.
Premade covers are just what is suggested by the name. Premade book cover designs are layouts and templates collaged by a book cover designer for a particular trope and genre.
4. Premade Book Covers -
Premade covers are just what is suggested by the name. Premade book cover designs are layouts and templates collaged by a book cover designer for a particular trope and genre.
So, if your book falls in the category and you are short on money, you can opt for a template that suits your genre.
Premade covers are mostly resorted to free stock images, covert arts, and internet-based editing accessible to many others, so your book cover wouldn’t be set apart.
These premade book covers help give you ideas about the layout of a specific genre book cover and if your wallets are light.
If you are running tight on the budget and think you will be okay creating a book cover, you can make a cover yourself.
5. Self-Design -
If you are running tight on the budget and think you will be okay creating a book cover, you can make a cover yourself.
But then again, it works best if you have accurate knowledge about designing a book cover because nobody wants to spend hours just developing a book look.
You might think that you’ll learn how to use Photoshop on Adobe, but when you do that, you just create a giant collage, much like your Pinterest vision board, except it looks nothing like you had imagined.
Adobe Photoshop can be learned and operated well, but it’s best to stick with the simple ways if you are just beginning with book cover designing.
Adobe Photoshop can be learned and operated well, but it’s best to stick with the simple ways if you are just beginning with book cover designing.
One of the many actionable steps you can take towards self-designing your own book cover is free cover designing software; they are easy to operate and design.
Canva is one such software that provides you with various premade templates of covers that you can change and improvise based on your own and genre-based preferences.
Canva is one such software that provides you with various premade templates of covers that you can change and improvise based on your own and genre-based preferences.
You can also add illustrations, stock images, and other fonts from varied features, giving your cover a higher quality.
You can also use Word documents to easily create book covers for free. There’s also a website called Book Brush that allows you to make free book covers for both standalone and book series. You can also join the premium version to get a variety of features.
You can use other resources for designing your book cover yourself: Graphic Springs, DIY Book Covers, GIMP, Design Wizard, Pixlr, etc.
Once you start creating your design as a beginner, you should outsource the images and props used. In that case, you can find free stock images from Pexels, Shutterstock, Stocksnap, Pixabay, Getty Images, Unsplash, Picography, etc.
Another crucial factor you must contemplate while creating your book cover is the typography and the fonts that suit your genre and story idea. Again, try to be creative with what looks the best. Save your best few for judging and selecting later.
Dimensions are another thing that needs to be kept in mind while creating a book cover; the most common paperback range is 6 x 9 or (15.24 x 22.86 cm).
You can use other resources for designing your book cover yourself: Graphic Springs, DIY Book Covers, GIMP, Design Wizard, Pixlr, etc.
Once you start creating your design as a beginner, you should outsource the images and props used. In that case, you can find free stock images from Pexels, Shutterstock, Stocksnap, Pixabay, Getty Images, Unsplash, Picography, etc.
Another crucial factor you must contemplate while creating your book cover is the typography and the fonts that suit your genre and story idea. Again, try to be creative with what looks the best. Save your best few for judging and selecting later.
Dimensions are another thing that needs to be kept in mind while creating a book cover; the most common paperback range is 6 x 9 or (15.24 x 22.86 cm).
However, there is no fixed standard for book cover dimensions. Most Barnes & Noble books have dimensions up to 750 pixels minimum for height and width. Other eBooks can be 1400 pixels wide as a minimum. So, make sure to do your research before setting up the size.
Ensure you have at least three to four drafts of your book cover design for a final judgment. You can also announce poll voting amongst your target audience and have them vote for the book that appeals to them the most.
6. Design Competitions -
If you are running on a tightrope and don’t want to spend any money on creating book covers or have yourself spend all your time designing one, another straightforward way of getting a design is by holding cover design contests.
Ensure you have at least three to four drafts of your book cover design for a final judgment. You can also announce poll voting amongst your target audience and have them vote for the book that appeals to them the most.
6. Design Competitions -
If you are running on a tightrope and don’t want to spend any money on creating book covers or have yourself spend all your time designing one, another straightforward way of getting a design is by holding cover design contests.
You can offer to answer interview questions or send the winner a free copy of your book in return for the favor.
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