Sell More Books: The Best Book Cover Design Tips for Hardcover Books
Research found it takes seven seconds to make a good first impression so you’ve got to make it count.
Your book cover must be striking enough to entice the consumer to delve into your content. This can be overwhelming especially for a new author but luckily, we’re here to help.
Here are book cover design tips for hardcover books.
Create a Unique Concept
One of the most important tips for designing a book cover is to create a unique concept. Take inspiration from a key theme in your book and use that as an anchor for your cover design.
Use this concept to convey as much about your content as possible but succinctly.
Experiment With Size and Scale
Play around with every element’s size to draw attention. If everything’s the same size on your cover, it’ll look dull and deter readers.
To avoid this, enlarge one or two elements to entice customers. First book? Then make your title the central element in the cover design.
Your title is the foundation of the cover as it differentiates it from over hardcover books on the shelf. You can do this by choosing a font color that contrasts with the background or choose a font that’s easy to read.
Remember many readers buy their hardcover books online so make sure your book cover is legible when it’s a fraction of its size.
No Clutter
A major rule in how to design a book cover is to avoid clutter. If your cover is overwhelmed with images or typefaces then it’ll confuse readers as they won’t understand the core message of your content.
As a general rule, make sure nothing competes with your name and the title of your hardcover book.
Avoid Bevel and Drop shadow
A telltale sign of an amateur writer is when they use heavy bevel or drop shadow on your texts. Designers may use them because they don’t know how to enhance the text against the background.
It’s important to note the text doesn’t have to be that bold. Many professional hardcover book covers have areas of text that aren’t as clear as the rest which is acceptable.
Choose the Right Typeface
Typography has the power to make or break your hardcover book cover design. Typefaces give your book personality but only use two maximum to avoid clutter.
If you’re stuck, use one serif and one sans serif typeface to create a harmonic visual relationship. Choose fonts that have a variety of weights so you can experiment with them.
You should also never use a font size below 8 points because it’s harder to read. Plus, avoid garish color combinations as you can’t look at it for an extended period.
Embrace Your Genre
Stumped on how to design a professional book cover?
Then consider your book’s genre for inspiration. Genres are a shorthand for helping readers decide whether they’ll like your book or not.
During the brainstorming phase, browse other popular books in your genre and consider the colors, layouts, and typefaces that always appear.
Many first-time authors think you must be novel or innovative to surprise readers but this is a mistake. Readers have genre expectations so they know what the covers in their favorite genre are meant to look like.
Avoid risky decisions in your hardcover book design as it could cost you sales.
Highlight a Single Element
If you’re unsure how to design a good book cover, emphasize one element so it dominates. This means your cover will catch the reader’s attention instantly because of the bold element.
Your element could be an image, symbol, or letters. Experiment with each one so you can decide on your visual approach.
Harness the Power of Visual Branding
If your book is part of a series, then use the same typography, colors, and illustration elements from the previous covers.
When readers see these, they’re reminded of the series and will be more eager to purchase. This will also strengthen your brand identity which is crucial as a writer.
Keep It Simple
You may want to experiment with your hard book cover design but keep it simple so everyone can instantly understand your message.
Use bold elements to convey the user about the content without revealing everything inside. If you’re hiring a graphic designer, tell them you want a simple but effective cover. And don’t be afraid to show them several inspirational hard book covers to help.
Test Drastically Different Designs
It’s unlikely you’ll design your dream hardcover in one take.
Choose the top two cover ideas and make sure they’re dramatically different so it steers you in the right direction.
Once you’ve decided on the essential look of the cover, you can test individual variables to see which are the most effective. For instance, figure out which font size or color scheme works best.
If you’re unsure how to choose a book cover design that works, run an A/B test on social media. You can also publish a poll asking readers which of the two covers they prefer and go with the winning cover.
Those Are Our Book Cover Design Tips for Hardcover Book Printing Services
Now you know how book cover design tips for hardcover.
Use a major theme of your content for inspiration, consider your genre, and keep it simple. Avoid clutter as it’ll confuse readers and strive to keep the cover clean.
Once you have the final two designs, run a poll and find the winning cover. Happy designing!
At PRC Book Printing, we offer handbook book printing for conventional and self-publishers. If you’re interested, please contact us here for more information.
Call us today 888-659-8320 or email at info@prcbookprinting.com
