How to Make a Book Cover and Book Cover Design

It starts with writing. Writing a book is the start. We judge a book on its content, but we all start with the cover. Books with professional covers sell first. Eye-catching covers and easy to read fonts which are high-quality sell more copies than those that don’t – it’s a fact.

Make sure that your idea is conveyed into your cover.

If you aren’t sure with the design process you can start with an Amazon ebook cover templates which be found here Amazon book cover creator. This can be a simple and free book design option to get you started.

Professional stock book covers from a professional book designer can help you up your game in the very competitive field of publication. Also, if don’t have design or tech experience this can be stressful on your own. If you don;t see what you want, ask your designer to work with you on the concept.

Look at best-selling author covers you read and see what are on the covers of the best sellers. Don’t copy but use those covers as ideas to drive your own creative imagination.

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What is an Author Brand Anyway?

The concept of an author brand is sometimes misunderstood, and it is a large topic to cover:

It’s not just about the genres you write in, it’s about how you represent yourself to the entire industry and create a recognisable and trusted name.
A brand is about how you want your audience to perceive you as a person and a professional.
A brand can create an umbrella for all you do, whether that’s working in different fields, or writing in different genres.
Read more of this article

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Make a book cover

that sells.

What elements do you want on your cover?
What formats will your book be released in?
Research the market.
Will it just be in eBook or will you extend that to paperback, audiobooks, foreign language, etc?
See what graphics and or fonts you may like on your cover.

Graphic Design
Creativity
Printing Design
Branding

Book Cover Design Checklist

Understand what makes great book cover design – ebooks especially.
Know your niche – spend time on this or I will personally scold you.
Decide between a custom cover, a pre-made, or DIY.
Compile your design brief and don’t skip any of the recommended steps!
Communicate all this to your designer if you are going the custom route.
Commission your extras or DIY – you will need them either way.

How to design a book cover

that sells.

Without the right cover, no one will give your book a chance, no matter how well-written it is, or how diligent your editor.
THIS SECTION IS FROM AN ARTICLE BY DAVID GAUGHRAN Check out his books on marketing!

This comprehensive guide will break down the anatomy of a great book cover so you know what you’re shooting for, but that’s just the beginning.

It will also show you how to research your specific niche so that you know what readers are already responding to, where to find your very own cover designer and what they might charge, and also how to write a design brief so the cover you get is exactly right for your niche — the secret sauce that many beginners miss.

You will also get options if you are on a budget, and specific guidance if you are one of those libertines who insist on designing their own book cover, no matter how many warning signs are erected along that path.

Book cover design

for free

Now that you have finished the book you can think of the book cover as an extension for your marketing plan and the first place to start. You can do this book cover design yourself.

This is difficult for many authors but what design elements from your book do you want to convey on the cover to tell a reader what your book is about. This is one of the most difficult things for authors with complex concepts. The designer needs to be able to create the idea you have in your head.

Depositphoto is a great site to start to find your images. They have a hundred thousand images. Even if you don’t want to design the cover yourself you can contact your designer and send the image number for a custom cover or ideas.

KEEP IT SIMPLE: This is a great example of a custom cover for an author. Her book is a Historical Suspense and takes place in Victorian England in the late 1800s. Often it is difficult to find models in the correct clothes and or style so she keeps the theme of her books with a vintage picture of Big Ben in the background. She has branded her books with a woman on the cover. In her new release, the hero kills with a poisonous snake. This cover was created with the author Chris Karlsen and Romance Novel Covers Now