A lot of people say "Don’t judge a book by its cover" and while you shouldn't have prejudices when you see the cover of the book, a good cover design might bring the potential reader's attention to your book and actually make your sales go up a lot. But how to do that, how to actually make a good cover, that is what we will discuss in the next few paragraphs.
Planning the design
First of all, a good book cover is the one that actually makes the reader think that the book will be unique. So that's the first thing we want to bring to our book cover art is something that can't be found elsewhere. This is where you should bring your creativity on. Balancing the colors, finding the right font may sound like something small but are actually crucial for creating the best book cover design possible. And while you should bring creativity in creating it, don't go over the moon - stick to ideas for a design that actually is somehow connected to your book's theme. You can't really put a monster on your cover if your book is about romance, even if it is something metaphoric because that might confuse the readers and they will probably lose interest and go purchase something a little bit less confusing.
Color scheme
The colors that you will use have to be ones that actually stand well with your idea. For example, if your book is a horror one, you would want to use darker colors, something dim that will bring the mysterious element to your book cover design. And if your book is mainly for children, you want to put something more colorful, because that is what will bring most of the children’s/parents attention towards your creation.
Back cover
Another important thing is paying attention to the back cover of the book. These days a lot of authors don't put much effort into creating a proper back cover design and that might put off some of the potential readers. Most of the time on the back cover of the book there is only a brief description of the book's story or a part of the author's autobiography, but if you really want to raise up your book sales, you should also think about giving the back of the book more attention. If you don't really have the ability to create a good book cover design yourself, you can always contact a designer that will do this job for you, but bear in mind you should hire a professional. If you decide to work with an individual who knows Photoshop, be advised to describe exactly what you want because both of you have different mindsets, and the same idea that looks one way in your head, might look completely different in his.
Is it the same for ebooks?
Authors who publish ebooks should also try to make an impact with good book cover art because there are millions of books on Amazon (some of them will be very close in genre and story) so the better art will actually make the difference.
The book cover - another weapon in your marketing arsenal
In the past, book covers were mostly used as means of protection for the pages inside, but nowadays the cover also plays a role of a mirror for the book's quality and is a good marketing weapon. Of course, sometimes a more simplified design can get the job done even better than an advanced one, you just have to know how to put out your simple idea in a way that actually intrigues the reader.
For example, you can use a different font for every word or letter, you can also use only two or three colors in the design if you can utilize them in a good way. Whatever you decide for your cover, don’t forget that it is only the first part of your art, it might be very important, but what is on the inside is what matters the most. Never start working on the cover if you haven’t finished the manuscript because, by the time you have finished it, you might not like your first cover art idea. Another useful tip is to never try and plagiate covers from other authors, not only you will look bad in the reader's eye if you do that, but you will also miss the opportunity to give your book cover a part of yourself. Everything you do about your cover should come from your mind and soul, from your feelings, you have to capture the essence of your book - that way you know that you have given your creation the deserved time and thought and everything you have.
Conclusion
Writing a book might be hard, might take a lot of time, so if you have invested your energy and determination in creating it, then you should top it off with a really good cover design that perfectly describes what this book and its potential readers mean to you as an author.
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