As it appears, the book cover is by all accounts the least of the problem of writers nowadays. Thanks to the new era of self-publishing, authors have full control over their book's publication. Most authors give careful consideration to the content of their books compared to the outward appearance of their writing.
Try not to misunderstand me! I am not saying that making your book free of structural and grammatical errors is an awful thing. All I am stating is that you and your family members might end up being the only readers of your book on the off chance that you don't have a highly converting book cover.
Numerous authors underrate the power and importance of having a phenomenal book cover. An extraordinary book cover is vital in the book publishing business as it is the first key to access more sales for your book. Getting a book cover can be inexpensive if you have the right resource and knowledge in place. The Good thing is that you have the right to reject works that are not well done, but how can you recognize a good book cover? You have no knowledge of the things you need to put into consideration when shopping for a book cover.
It is okay if you are described as picky or extra. Your book cover is responsible for the first impression your book gets. This article is to enable authors to concentrate on this part of their writing. This will similarly guide authors in things to pay a unique mind to while picking their book covers.
What is a Book Cover?
A book cover as the name infers is self-explanatory. From my point of view, I will characterize a book cover as the key that opens diverse doors for your book.
Your book cover does a great deal when it comes to the number of conversions it gets. It is the glory of your book, and if it isn't shining enough, other publications with more noteworthy and better light will knock it off.
In this article, I will discuss the following:
WHY A GOOD BOOK COVER IS NECESSARY?
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CREATING A BOOK COVER.
THE COST OF HAVING A GOOD BOOK COVER.
HOW TO IDENTIFY A GOOD BOOK COVER.
HOW TO CREATE A CUSTOM BOOK COVER- (DIY BOOK COVER).
THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A GOOD BOOK COVER
An extraordinary book cover contributes incredibly to the accomplishment of your book. You may ask why this is so? The response to this isn't implausible, it is just because individuals are first moved by what they see.
I have been in a circumstance where my mum asked me, "are you hungry?" My answer was No! When I saw the plate of food which was very much embellished, I felt an earnest need to taste it. Even though I said no! A yes was eventually gotten out of me when the food was served.
I have likewise been to a shopping center with the mindset to buy nothing. Towards the end of my stay at the shopping center, I ended up purchasing Something. Why is this so! The appropriate response is that Something stood out enough to be noticed. Because I can afford it, all I need to do is make the purchase.
Packaging in any form of production is highly relevant. In this case, your book cover is equal to your packaging, and your product is your book.
A decent book cover will convert better and bring sales. If you get a high conversion for your book, two things will undoubtedly occur. To begin with, you will make some profit. Besides that, the word about your book will spread. When the word about your book spreads, the sky is not your limit.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CREATING A BOOK COVER
This perspective will come handy for creators who need to cut down costs. Creating your book cover without anyone's help is by all accounts the most ideal way to create a book cover when you are on a budget.
While on the quest to find a book cover, you should have an objective. Do you want a decent book that can convert sales? The first thing I will recommend is:
Get Inspiration.
It is anything but difficult to discover thoughts and inspirations these days. On account of Pinterest, Google, and for this situation, Amazon, you can access different books cover incentives in a matter of a click. Like this, you can pick Something that resounds well with you. The pith of this isn't to duplicate another person's creation, yet it is to structure Something comparative but with customizations to suit your needs.
Accurate dimension
The primary thing to figure out when creating a book cover is identifying a specific dimension for your book. This depends significantly on working with standard sizes and, furthermore, your decision. For a traditionally published author, I figure your publisher will be in charge of making this game plan. For an author who has chosen to independently publish his or her book, you have two alternatives.
The first is to contract a graphic designer on the off chance that you can bear the cost of hiring one. If not, you should make plans on the best way to do it by yourself.
When designing your book cover yourself, it is best to work with the standard book measurements in the publishing business. These pieces of information will come handy.
Fiction: 4.25" x 6.87", 5" x 8", 5.25" x 8", 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9"
Novella: 5" x 8"
Children’s: 7.5" x 7.5", 7" x 10", 10" x 8"
Textbooks: 6" x 9", 7" x 10", 8.5" x 11"
Non-fiction: 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9", 7" x 10"
Memoir: 5.25" x 8", 5.5" x 8.5"
It is essential to continuously have in mind that the paper size of your book must be equivalent to your book cover. For instance, you can't have your book's paper estimate as 4.25" X 6.87" and your book cover size as 5.5" X 8.5".
For those who publish their hardcover books through Amazon, you are very fortunate as Amazon has ready-made templates you can work with. All you need to do is simply pick your model, and the Amazon software will generate a custom template for your needs.
You can find a direct link to the Amazon template generator by clicking the link that can be found in the next paragraph. For now, let me walk you through how you can use this amazon online software.
When you click this link, you will be diverted to a page that belongs to Amazon. To gain access to a custom hardcover template for your book, all you need is to adhere to the directions underneath.
1. You need to pick your cage. This is your book measurement, and you are to decide what that will be based on the genre your book belongs to. This is because there is an inclusive standard measurement for the various type.
2. You will need to provide the number of pages your book has. Keep in mind that the paper estimate must not be on A4. As I referenced before, the book paper estimate must be the equivalent of your book cover. This means that you should give the number of pages your book has after the paper size has been changed over to what the book cover is.
3. Pick your paper color and click on "download the cover template."
Finally, a download will be made. It will be a zip file which you need to extract its contents. Ordinarily, the extracted folder contains two templates in different formats (pdf and jpeg).
Text
When getting ready to make your book cover, make sure that your text must be reasonably significant and striking for all to see.
You should likewise pay exceptional attention to the sort of textual style that will be utilized, i.e., your font. Some texts are beautiful, however not readable while others are not so fancy but are enjoyable.
I will say, go for texts that are not overpowering in style and very important, Something your readers will not have issues reading.
You should likewise pay exceptional attention to the sort of textual style that will be utilized, i.e., your font. Some texts are beautiful, however not readable while others are not so fancy but are enjoyable.
I will say, go for texts that are not overpowering in style and very important, Something your readers will not have issues reading.
Colour
It is super okay if you don't know how to pair colors; I don't know how too! This is why I always look out for color inspiration combinations. This is a lifesaver and time saver also. I get inspirations from Pinterest most of the time. You can search google for book color combination inspirations. Canva has also tried to help with this, but I really do not like their motivations.
Images
Pictures are not obligatory when planning to get your book cover. However, on the off chance that you choose to utilize one, it must meet the accompanying list below.
The color of the image should not be overpowering.
It must be noticeable.
It must have Something to do with what the book is about. My point is that, if you've composed a book about kids, the picture on your book cover ought not to be ladies in bikinis.
THE COST OF HAVING A GOOD BOOK COVER.
I don't have the foggiest idea of what the response to this will be for a traditionally published author.
For an independent publisher, the expense of getting a gorgeous and sellable book cover Varies. It depends significantly on who you have hired to design your book cover. For a super expert who is well known, you can pay up to $500. Expensive? Not really; If you have the money, go for it.
Thanks to the presence of freelancer sites, you can get a book cover at a way less high price. I am talking of between $100-$10. You can look at Fiverr by clicking here and Upwork here.
For an independent publisher, the expense of getting a gorgeous and sellable book cover Varies. It depends significantly on who you have hired to design your book cover. For a super expert who is well known, you can pay up to $500. Expensive? Not really; If you have the money, go for it.
Thanks to the presence of freelancer sites, you can get a book cover at a way less high price. I am talking of between $100-$10. You can look at Fiverr by clicking here and Upwork here.
You can likewise get yourself an attractive and sellable book cover for as low as $5. I have also made a book cover where I needed to pay $0. In this article, I have a video attached that will help you to create a book cover for $2.
If you are wondering what the video is all about, it is an instructional exercise on the most proficient method to make your book cover yourself.
If you are wondering what the video is all about, it is an instructional exercise on the most proficient method to make your book cover yourself.
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| You can get this for $2 without a watermark. |
HOW TO IDENTIFY A GOOD BOOK COVER
I will keep this as straight forward as possible. An incredible book cover is a blend of well-combined colors, an innovative design, and readable texts. I think the clarifications I made in the previous paragraphs can help you in assembling the puzzles.
HOW TO CREATE A CUSTOM BOOK COVER- (DIY BOOK COVER)
I like making learning fun, so for this reason, this can be likened, creating a book cover to making a meal. I guess you are salivating already!
I have found it really convenient in my cooking journey to set every one of my ingredients on my work surface before I start cooking. This way, I don't have to go around in perplexity when the cooking begins.
Appropriate planning additionally offers me the chance to choose what Ingredient I need in my dish. Like this, I can make a mental picture of what I need my dish to look like and taste like.
For this situation, we are dealing with book covers. It is best to have the following before starting your design:
The photo/ image you will like to use
There are a vast number of beautiful photos to use on the web, yet utilizing the wrong ones can get you stuck in an unfortunate situation.
In case you're searching for pictures to use in your book cover, you can discover pretty much anything you need online. This could either be free or paid images. Here is a couple:
Free Book Cover Images
The photographs/images on these sites are free for you to utilize and change as long as you give the craftsman credit.
Always check the attribution rules to know whether there are specific areas where the craftsman want's the credit to be shared. (for example, the back cover or a particular page). Please never sleep on this. Below are sites you can check out.
Flickr
Free Images
Pixabay
Unsplash
Wikimedia Commons
Here are a couple of websites where you can get paid images, or you can utilize great photographs with a paid membership.
Deposit photos
Dreamstime
Shutterstock
Stock unlimited
The graphic design software you will like to use
To create a book cover, you need software that will permit you to combine all your resources together as one.
The software can either be online or offline. For the sake of this tutorial, I am using online software. This means that I will need an internet connection to be able to work.
The software can either be online or offline. For the sake of this tutorial, I am using online software. This means that I will need an internet connection to be able to work.
There are lots of Online graphic design software you can use. Some of them are as follows:
Canva (I will be using this)
Crello
Design Wizard
Tinkercad
V r
I prefer using Canva for my designs because I have been using this for some time now. I have confidence in the product, and because I am used to it, I know my way around Canva.
FYI, this is not a sponsored post.
The next Ingredient you will need to set up an excellent book cover is your book cover template. I previously clarified how you can get that. You should download yours as various books have distinctive needs.
The last thing you will need is your color inspiration combination. If you are ready, I am available, so let's get it started!
In the video beneath, I've shared how to make a book cover (DIY book cover). It was made explicitly for a non-fiction book, but I will come up with different tutorials on this topic.
If you are interested in getting my next tutorial, simply check out my YouTube channel.
GOALS
My aim is to give you an idea of what it takes to create a good book cover.
To give you the inspiration to create your book cover.
To help you create a beautiful book cover at a discounted price. In this case, $2.
To help you understand that you do not need to settle for a poorly made book cover.
Learn through my shoulders as I show you the best way to accomplish this.
If you are interested in getting my next tutorial, simply check out my YouTube channel.
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34 Comments
Great guide and tips! I don't think I'll need to create my own book cover but if I ever do I will keep this in mind.
ReplyDeleteI might need this idea for the future. Thanks for sharing. 😊
ReplyDeleteThanks for demonstrating to us how to create our own book cover. What you shared with us can be used for book covers proposal covers anything that needs to convey a brief message as to the contents. This is so helpful. Keshia Richmond
ReplyDeleteThe truth is, people DO judge a book by its cover, so design is super important. Thanks for these great tips.
ReplyDeleteThis idea is really great and I will apply this in the near future <3
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! A lot of people sometimes still judge the book by it's cover :)
ReplyDeleteThis is very helpful for those needing to create a cover. It's everyone's first impression so it needs to be well thought out. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI so hope that someday I'll publish a book and will need this.
ReplyDeleteI want to publish a book someday too. Keshia Richmond
DeleteNeat article. I plan to write a book someday so this will come in handy.
ReplyDeleteA good book cover sells a book, if you make a book cover that captures the eye of a consumer you basically did 55% of the job, you may have written a hell of a book but designed the wrong book cover and then it all falls down, just think of what the people would like and go with that, it's the best advice,
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the most interesting blog that I have read about covers
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
"Don't judge a book by it's cover" it's funny cuz im always judging by the cover before I read the summary!
ReplyDeleteI usually don't worry much about book covers. My designer handles everything for me. Thanks for sharing tho, these will come in handy someday.
ReplyDeleteFiverr & Upwork are lifesavers when it comes to tasks like these!
ReplyDeleteGreat concept. I have to create a magazine cover sooon and im taking the tips from here to work on
ReplyDeleteDesigning a book cover is such a hard work. It is really painful task and sometimes it gives headache too. I appreciate your time for writing this article. I use Canva but now I will try others too. Thanks once again.
ReplyDeletegreat post! I know a lot of people struggle to figure out what to put and how to do it so I'm sure A LOT of people can benefit from this!
ReplyDeleteCreating a book cover isn't always this easy, so thank you, this will be really helpful in the future.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool idea!! Looks like fun
ReplyDeleteNice! This is something that I could try out later at home.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this lovely post. I will share this post with my sister for her children. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOne of the Best articles I have read thses days. I am going to book mark this. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteGreat Tutorial. Thank you for making this so easy. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's so true people do judge a book by its cover. Anything that appeals to your eye is important.thanks for sharing your tips.
ReplyDeleteThese are excellent tips. Will remember when it comes to designing my book cover!
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt i always used to pick the book with the best cover. Now i do the same with red wine hahaha
ReplyDeleteThese are some great tips! Thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteI was planning to start hunting a book cover for a book im going to finish. These are some great tips!!
ReplyDeleteThese are very useful tips! I love designing book cover and I used Photoshop.
ReplyDeleteThank you sharing so many minute details about Book covers. Very helpful
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking of writing an ebook for sometime now. This is useful information.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a good guide for those who want to make their own books and book covers!
ReplyDeleteI know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but I agree with your statement that your cover needs to be intriguing enough for others to want to read instead of just you family and friends. Thanks for the tips! I'm in the process of writing my own book and will keep this post in mind when it comes time to create my cover.
ReplyDelete*Samantha- https://herjournal.blog