Some Things to Consider when Designing a Cover

We’ve had a lot of great posts here at The Prosers on cover design and the importance of having a great cover.   Having a great cover is especially important in self-publishing because it is one way to set a book apart from the other self-published books.  Maybe I’m a little harsh, but if the cover looks amateurish, I suspect the story may also be amateurish, but if the author puts the time or money into creating a professional looking cover, I imagine that he/she put as much care into crafting the story, and I’m more willing to give the story a try.

I really think of all the things that can be done to promote a novel, having an amazing cover is the most important.  I know we shouldn’t “judge a book by its cover,” but honestly, I do, and I don’t think I’m alone.  So in those crucial seconds when a reader decides whether or not to try a book, an intriguing cover just might be the difference between a sale or no sale.

I’m not really artistically inclined, and if I ever chose to self-publish, I’d probably hire someone to help me design my cover, so I’m not sure if I’m the best to give advice on designing a cover.  But when I looked through covers to write this post, I started seeing some trends.  Then I read this blog post the Seduction of Romance-Novel Design on designing romance covers, and I realized how much thought goes into designing a cover.   Designing a cover is as much an art as writing the book, and if there are tools and tricks for us writers, there must be tools and tricks for cover designers as well.

Perhaps the most important part of cover design is the signal to the reader what kind of story is being told, that includes indicating the genre and as well as other aspects of the story.    In the blog post on designing romance covers, Claire Brown who designs covers for Hachette Publishing Group made this comment on the constraints of romance novel covers.

“The (cover) design of the romance genre is driven by sales, but the formula works. ‘There are constraints in how much we can deviate without alienating the reader,’ Brown says. ‘Familiarity in typeface and painterly style reassures the reader that this book is what you think it is going to be, and you are going to love it.’”

I think that is a great quote and just emphasizes that there a psychology to developing covers, that we readers are somewhat programmed to look for familiar things on the covers that indicate that this is a book within our genre of interest that will appeal to us.

Now as I said earlier, I noticed a few patterns when I was shifting through covers.  I think these patterns, which are sometimes broken, help indicate what kind of story is being told and genre of the novel.  Too many times I’ve seen nice looking covers of self-published books that look like the wrong genre.  For example:  I once saw a cover of a boy petting a black lab in a pastoral setting.  I imagined the story was going to something along the lines of Where the Red Fern Grows or Old Yeller, but the story was about a post-apocalyptic world.  I did not get any indication of sci-fi or speculative elements from that cover.

So to help self-publishers design covers that match their genre and find their intended audiences, here are some things to consider in designing a book cover.

1.     Type setting.  As mentioned in the earlier quote, familiar typeface is important to indicate genre.  The romance genre tends to have elegant sweeping fonts whereas dystopias have more of a clean computer-generated looking font.  Clearly, the use of different fonts and typeface can help indicate the genre of the story.

Bet you can guess the genre just from the typeface

2. Color schemes.  The use of colors tends to (not always) indicate genre.  I know that there are exceptions, but I saw some colors combinations used more frequently in some genres versus others.  I think that the color scheme can help indicate genre.   

I saw more brown, blue, and green color schemes in second world fantasy novels, and more black, white, and red in paranormal romance.  As a reader of both of these genres these color patterns work.  Second world fantasy novels are usual set in a pre-industrial world, so earth tones really work for giving that feel, while paranoramal romances are all about passion and danger, so a more dramatic and passionate colors fit perfectly for that genre.

Graceling has a green and brown (gold-ish) color scheme whereas Everneath has black, white, and red.

The Demon King has brown, blue, and green while New Moon has black, red , and white.

3.  Graphic.  I like how Trisha summarized Chip Kidd’s TED talk in her post last week. 

“A cover can only do so much.  As Chip Kidd said in a TED Talk, ‘A book cover is a distillation.’  It has to condense the story down and summarize with a single glance.  If it's done well, it will pull the reader into the book.”

The graphic is very essential to that distillation of the story.   Having the right image, one that really represents the story being told is very crucial to the entire cover.  I think it is important to get it right.  Close enough doesn’t cut it.  If you can't find that perfect image from available, already existing art that you can purchase the rights to, you may have to pay an artist to design one for you.  I know that can be expensive, but if you really believe in your story, you might have to invest a little money to give it the best shot at being successful.

I love the cover of the novel Sheena may be publishing soon.  It is amazing.  The girl with the half-human half-dragon face perfectly depicts the story being told, and I think that this awesome cover will definitely make her novel more successful.  I know I’m eager to buy it.

Awesome cover.  It makes me want to read the book.

So for all you writers either toying with the idea of self-publishing or already in the process, my not so expert advice is to look at the covers of all your favorite books in the genre you wish to be publish.  Look at the typeface, the color scheme, and the graphics, and try to emulate that style while staying true to the story you have written.  I think that is the best chance to appeal to the readers who will love your book.

Good luck!!!

~MaryAnn