Book Cover Art And Why It Matters

Why your cover art matters (Guest post from Lauren Gebka)

​Your book cover is the first thing people see when they look at your book.
It’s the thing that reels them in and grabs their attention leading them to want to know more.
The cover is what makes the book stand out among the mundane books on the shelf and it adds an extra layer to the buyer's experience. I mean who doesn’t want to carry around a pretty book?

One thing to remember is if a book cover looks like minimal effort was put in then it sends a message to a buyer that the writing could have minimal effort put in as well.

A book cover can make or break the sale of a book.

What makes great book cover art?
​So what makes for great and memorable cover art?
Something that could catch the attention and make the sale.
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Listed below are a few tips on what makes for a great book cover as well as examples.

One of the main points of a book cover is to entice engagement. To get somebody to pick up the book and read the blurb and ultimately buy the book.

Above is an example of a book cover I personally find enticing and would lead me to pick up the book.
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Strong contrast

The reason that a strong contrast is important when wanting to create a great book cover is that you want somebody to pick up your book and be able to read and understand everything that is happening on the cover.

You don’t want your title blending into the background.

You also want your cover to be different and stand out from the crowd. Strong contrast achieves this often and pulls buyers in.

Striking imagery

Let’s think about this one...

How often when you’re browsing in a bookshop are you drawn to a plain and boring cover?

When I’m book shopping, I keep a lookout for book covers with bold and striking imagery – something that engages me enough to pick up the book and make me think “This looks interesting”

There are of course many more factors that make for great book cover art which we cover in detail in our extensive article on book cover art. We also provide 67 examples and studies done to show how cover art helps sales.

Does cover art help book sales?Many things go into book sales but, indeed, a book cover could ultimately make or break the sale.

At the end of the day, the cover is the first thing a buyer sees and the thing that entices them to pick up (or click on) the book.

So the short answer is yes professional cover art does help book sales.

JD&J Design has several excellent book cover design packages you should definitely check out if you need a cover designer.

Beyond the Book CoverWhile your cover makes a big difference, getting the exposure so that more people see your cover in the first place is important too.

Ensure you have a professional author website design and engaging author bio that sells your books and your value as an author.