We all know the saying ‘you should never judge a book by its cover’, but your cover is the first impression your prospective readers will get of your book. So how can you make it stand out and connect with your audience?

Here are 7 top tips to help your cover stand out from the crowd:

1. Employ a professional cover designer

Designing the cover yourself can look amateurish, and give a poor overall impression of the quality of your writing. It’s worth using a professional book cover designer to get a great final product and do your writing justice.

2. Make it simple

Don’t make the design too busy. You want a cover that’s easy on the eye, and your readers can interpret easily to get an understanding of what your book is about.

3. Theme your design around the genre of your book

Look at other book covers on Amazon and see if there is a common theme to the designs that fall into your genre. This is the type of design your readers will be used to seeing, and they will be able to identify with your cover more easily.

4. Think thumbnail

Think about how the design will look as a thumbnail image, and as a black and white image. Most online sellers will preview your book cover as a thumbnail image first, so the design needs to be clear enough to see at this size. Also consider how your design will display on e-readers with black and white screens.

5. Make sure the title is legible

It sounds obvious, but don’t get carried away with fancy typefaces if it means the clarity of your title is compromised.

6. Work the spine

Don’t underestimate the impact of the spine – if your book is displayed on a shelf, it’s the only impression that readers will get. Make the design clear, but impactful.

7. Be selective about the cover imagery

You don’t have to tell the whole story on the front cover. Your audience will be curious if you give away just the right amount, and will want to read more.

Question: What do you think makes a great book cover? You can leave a comment below…