“The worst thing an author can do is consider their cover design like a blank canvas and add whatever they want, wherever they want,” says Derek Murphy on the Creative Indi website.
Authors want their book to stand out and he says the secret is contrast between the main focus of the cover and the background. He says many authors want far too many elements included on the cover which makes it look too busy.
Murphy says that non-fiction appeals to the brain, whereas fiction appeals to the heart, so fiction covers should be bursting with color, vibrancy, and action. They should be beautiful. The art alone should make the reader feel something like longing or loss or passion immediately. He suggests adding a subtitle, a teaser or even a review can help the book sell.
Regarding fonts, he suggests buying one because it will be much less used, therefore more noticeable. The same with photos. He says if a stock photo is really good it will be used on many covers and suggests hiring a friend to do a photoshoot so the pictures used are different. But he warns that if the book requires many highly detailed items on the cover it’d be better to go with something really simple instead.
Finally he points out that text placement can be a form of branding, so is well worth considering.
For the full article with pictures see: http://www.creativindie.com/8-cover-design-secrets-publishers-use-to-manipulate-readers-into-buying-books/
Helen Woodall
helen.woodall@gmail.com
Helen is available to line edit and/ or content edit fiction and non-fiction. Rates on application.
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