There are many people who judge a book by their cover and when the cover is like that of a postage stamp in terms of size as it is in the case of search results for eBooks, it is of utmost importance that there is a clear message for leveraging maximum impact.
It is indeed quite difficult to get the perfect high-voltage look, but there is nothing to get disappointed or disheartened.
Here are some quick tips to check out to help with the process, particularly for authors with little or no design experience but are keen to give it a shot.
Have a clear idea of what message you want to convey
It is said that the first impression is so often the last impression and one has only one shot to create the first impression. That is why it is better to choose a constant from the story as the theme cover which would make a strong presence instead of two or three story lines, eighteen scenes or one plot twist clamoring for attention. One may also choose the value or the moral his story is conveying to its readers as the theme cover. Book binding also plays a pivotal role in this sphere as it helps capture the attention of the targeted audience and thus helping you send your message across.
Use other book covers to guide you
It is a good way to have a look at the books with similar kind of themes one is searching for along with the way they have laid out the text and images. It is not at all required to know everything but this certainly provides a vivid idea of how others have done it in the past.
Use simple typefaces and layout
Irrespective of the fact how beautiful the cover image may look like, the book cover fails if the typeface is poor. Type is an element that is so often ignored but it is so very essential. Regardless of the genre of the book the typeface is indeed the deal breaker. With decorative fonts, there is a risk that they might be outdated. So the best way to go about is to keep it to two fonts at the max- one stylish font for the title and a simple one for the name of the author and tagline.
Keep it simple
There is simply no need to be going overboard with the design. The USP of a good design is its balance and to get across the message that one wants to deliver. It is not required to make a combination of different images and tell the reader the various aspects of the story. Instead, having one message with a visual appeal in place of being literally written is sufficing and ideal for the cause. For instance, to express royalty generally a crown is used and for slavery a chain.
Have bold, easy-to-see visuals
Before going to add creativity in Gimp or Photoshop it must be well remembered that a lot of the readers are going to see the cover in black and white on Kobo. Again, a colour like pink comes pretty poor on the Kobo. So it is vital to maintain clean lines and use images that are easy to distinguish i.e. if one is intending to blend them. If one has a Kobo then the best thing would be to upload the cover and open it up to see how it looks. The last thing one would want is to find the name barely visible as it has blended into the background colour after all the hard work he has done.
If one covers the above points he is more than likely to have a good cover and with e-books there is always the added advantage that covers can be changed quite easily.
