Writing a book may be one of the most difficult things you have done. However, now you know nothing matches the joy of completing your book, a process filled with hardships and exhaustion. But simply writing the words is not something that will get your book acclaimed.
Your journey doesn’t end here. It is only the beginning of a lot more work that needs to be done. To get the reader to pick up your book from the isle of literature, you need to appeal to their senses. The first thing they see is the book cover; you have to make it count!
If you are looking forward to making your book stand out with an impressive cover, here are a few tips that can help.
1. Know Your Theme
The hard part is over; you have written, revised, and edited your book. Do not forget to appreciate yourself for that. For choosing the aesthetic appeal for your book, you have to keep a positive mind-set, give a lot of consideration and keep an open mind.
You may have a lot of ideas in your mind, and it’s okay if you feel overwhelmed. Think about the theme of your book and its tone. This step can help you a lot in making the right call. If you still feel lost, give your friends or editor a call to help you with this step.
2. Hire Professional Help
Take a deep breath and think about your book’s tone and characters. What are the colours that came to your mind? Could you think of any images that could help the readers feel interested? It is okay if you cannot come up with concrete answers.
Looking at the trouble that writers go through with making the right call for their book covers, many professional UK book cover designers can offer their valued services. With professional assistance, you can discover your options more productively while saving time.
3. Convey the Idea
No reader will read through your book until the cover talks to them, gives them the motive to read, and conveys the basic idea. As a writer who went through a detailed process to write and revise your book countless times, you are guaranteed to have an idea about the book, but what about the reader?
While striving to create the perfect cover for your book, try to stick as close to the main idea as possible by showing your creativity spontaneously. Naturally, creativity will catch a reader’s eye, and the clear idea will make it impossible for them to resist buying your book.
4. Consider Your Audience
Are you writing a fiction book to indulge your writer in a world of fantasy, or will it be a self-help book that can help the reader in a certain aspect of life? You must know your audience and what they want to finalise your book and its cover.
Another thing that can help is knowing what age group you are targeting. If your audience is young, they would likely want the cover to be filled with colours and most likely portray the main character. On the other hand, adults may have completely different needs.
5. Revise and Edit
Whether you have just started writing or are an accomplished writer already, revision and editing remain among the most time-consuming and exhausting parts of the book writing procedure. Just like the text inside the book, your cover needs a lot of revisions too.
Luckily, you do not have to rush with the title of your book. You can write all the ideas that come to your mind before, during, and after writing your book. Think hard before you finalise the title. There are no easy returns when the book goes to the publishing stage.
6. Think Like a Reader
What would you look for in a book aisle of your favourite genre? Imagine yourself as a reader and not a writer for a while. This practice can help you see your book from a reader’s perspective, giving you a deeper insight into what’s in demand.
You do not have to be alone through this practice. Ask your friends or family, especially someone interested in reading or writing to accompany you. With different people’s perspectives, you will better understand what the readers are looking for.
7. Avoid Writing a Lot
In today’s world, everyone is in a rush because time is money, and nobody wants to spend time on something that does not benefit or interest them instantly. Similarly, remember that the reader’s clock is ticking when you send your book to be published and displayed in the bookstores.
You must trust in quality, not quantity, to get your potential reader interested. A lot of words written on your book cover may lose the interest of your buyers, and then may choose to move to another book. So, make your title and synopsis short and sweet.
8. Make Innovative Choices
Throughout history, many writers, artists, and musicians were not appreciated in their own time. However, their genius and bold choices get recognized and widely acclaimed later in time. As a writer, do not be afraid of making bold choices.
Creativity begins with you, and you know the tone and direction of your book better than anyone else. It is your creation, and you should treat it as such. Take your time, explore your options and when satisfied, say yes to the design.
9. Introduce the Protagonist
While the book cover is mostly associated with the choice of colours, name, and design, do not forget that your book has an existence beyond visual aesthetics. After looking at the front cover, the reader will turn to read the synopsis, and what is written there matters a lot.
Readers want to feel connected to the book, and the best way around it is to make your synopsis about the protagonist. Whether it may be a hero or a villain in your story, leave the reader in a position where they will buy your book and ensure digging in before going to bed.
10. Trust the Process
Yes, writing a book, designing a cover, and sending it out to be published is exhausting and overwhelming. But as soon as your book goes out, you will feel a sense of comfort and accomplishment that you may have never experienced before.
As your book reaches the bookshelves, trust the hard work you put in to pay off. Meanwhile, you can engage your audience through social media, arrange podcasts and learn to be patient and hopeful.
