Clear at thumbnail size

One of the most important aspects many designers overlook is how the cover looks at a thumbnail size.

This is because the first time most book buyers see a new book it is at this small size on Amazon. So it's vitally important to consider this factor when designing a cover.

Professional not poor

Ever noticed a book with a poor cover design? What's the first thing you thought? I bet it was something like "I don't like the look of that book. The writing is probably terrible. I think I'll pass "

We've all done it. Consciously or not, we all judge a book by its cover so it's always advisable to invest in a professional cover. 

No copyright worries

So many authors we speak with have used, or hired a designer who used, images found on Google. Our advice: don't do it. It's too easy to fall foul of copyright laws.

Our designers only use legal images that we purchase, so you can be sure there'll never be any copyright issues.

Genre-specific design

This is an important consideration as people will judge your book within a split-second.

If you clearly communicate the genre of your book on the cover, you're already half way to hooking in the reader. If the person stops for long enough to look at your cover, they're much more likely to buy your book. 

Fonts matter

There's so much confusion over which fonts are good to use on a cover design. Many people think it's best to match the font to the genre.

But this is often not the right way to go. For example, a gothic novel doesn't always have to use a gothic font. This can be overkill. Sometimes simpler is better. 

Colour contrast

The human eye is excited by contrast. We're drawn to images where the difference between light and dark is strong.

So when we design your book cover we're constantly thinking how we can make it have more contrast. This helps draw in prospective readers who are then more likely to buy your book.

Depth in design

So many amateur covers lack one important element. Depth. Having depth in a cover is the secret sauce when it comes to grabbing prospective readers.

And it's not only used in cover design, you see it at the movies too. The hero running into the distance has been used in countless movies as it draws you into the scene. You'll never look at a movie or book cover the same way after discovering this!

Don't make a scene

Very often authors will ask to have a scene from the book on the cover. And in most cases this is the wrong thing to do. This is because a whole scene can often be too detailed to fit in the limited space on a book cover. It can also look cluttered and be hard to see at a thumbnail size.

So it's best to keep the cover scene simple so it's immediately understandable to anyone viewing the cover for the first time.

Stand out to sell more

Now when I say "stand out" I don't mean just for the sake of it like a clown at a wedding. I mean stand out by making your cover easy to see, and easy to understand at first glance.

You don't need to fixate over every last detail. The prospective buyer won't. They'll see your cover and make a decision to find out more about your book in a split second. It's in that moment that we have to grab their attention. And a great design is your best friend for this.

Above you can see the audiobook cover we designed for the best selling Amber Road by Sherry Christie

Here you can see the audiobook cover we designed for My Sister's Detective by T.J. Jones

And here you can see the audiobook cover we designed for the best selling Do Not Go Gentle. Go To Paris by Gail Schilling