A book’s cover is the first thing a prospective reader sees so it is important that it be professionally created. If it is poorly designed or if it is too simplistic, it can turn your reader away. I know of some self-published books in which the story and writing were pretty good, but the covers screamed “Self-published!”

In these days of digital printing and e-copies, a good cover also needs to look interesting in thumbnail.

With traditional publishing, the author may not have much say regarding the cover. However, with self-publishing, the author has 100 percent responsibility for making sure the cover is professionally created.

I cannot stress enough the importance of hiring a professional cover designer. In my case, my husband (James Hrkach) is an artist and he has designed all my covers.

Some self-publishing websites also offer cover design services. However, if you want a professional looking cover and not too simplistic, it’s better to hire a cover designer. Ask fellow authors for recommendations. Do an online search. Cover designers are as diverse as authors. Look for a designer whose portfolio includes covers which are professionally done and thematically in line with your book’s topic.

Once you’ve hired a designer, it’s important to work with him or her to create a cover design which sets the mood for your book and intrigues a prospective reader.

Two things an author should realize with regard to good cover design is that:

1) one of the most important things about a cover design is the composition
2) artistic/visual composition is probably one of the things authors/writers know the least about

Look for books which have interesting designs and ask yourself:

What’s the theme?
Why does the layout work?
What’s the emotion?
What’s being represented?
Do the lines, color and composition support the theme?

A book’s cover is a marketing device. Professionally produced covers will not only enhance your book, they will also help in marketing it to prospective readers.

Ellen Gable Hrkach is an award-winning, Amazon bestselling author. Her five books have been downloaded over 620,000 times on Kindle. Currently, she works as the Marketing Director for Live the Fast, a non-profit Roman Catholic apostolate based in Boston. She does freelance writing and editing for a variety of other websites, she blogs at "Plot Line & Sinker" http://ellengable.wordpress.com and is also self-publishing book consultant and a publisher. She and her husband are the parents of five sons ages 16 to 28 and live in Pakenham, Ontario. In her spare time, Ellen enjoys playing board games with her family, watching classic movies on TCM and reading on her Kindle.

7 Replies to “The Importance of a Good Cover”

  1. Thanks, Owen and Christine. I agree with you, Owen, that a cover can help us judge whether we as the reader will be interested. Christine, while self-publishing can be the quickest way to get your book published, it’s also important to have a team of people helping you produce a quality product. Good luck!

  2. Thankyou! This is very helpful to me, as I am concerned that the best way to get my book published as soon as possible will be by self publishing. Cheers C.H

  3. Well, said.
    You can’t judge a book by its cover but by its cover you will judge whether you are interested or not. A cover can kill it or make it. It’s one of the reasons we see different covers for the same title in different countries. What appeals to on sensibility will not to another.

  4. This is so important. I can say that without question, the quality of the cover on a self-published work is a deciding factor in whether I ever read it. (Even if someone gave me the book for free — I just have a hard time opening a book with a cheesy cover.) Christian LeBlanc’s latest book is IMO an example of a cover done beautifully — and yes, he hired a pro to do it. Really fits his topic and speaks to his audience.

    Tip on finding a designer: See who other authors with good covers are using. Often there’s a credit somewhere in fine print on the book’s info pages. Soon — very soon — I want to put together a list of recommended artists used by CWG members, as a resource for new authors.

    1. I agree, Jennifer! I’ve been given self-published books with poorly designed covers and it’s hard to even open the book. It’s a shame too, because some of these books are well written.

  5. Thanks Ellen for this post! Working as a Catholic designer in the field for years, it becomes clearer and clearer that the Catholic world needs to put a better focus on presentation, as well as content! The other side sells so well because they present well. We need to see book racks filled with strong, attractive and compelling covers, like a thousand stained-glass windows looking into the same cathedral. God bless you!

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