Booksellers, who can see hundreds of books on a daily basis, are especially susceptible to pretty books and the urge to take them home. As a former bookseller, I can testify that prettiness does create more goodwill toward a book—and makes it more likely that a reader will stop and read the synopsis. The following list is a roundup of book cover embellishments that excite booksellers (and one that doesn’t).
book cover
A Book’s Cover: One of Its Strongest Marketing Tools
By Kendra Ferguson
The adage “don’t judge a book by its cover” has been proven to be bad advice not only for readers but also for publishers’ marketing teams. As it turns out, books’ covers are often exactly what they’re judged by.
Designs of the Future and Beyond: 2018 Sci-Fi Book Cover Trends
By Megan Crayne Beall @megancraynepoet
I refuse to believe we can’t move past the paperback designs of the past with their jumble of chunky fonts, strange color palettes, and, dare I say, unappealing illustrations of aliens.
Book Cover Design from a Scientific Approach
By Maki Takase
I’ve been pursuing book cover design in the past year because in a small publishing house like Ooligan Press, book covers play more significant roles than in large publishing houses that hold big name authors and titles. I am interested in the effects of book cover design on consumers who do not know the author or content, and what information a book cover should include in order to attract consumers.
Book Cover Design Tools for the Self-Published Author
By Meagan Nolan
As a self-published author, it may be intimidating to start with all of the online outlets claiming they can make your book the next bestseller. After all, you’re a writer, not a designer. To help make the process a little less intimidating, here is a brief list of options that can give your book the beautiful face it deserves.
AI Judges a Book by Its Cover—How Does It Affect Book Cover Designers’ Futures?
By Maki Takase
So what clues does CNN rely on? The researchers categorized three matters: color, objects, and text. For example, CNN associated white with “Self-help,” and dark colors for “Science Fiction & Fantasy.” If two people stood in close proximity, CNN guessed “Romance.” If people were illustrated, it predicted “Comics & Graphic Novels.” While “Mystery, Thriller & Suspense” tended to have a similar color palette and image content to “Romance” and “Science Fiction & Fantasy,” CNN distinguished them by their texts; “Mystery, Thriller & Suspense” books usually employ large, overlaid sans serif text.