Should you really judge a book by its cover? Whether you’ve just written a novel, or are publishing someone else’s. You’re curious about the mythical very real powers a book cover has.
Even though – lemme guess – you’ve heard:
“Don’t judge a book by its cover”
The Mill on the Floss by George Elliot (1860)
Oof, we all have. But a lot’s changed since the 1800s. Long gone are The Salem Witch Trials. Jack The Ripper. And as for books? Well, today, it’d be downright dangerous not to judge one by its cover. Especially in the ever-changing world of ‘what works’ in book sales.
Unlock the artistry behind captivating covers. And exactly why you really (really) should judge a book by its cover in 2024.
The Number 1 Reason You MUST Judge a Book by its Cover
It’s simple.
Because everyone else already is.
Think about it. You do too. From picking a wine off the shelf, a pair of Vans from the store #guilty. And yep – you guessed it – even books.
So as a savvy author or publisher, deep down you know that for your book to leap off the shelves like a goblin on the loose… it's imperative to judge your book by its cover.
I won’t bore you with the psychological theories behind book covers that sell. What I will share is why they should matter to you.
Why are book covers important?
You can measure the powers of drool-worthy covers in more than saliva drops. Think: cold hard numbers. Let’s reveal a few:
Just 1 in 5 people care about who wrote a book, though a whopping 52% choose a book based on its cover alone – as reported by The Scottish Sun
79% of people say the cover plays a decisive role when choosing a book – The Book Smugglers
70% of people make up their mind on a product (like books) in just 90 seconds, so yours must captivate quickly – Singh S., Management Decision
40% of people won’t buy a book if it has a bad cover – The Book Smugglers
The Importance of Book Cover Design and Why it's Judged
By now, you’re getting the feel for what a strong book cover can mean for you (and those judging it). Though, why should you take advantage of it?
Here are the top reasons taking your book cover’s design seriously can positively impact your sales. And the role it plays, overall.
1. first impressions are everything
Think first impressions only matter inn the schoolyard, a job interview or an application for The School of Wizardry? Think again. First impressions are an important element for book covers, too. A striking cover is what sets the tone, illustrates the narrative and communicates the mood in one quick glance.
2. Your book cover is designed to ignite curiosity
Like the flick of a match in a dimly lit cave, your book cover’s an eager reader’s first peep at what lies ahead. It’s the pulse-pounding combo of art and science. One that gives a glimpse into the realm of possibilities that lie *just* below the pages (yes, before they even read the synopsis).
When curiosity combines with eager fingertips, your reader’s likely to feel compelled to dive headfirst into the ghostly dimension, adventurous scene or futuristic galaxy within your book.
The cover sets the tone for the story ahead, captures their attention and pricks your reader’s skin with goosebumps of anticipation. So it *must* ignite curiosity. After all, it’s the single most important book element to inspire them to flip over to the synopsis.
3. Stand out yet blend in with a creative-yet-strategic book cover
Physical and digital books all have one thing in common. They’re plucked from a sea of other books competing for your potential reader’s attention. In such a highly competitive market, a distinctive book cover makes it easier for your reader to notice, nod and nicely choose it over others.
If your book cover is too unique? Your target audience is likely to skim right past it, as its cover won’t clearly illustrate what type of book it is. If it’s too similar, they may assume they’ve already seen this book and, again, skip right past.
Take Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, for example. This iconic cover features bold type, and strands of hair. When you see this on a book cover in any composition, it’s clear what you’re getting into – a missing girl thriller.
To stand out, yet blend in, it's important that your book cover design stands on the shoulders of giants that have come before it.
Which parts of a book cover are being judged?
As a whole, it's your book cover's job to convert browsers into readers, and readers into megafans. So, for your book to sell, its cover must first magnetise eyeballs, to catapult sales.
Here’s exactly which elements of a book cover are being judged.
THE TYPOGRAPHY
Typography’s a powerful book cover element for attracting your ideal reader like a zombie to brains. A font that aligns with your ideal reader’s preferences? Consider it your book’s ultimate jackpot. Professionalism oozes from typography execution across genres. Similarly, your book cover’s type is key to communicating your book’s genre. There’s a reason particular fonts are used for particular genres. And in most cases, typography sets the tone even more clearly than the accompanying artwork.
THE GRAPHICS
Your book cover’s graphics play an important role in communicating your novel’s theme. They assist potential readers in understanding the tone of the tale, and play an essential role in marketing your book to the right audience, with a clear message. Graphics are all about balance. A way to give readers a peep through the keyhole at what the story’s about (without spoilers!).
Tip from the studio: Does your book feature a major plot twist that becomes the focus of the book? Don’t feature this on the cover and ruin the surprise.
THE COLOURS
The colours that feature on your book’s cover are designed to elicit an emotional response. Is it thrill? Wonder? Spookiness? The hierarchy of your colours is used to draw attention to specific areas of your cover and combine to create aesthetic appeal.
THE LAYOUT
Visual organisation (or layout!) works to seamlessly weave readability and a book’s theming. It’s your book cover’s layout’s role to communicate the book’s message in a succinct way, so its potential reader can quickly grasp the tale that lives on its pages. After all, you have a mere 3 seconds to capture a potential reader’s attention online.
Tip from the studio: Online book sales have steadily increased by 9% each year for the past decade, and now make up a whopping 71.2% of all book sales.
THE CHARACTERS OR SETTING
Who you choose to feature on your book’s cover delivers incredible insight to the reader. They offer clues about the book’s context, connect characters with narratives… and can even paint a picture of the story angles a reader can expect. Depending on your book’s narrative, and the age of your audience, your book cover may feature no characters at all. This is particularly important for books where the reader is painted vivid pictures of characters through words and then able to imagine what they’d look like themselves.
THE TONE
In modern society, trigger warnings are an important element to feature on book covers with particular themes. While book covers with mature or potentially triggering themes should always feature a disclaimer on the cover, or within the pages, the design of the cover can also play a role in communicating potential themes within the book.
want to join the book cover coven?
Hi, I’m Nat Mack. A coffee-guzzling illustrator and strategic designer who specialises in book cover designs. With a triple-threat skill set in marketing, design and publishing, I create drool-worthy covers that attract readers to books like zombies to brains.
Each book cover you judged above (sans Gone Girl) was created by yours truly. Want to learn more about the magic power behind book design? Or just want to drool over some pretty book covers? Sign-up to the Miss Nat Mack monthly Newsletter.