DIY Book Covers: Essential Tips for Non-Designers
Do you consider DIY book covers essential for authors who are non-designers? Publishers rely on book covers to engage potential readers.
Even if you have plenty of story ideas, your ability to design a compelling book cover may seem beyond your current design skills. Fear not! As a non-designer, you'll learn how to create an attractive book cover that expresses the author's identity and engages readers.
How to Design a Book Cover By Yourself¶
When you create a book cover from scratch, please start with the most important aspects of your book: its contents. An effective book cover should reflect what the reader will find inside.
So even if you’re unsure how to tackle your DIY book covers project, spend some time researching other books in your genre. Big publishing houses know what their target audiences look for in book covers, and you can draw on them for inspiration.
There are a lot of resources out there to help you along the way, and they are all there for you to take advantage of.
Use Online Tools for Your DIY Book Covers Design¶
Indie authors have unlimited access to internet-based tools that help them create their projects. Here are a few tips to get you started on designing your book cover:
- Download a free design template. A huge selection of book cover templates lets you begin your creative process and offers many dimensions to match your needs. Internet templates have limitations because their standardized designs often create the appearance of hurried production or subpar quality work.
- Search for stock photos and images. Self-publishing writers often select stock photographs for their book covers because various companies offer affordable rights to millions of image choices. After acquiring the license you have the right to modify your purchased photo for your custom book cover.
- Purchase and learn book cover design software. To create your book cover you should invest in graphic design software. Most people can edit images in Adobe Photoshop, yet professional developers alone fully explore its advanced capabilities. Your book cover will likely experience quality issues if you do not frequently use the selected graphic design software.
- Start by researching design tools and practice using them until you feel confident with the process. Your work requires several design features from the principal photo through the chosen type style.
Gathering Inspiration: Researching Book Covers¶
Look at successful book covers in your genre first to help you create your own design. This process fuels creativity and enables you to grasp what visual elements work best in your genre.
Look at bookstores both in stores and on their websites to find designs that draw your attention. Check top-rated books and bestselling publications in your genre.
Make a list of covers that resonate with you. What colors are prevalent? What fonts are being used, and how do they complement the imagery? Is there a common theme or style that defines the genre?
In romance books, you will find visuals using pastel colors alongside flowing script fonts whereas thrillers employ dark palette designs with bold graphic fonts.
Save interesting book cover designs on Pinterest and Instagram to develop your mood board collection. Browse the professional work of designers through Behance and Dribble to find inspiration for your own project. Jot down what design features stand out to you from the layout design, spaces between elements, or capturing photos that attract your attention.
Your DIY book covers project should showcase elements from your genre but also display your personal author signature. Remember to infuse your unique design touches into the project. On the other hand, you can learn a lot from other designs.
During this research time, you will learn what popular trends exist and figure out how to create a unique version of those trends to design a stand-out cover that represents your story.
Utilizing Design Principles: Contrast, Alignment, and Hierarchy¶
Learning essential design principles enables non-designers to produce better book cover designs. These design elements: contrast, alignment, and hierarchy can turn your basic cover into something that captivates readers.
Elements on your cover become more noticeable when you create visible contrasts between them. It helps people notice your work and follow the path their eyes take as they read.
Rephrase key points by emphasizing them with bold variations against their background. When your background design has dark tones use a bright font for title text. This makes the text both easier to read and appears more enticing. Your book's genre dictates its color scheme, as different color pairs create distinct moods which you must select carefully.
Alignment serves as a key design rule to build a unified and structured appearance. You create visual harmony on your cover by aligning all components together which guides the viewer's attention through each item squarely. Your design will look professional when you keep all text elements either left-justified for a traditional style or centered for a contemporary look.
You need to match your text with images to design a cover that works nicely for readers.
You can use the hierarchy concept to show which parts of your cover matter most. The theory shows readers what to notice first on covers starting with the text title up to visual elements or subtitles.
Arrange elements by size, color, and placement to establish clear importance.
Your book's title must stand out as the largest text feature on the cover to be noticed first by readers. Make author names and subtitles readable by shrinking the text, yet ensuring people can understand them clearly.
These design tools become more effective at illustrating your message and attracting readers when you use them wisely.
Learning about contrast, alignment, and hierarchy design principles helps you create book covers that attract your target audience and exceed competitive designs. With a little creativity and attention to detail, even non-designers can produce a cover that captivates and compels!
Seeking Feedback: Getting Opinions from Others for Your DIY Book Covers¶
Getting feedback helps you make better decisions for your book cover design. Without design training, non-designers often romanticize their initial work until they can see its weaknesses. Others help determine the best results.
Let your cover design undergo evaluation by relatable people from your circle including immediate family members, fellow authors, and close friends. Their suggestions will likely reveal fresh design opportunities you didn't think of.
Select test subjects who match your target readers and learn whether newcomers understand your book style.
You can tell if your cover works because people from different backgrounds will share valuable feedback about its emotional impact and appeal. Encourage honest feedback by asking specific questions:
Does the cover accurately reflect the tone of the book? Is the imagery interesting? Do the fonts and colors work well together?
Get structured insight by creating short surveys or having informal talks with people to learn what they think. Look beyond what people tell you about your design because their facial expressions and body gestures tell you how well it performs.
Stay receptive to all feedback as you analyze the responses you receive. Responding to feedback helps you grow as a designer. Keep track of repeated feedback from testers, because when multiple people point out the same problems, you should address them.
You must create a cover that expresses what you want through a design that engages your targeted audience. Your feedback analysis helps you build a better design that makes your book more visible and more appealing to potential readers.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in DIY Book Covers Design¶
People without a design background often find book cover design both thrilling and complex. A creative path can bring joy, but you need to recognize major hurdles that hurt your book's sales potential.
To create a successful book cover you should keep away from these critical errors that could damage its impact.
1. Ignoring Genre Expectations¶
A book cover design must match its specific genre's visual style or readers become confused about its purpose. A child-friendly cover uses festive fonts and colorful design, yet thriller books need serious text styles and darker graphical elements. Check how successful books in your field appeal to your intended audience.
2. Overloading with Text¶
Less is often more for book covers. When a design becomes overloaded with text, viewers struggle to notice the significant components. Design your title page with brief text and large empty areas so viewers can easily understand your message.
3. Neglecting Font Pairing¶
A blend of different fonts helps improve your cover design yet a mix of too many fonts leads to design disorder. Select just two or three matching fonts for your design to create an organized layout. Make your title easy to read when people view your book on small screens during their first online look.
4. Skimping on Quality Images¶
Poor-quality pictures will make your cover look amateurish. Purchasing professional-quality images will produce a sharp and sophisticated design. Use stock images that create the perfect atmosphere for your book and skip overused design elements.
5. Forgetting the Back Cover¶
The role of the back cover in print books equals the front cover's impact so designers cannot overlook its importance. Add an engaging book synopsis beside the author profile and customer reviews to spark interest. Make sure your back cover design matches the front design quality.
6. Not Seeking Feedback¶
Strong personal attachment to your design can make you unable to evaluate it properly. Get feedback about your cover by sharing it with important connections in your writing community. Twisted perspectives help identify mistakes that you cannot locate alone plus furnish useful ideas.
Authors without design experience can build effective book covers by understanding and avoiding standard pitfalls to reach readers. Remember, your cover is often the first impression readers will have of your work—make it count!
Book cover sizes¶
What’s the right size for your book cover—and who determines that measurement?
Amazon Kindle Direct¶
JPEG or TIFF
2,560 x 1,600 pixels
Between 1,000 x 625 and 10,000 x 10,000 pixels, with one side at least 1,000 pixels long
Apple iBooks¶
JPEG or PNG
1,400 x 1,873 pixels or 1,600 x 2,400 pixels
At least 1,400 pixels wide
Barnes & Noble¶
JPEG or PNG
Height and width of at least 1,400 pixels
Minimum height and width of 750 x 750 pixels
Book formatting, including the cover and the text within the cover, is one of the most important steps in self-publishing. Reformatting to accommodate each company’s specifications might get a little tedious, but doing so is vital to your success as an author.
Concluding Thoughts¶
Building a book cover can be a satisfying creative project, regardless of your previous design experience. Since readers base their initial judgment on your book's cover, allow enough time to design something authentic to your writing personality.
By combining your creative ideas with careful planning you can develop a cover that accurately reflects your work. Now it’s time to unleash your imagination and bring your vision to life—happy designing!