A picture is worth a thousand words, they say, and that’s especially true of book covers. A good cover can spark interest and be the difference between a digital “shrug” on the part of a potential reader and a pause to “peek inside”. After that, of course, it’s what’s under the cover that will determine a satisfying reader experience. But before the sale, the cover is the hook, and much attention has been devoted to book covers in the indie author sphere. I’ve collected many cover-related links over the years and have compiled for you in this post: 37 Book Cover Resources.
There should be something here to help out almost every aspiring indie author.
I’ve divided the links into several sections to make it easier for you to find what you are looking for. The divisions are somewhat artificial, and you may find that some of the linked articles actually cross several categories.
Why Covers Matter
These blog articles delve into why good cover design is essential. Moreover, they point out that “cover” refers not only to the front matter, but also to the spine and back cover content. All are important.
- Better Judge Your Book By Its Cover (Because Everyone Else Will)
- Your Book’s Cover, Front and Back Matter Does Matter!
- Why Great Book Covers Are So Important
- Covers Can Make or Break a Book
- Book Marketing: How the Cover of Your Self-published Book Influences Your Brand as an Indie Author
- 5 Ways a Professional Cover Design Can Boost Book Sales
- 5 Ways a Book Cover Could Hurt Sales — And How to Fix It
- What I Learned as a Book Cover Contest Judge
Book Cover Design
This is the meat of the matter — concept, layout, production, and completion of the cover. In a word — design. Some the article focus on only a single aspect of cover design, such as font selection, others are more comprehensive.
- The Anatomy of a Book Cover: A Guide for Authors
- Book Cover Design: The Process Explained With Joel Friedlander, The Book Designer
- Killing one’s darlings, book cover edition
- 8 cover design secrets publishers use to manipulate readers into buying books
- How to Improve Your Book Cover Design in 60 Minutes
- Make Your Back Cover Text Reader Friendly
- Book Cover Success and Failure Explained
- 9 Tips to Building the Book Cover Design You Always Wanted
- Judging a Book by its Cover: What Indie Fiction Authors Need to Know about Cover Design
- Self-Published Authors: Here’s What You Need to Know About Book Cover Design
- How to Create a Book Cover That Connects with Readers
- How to Carry Your Book Cover Design Through to the Marketing Campaign for Your Self-published Books
- 7 Best Book Cover Trends to Stay Current in 2018
- How to Easily Test a Book Cover Design to Sell More Copies
- Four Innovative Ways to Craft a Better Book Cover
- Book Cover Rules to Follow for Indie Author Success
- How to Sell Books by Optimizing Your Book Cover Design
- eBook Cover Design: 3 Keys to Maximize Online Sales
- The Anatomy of a Book Cover: A Guide for Authors
Book Cover Re-Design
Ok, things have gone horribly wrong with the first cover design, or at least it has not lived up to expectations. These articles will give you some guidance on how to fix things.
- How to Know Your Book’s Cover Needs a Redesign
- Can Changing Your Book Covers Really Help You Sell More Books?
- 3 Signs Your Book Cover Design Misses The Mark
Book Cover Resources
Once you know why book covers are important, and have some design guidelines under your belt, you can make use of the following resources to go ahead and produce your cover.
- 19 Fantastic Book Cover Design Resources
- 5 Great Fonts for Book Covers
- Indie Authors: High Quality Book Covers
- Book Cover Design Fundamentals: Questions To Consider Before Hiring A Designer
- 11 Tips for Successfully Working with a Cover Designer
- Top 7 Resources to Design Your Own Book Cover
- Resource: Book Covers
I hope you find these resources useful. Just remember though, a kick-ass cover cannot make up for a poor writing and plotting!
Did you find these links helpful?
Let me know in the comments!
