This document provides tips and advice for designing book covers. It discusses how a good cover can help sell a good book but won't save a bad story. Common mistakes are focusing too much on symbolism rather than emotion, using stock photos incorrectly, and poorly chosen fonts. Successful covers pop out, use lots of white space, have clever designs for non-fiction, and keep the design simple. Working with a designer allows getting feedback to find the best cover. Doing it yourself involves using stock photo sites and apps while keeping the design simple and focused on selling the book.

1. BOOK COVER
SECRETS THAT SELL
Derek Murphy

2. ABOUT DEREK
Book editor, PhD Candidate, over 1000
book covers made, DiyBookCovers.com

3. GROUND RULES
#1. A good cover won’t save a bad story
#2. A good story can survive an ugly cover
#3. A good story AND a great cover will
make everything much easier

5. WHAT’S IT FOR?
The cover’s job is to tell the (right)
readers what’s in the book
• Cover Clichés
• Emotional/Cognitive
• Hook Attention
• Sell the Book

6. COMMON MISTAKES
• Focusing on scene or symbolism (head, not heart)
• Illustration vs Stock Photos
• Matching all the exact details
• Trying to be different or interesting
• Trying to give readers something to figure out or a surprise
• Book awards
• Badly used text or font (dropshadow, bevel or spacing)
• Illustration vs. Photoshop
• Author Name vs Series Branding
• Designing for Thumbnail View

7. COMMON MISTAKES
• Focusing on scene or symbolism (head, not heart)
• Matching all the exact details
• Trying to be different or interesting
• Trying to give readers ‘something to figure out’ or a surprise
• Book awards
• Badly used text or font (dropshadow, bevel or spacing)
• Asking for Feedback
• Illustration vs. Photoshop
• Author Name vs Series Branding
• Designing for Thumbnail View
• Dimensions: 1.6 (5”x8”) / 1.5 (6”x9”)
A beautiful landscape can trigger the right
heart muscles better than something more
meaningful/symbolic.
(The cover isn’t to explain. It’s just to attract.)

8. HOW TO WIN
• Make it ‘pop’
• Lots of space
• Make it clever (for NF)
• Use small text

9. HOW TO WIN
• The right fonts/effects
• Make it personal
• Go simple

10. From 50 downloads a day to 90.
CASE
STUDIES

11. From 4 copies a week to 286
CASE
STUDIES

12. From 30 to 58 sales a month
CASE
STUDIES

13. CASE STUDIES
CASE STUDIES

14. CASE STUDIES
CASE STUDIES
YOUR COVER SHOULDN’T NEED WORDS

15. WORKING WITH A DESIGNER
• Revisions/costs/refunds?
• Find a some samples you like (less than 5).
• Craft a short summary.
• Think simple.
• Listen and get feedback (half the time, the best cover is
not the one you like).
• The cover sells the book to people who haven’t read it.

16. DOING IT YOURSELF
• Stock Photography
• Bigstockphoto.com
• Depositphotos.com
• Photodune.com
• Flickr Creative Commons (or not) -
www.flickr.com/creativecommons
• DeviantArt
• http://www.deviantart.com/resources/stockart

17. DOING IT YOURSELF
• Stock Photography
• 123rf.com
• Istock.com
• Bigstockphoto.com
• Depositphotos.com
• Photodune.com
• Flickr Creative Commons (or not) -
www.flickr.com/creativecommons
• DeviantArt
• http://www.deviantart.com/resources/stockart

18. DOING IT YOURSELF
• Fiverr.com
• Canva.com
• Iphone Apps (WordSwag)
• DiyBookCovers.com
• Spine
• Barcode
• Lightning Source vs Createspace

19. MARKETING WITH IMAGES
• The Facebook Cover Test
• Community Voting
• Image Quotes
• Social Gallery Plugin
• 60% of consumers are more likely to click on a business
whose images appear in search results
• Posts with visuals receive 94% more page visits and
engagement than those without

20. • The Facebook Cover Test
• Community Voting
• Image Quotes

21. RESOURCES
DEREKMURPHY@CREATIVINDIE.COM
@CREATIVINDIE
WWW.DIYBOOKCOVERS.COM
WWW.CREATIVINDIECOVERS.COM

22. From 30 to 58 sales a month
THANKS!