Whether you have experience designing book covers and you are just new to e-books or you are new to designing book covers, the key is understanding what an e-book cover consists of. Print books are something that you can hold in your hand and look at up close. An e-book cover is nothing more than a computer file that introduces a text file.
One interesting tidbit to keep in mind is that when you are designing an e-book cover you do not need to worry about a conventional shape. An e-book does not need to hold pages or fit easily in someone’s hand, so you do not need to keep to the basic rectangle shape. However, it can be hard to let go of convention so some retailers require that e-books have the shape of a rectangle even though there is no need for them to be that shape.
Overall designers of e-books need to find a way to make covers that will promote and sell their books. So as a new designer you need to find a way to face the challenges that e-book designers face.
Here are just a few tips that will help you create successful e-book covers that will sell books.
Keep it Simple
Even though you have the ability to create something very detailed and full of words since you have limitless space in a computer file, you should still keep it simple. You should keep it even more simple than a print book because often a print book has more space than an e-book. Most users will read e-books on small screens or devices so they will not notice all the small details or words that you could include.
You will want to keep it simple with big words and bold shapes. If you are converting a print cover to an e-book you will want to remove any small details or words that will be lost when viewed on a small screen. Reduce it to the basics of title, name and a basic graphic that conveys the tone or spirit of the book.
View the Cover as an Icon
One thing that you need to keep in mind with e-books is that you want it to be able to be understood even when seen as a small icon in a search result. Think about when people search for a book or scroll through suggested books…on their phone. The tiny icon they see is likely to be nothing but a blob if its filled with intricate details. So when you are creating your e-book cover look at it in tiny icon size and see if it looks appealing.
You know that people who are searching for your book will find it and click it no matter what the cover looks like. But those who are searching for a book without a specific idea or come across your book while looking for another, those are the people your book cover is really designed for.
Even though people are told not to judge a book by the cover, they will get a sense of the book from the cover and know whether or move on or look closer. You do not want the tone or look of your book cover to be lost to these users as they scroll through an Amazon page because you have just one chance to grab their attention.
You may also want to compare your cover in its small size to books that it might be paired with in terms of genre or style. If it seems like it fits or even better if it stands out, then you know you have a good e-book cover.