Your Book Cover

By Rick Frishman - Mar 27 , 2009

The look of a book’s cover is important because it’s the first thing prospective readers see. Readers usually notice covers before they read titles or have any idea what the books are about. Covers give readers their first impression of books. If a book has a good look and feel, browsers will be more likely to pick it up and examine it more closely.

Study the covers of similar and competing books. Look through the stacks and find a bunch of books with covers you like, put them in a pile, and make notes on what attracted you to them. List the colors, typefaces, sizes, and graphical devices you like; also note what you dislike. Identify elements that you would like to incorporate into your book’s cover.

Although she knows that publishers usually retain the sole right to determine a book’s cover design, my friend Robyn Freedman Spizman—an author and an expert in book marketing—submits her ideas with her book proposals. Many publishers are open to input from authors, and while they don’t always go with Robyn’s suggestions, they frequently incorporate parts of them in the final covers.

“For one book, I actually mocked up the entire cover on my computer,” Robyn discloses. “Then I cut and pasted it and—voila! It was a rough idea, but I presented my case visually, and the publisher went for it. If you hate a cover design, contact your agent. Get his or her opinion and ask him or her to argue your case with the publisher. It will add credibility to your request.”

Your book will be judged by its cover. Try to get a cover that:

• Pops off the shelves
• Can be seen easily when shown in the media, where it may be reduced to the size of a postage stamp

Submitting suggested cover designs helps publishers more fully understand your vision of your book. It may also awaken them to ideas and possibilities that they hadn’t foreseen. If you’re visually or graphically gifted, you are also giving publishers the benefit of your talent, which most publishers and their design departments will gladly accept.

Make your cover design suggestions early because many publishers contract their covers to outside design firms. When they have paid a firm to create your book’s cover, they may be reluctant to replace it with a design or even elements of a design that you subsequently suggest. However, if you give them your suggestions before they incur any outside expense, they may be more receptive to your ideas.

Be constructive with your suggestions. Rather than say, “I don’t like the cover,” politely offer suggestions regarding what the publisher could do to improve it. “Could we try larger type for the title, colors with a higher contrast, like more black and white, and my picture on the jacket flap?”

If your book is on or features art, illustration, or photography, consider insisting on design control. Most traditional publishers won’t accommodate you, but some specialty houses might. They may agree to consult with you on designs, but still insist on making the final decisions.

If the quality of the reproduction in your book is important to you, check the books produced by different publishers to identify those that consistently meet the standards you want. However, a house’s track record may not guarantee the quality of reproduction for your book because publishers may work with different printers.