“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is a common phrase heard in the bookish world, whether you’re a writer, reviewer, or both. But let’s admit it. Most of us, myself included, do judge books by their covers, for both the good and bad that decision brings.
While there is some truth to not judging a book by the cover, that is no excuse to give your story a sloppy, unprofessional, or just general blah cover. I’m not saying to shell out hundreds of dollars for a cover, because you can make a tasteful cover that costs very little or nothing (if you use certain elements of Canva, which brings its own set of controversy). Regardless of your budget, you can have a good cover.
No matter what genre you write or what your cover budget is, here are five ways to ruin your book cover (and five things to look out for if you’re looking into a designer/premade covers).
1. Use an illegible font for your title
I get it. I really do. You find a font that you just love and feel deep in your bones that it would be perfect for your cover. That’s all fine and well unless your font is illegible. Potential readers spend less than two seconds on a book cover. Just because you’ve figured out what the font says, doesn’t mean they have.
Illegible fonts aren’t necessarily ugly or low-quality. Some of the most elegant calligraphic fonts would be considered illegible.
Example of illegible font:
2. Use the wrong font for your genre
My dear fellow writers and authors, you don’t use cursive for suspense, block font for historical romance, or horror font for rom-coms. Look at quality comp covers, note the used fonts, and ensure you’re using the proper one for your genre.
With that said, some types of font are multi-genre. Take Cinzel, for example, which is a classic. Sans-serif fonts (e.g. Arial and Lato) work well on just about any type of contemporary genre and spec-fic genre if used correctly, and can even be used tastefully on certain subgenres of historical and fantasy. The same goes for some popular serif fonts (e.g. Times New Roman and EB Garamond).
Example of the wrong font for a genre:
3. Use cursive for your author name
The author name is a vital part of the cover. It tells the reader 1) who wrote the book, 2) name recognition, and 3) is part of your branding. If you want your cover to look even moderately professional, do not use cursive for your name. I implore you. Yes, you may think it’s pretty or fancy. But you are making your cover look like “one of those indie books” (the type which give indies a bad name), which is not what you want.
For so long, indie published authors have been demeaned and looked down on because we decided to take the self-publishing route. Part of that attitude has spawned from some dreadful covers. I’m not saying traditional publishers only pump out good covers, because I’ve seen some questionable ones come from trads. But I am saying indie authors can achieve professional covers on a small, or even nonexistent budget. So please, don’t fall into the cursive name trap. It only lends an unprofessional element to your cover.
Example of what not to do for your name:
4. Use the wrong font size
This point, to an extent, has more wiggle room than the others. Regardless, there are some definite do nots when it comes to font size on your cover. Here are two to always take into consideration: don’t have your font be too small, and don’t have your font be too large. Too small and it is impossible to see. Too large and it’s obnoxious…and takes up most of your cover.
Some authors’ names will be larger than the title because the publisher (or indie author) is relying only on name recognition to sell the book. Unless you’re a huge, massively successful author, I don’t usually recommend this. Your book’s overall cover, description, and genre should help sell, not just name alone. That said, the length of an author’s name and/or title can affect font size. Again, there is more wiggle room here, but your name and title should always be able to be read.
Example of wrong font size:
5. Poor contrast
This one should go without saying, yet here I am, having to say it. Don’t put dark font on a dark background or light font on an equally light background. You need a good contrast between the two. Yes, you can shadow and outline (to a point before it begins to look terrible), but you shouldn’t rely on those two options alone. You want your primary text to be easily visible (name and title), not making potential readers having to squint and wish for a lens upgrade just to see what the text on your cover is saying.
Example of the wrong font/background contrast:
There you have it—five ways you can ruin your book cover. Let me know if you want Part Two, because, believe it or not, there are more ways you can ruin your cover.
Madisyn Carlin is an author, voracious reader, and owner of Mountain Peak Edits & Design, which offers author services like cover design and editing. When she’s not reading or writing, she can be found attempting to garden and baking.
LOOKING FOR MORE WRITING-RELATED POSTS?
Plants to Use in Your Writing
Madi's Musings 