What Not to Put on Book Cover? – You Shouldn’t Put This!

Your book cover is the most significant aspect of your book marketing. If you hope to see any measure of success, you need simple book cover design ideas. A bad cover can ruin all your marketing efforts, but many authors, particularly indie authors, make serious book cover mistakes.

However, you may avoid making these mistakes once you understand what to look for.

When authors ask why their book isn’t selling, it’s usually because of the cover. The truth is difficult to hear. Sometimes, there is nothing that an author can do about their cover. If the author is traditionally published, the publisher might have given them a bad cover. If the book has already been printed, they could have 5,000 copies with a lousy cover.

Avoiding book cover mistakes can save you money and heartache.

Mistake #1: Using The Word “By”

When we talk about novels, we frequently say, “I read Rooms by James L. Rubart.” You would also write it this way in a book review. However, in simple book cover design ideas, you do not use the word “by.”

Instead, your designer will use typography to represent the author’s name.

Mistake #2: Saying “Award-Winning And Bestselling”

You can use the terms “Award-winning” or “bestselling,” but not both on your book cover. Pick one.

Bestselling is typically a better option. Depending on your bestseller status, it will have a bigger impact on readers.

If you use the term “award-winning” on the cover, be sure it refers to an award your audience will recognise. An obscure award will have little effect on your reader. Unless your book has won the Nobel Prize or the Pulitzer Prize in literature, you’re probably better off using the term “bestseller” on the cover.

When you use the term “bestseller,” you don’t need to specify whose list it appears on. However, it is not suggested that you declare your book a “bestseller” if it has only been an Amazon category bestseller for a few hours. Readers will feel misled if they find out that your “bestseller” was only at the top of an obscure category for a few hours, thanks to a promotion you performed.

Mistake #3: Not Including Shelving Instructions Above the ISBN Bar Code

Indie writers often fail to provide shelving instructions above the barcode. Readers may not notice what is missing, but failing to include the category above your barcode will make your book appear unprofessional.

Mistake #4: The Imagery Is Too “On the Nose”

For example, the cover artwork for James L. Rubart’s book Rooms does not depict a room. It would be too “on the nose.” When the image is overly “on the nose,” your audience may feel offended. Your cover should not tell the story of your book or reveal too many details. It should make the reader wonder what the story is about. Do not spoil your book by including spoilers on the cover.

Mistake #5: There Are Too Many Design Elements

Technically, your front cover should only have two elements. You’ll need both the title and the author’s name. Some New York Times bestsellers only include both elements, which can work for some authors.

In the indie publishing industry, we often see book covers with too many features. They are overloaded with too much to look at. Busy covers do not reduce well, so when you visit a thumbnail image of the cover on Amazon, it’s challenging to determine what it states.

If your cover is overly complex, unfocused, or unclear, readers will be confused and won’t come back to your book. Most designers’ simple book cover design ideas include using a single visual symbol for your cover design.

Mistake #6: Too Clever

If readers don’t quickly understand what your book cover is saying, you’ve lost their interest. While you may spend hours perfecting your cover, your viewers will only look at it for a few seconds.

If your cover tries to communicate too much or if the symbol is too clever, potential readers will be perplexed.

Basic, clear, simple book cover design ideas will be most effective.

Mistake #7: Poor Typography

Fonts and typography were only understood by designers thirty years ago because they had studied them in college. Graphic designers spend full semesters researching fonts and their history. They learn what emotions specific fonts evoke and how to use fonts to elicit specific psychological responses. It’s an intriguing study.

Today, everyone is familiar with the various typefaces available in Microsoft Word and has a basic understanding of how to use them.

However, most amateur designers lack the necessary font knowledge. For example, did you know that script fonts will ruin your book, especially if you’re targeting a younger audience?

Traditional publishers have stopped using script fonts on covers as young people no longer learn cursive. Readers who do not know cursive will have difficulty reading a title in a script font.

Even older readers have become used to reading typed content. If you want your cover to work as a one-inch thumbnail image on someone’s phone, make sure the font is easy to read.

Many romance writers prefer to use script fonts to allude to love letters written by their protagonists, but professional designers may achieve the same romantic mood with different fonts.

Comic Sans and Papyrus are the two fonts you should never use. Both are regarded as jokes in the design world. Using Comic Sans or Papyrus in your cover design indicates that it was not professionally designed.

Other typography mistakes are:

• Using too many fonts: Limit fonts to one or two.
• No visual hierarchy: Hierarchy uses typographic clues to guide readers through the cover from beginning to end.
• Low contrast: Don’t use a typography colour too close to the background.

Mistake #8: Overuse of Stock Photos

Traditional published books are moving away from using stock pictures. The general trend in nonfiction is toward typographical covers.

Indie authors are tempted to grab a stock photo, add some text, and finish the job, but stock photos are not always the solution. If you use stock pictures, keep them to a maximum of one per design.

A few years ago, you could find multiple books using the same stock photo. To prevent the reuse of stock images, Google’s reverse image search can be used to see if anyone else is using them.

You can also purchase specific stock pictures under terms that assure you are the only person who can use the image.

Traditional publishing houses will engage actors and photographers to do their cover photoshoots, which is quite expensive.

Mistake #9: Design by Committee

One disadvantage of an episode like this is that authors become so focused on creating a decent cover that they seek comments from too many people.

When an author tries to make too many changes to their cover in the hopes that everyone will like it, the result is the disaster known as “design by committee.”

However, even a good cover can result in a negative response from certain people. Some will always dislike a decent cover, which is understandable. Your book isn’t for everyone. It’s aimed at a specific audience.

When people give you feedback, don’t do what they tell you to. Instead, pay attention to the problem they describe.

If they say, “Change the font,” ask why. If people say, “It’s hard to read,” you’ll have some helpful information for your designer.

You’ll respond, “I’m getting feedback that the title is hard to read.” Your designer can improve the readability of the typeface without changing it.

Listen for the problem, bring it to your designer, and let them solve it.

The most straightforward approach to acquire fair feedback is to use data from an A/B test, which you can run using Facebook advertising. In an A/B test, you are not seeking feedback. You are simply checking which cover gets the most clicks.

The A/B testing experiment is much closer to the real-world experience of your future readers. They’ll look at your cover in a bookstore and, if it catches their eye, pick it up. They will not scrutinise it in the same manner that other authors in your critique group would.

Mistake #10: Using Your Own Artwork

Many authors have a variety of creative skills, including photography and painting. You can design your cover using a photo you took yourself. However, artists rarely have a positive perspective toward their own work.

Years ago, James L. Rubart went to an art gallery and observed that no images were for sale. When he questioned why not, the curator answered, “Are you a photographer?”

Jim said, “Yes.” I’m an amateur photographer with some spectacular photos.”

The curator responded, “Everyone believes they have beautiful images. You won’t buy a photo because you think yours are just as good.”

That was his wake-up call to learn he didn’t have the appropriate perspective on his own art and wasn’t as talented as he thought.

You are not as good as you believe you are. You’re also too close to your work of art. Your photo will likely need to be changed to work for a book cover.

As the photographer, you’ll have a difficult time making unwanted changes to your artwork.

When James L. Rubart wrote Rooms, his publisher asked whether he had photographs of the setting. He did, and they used one of his images, but only because the designer was able to modify the contrast and change the image to fit the book.

The book cover image turned out vastly different from the original image Jim captured, yet it succeeded because the designer applied his expertise to Jim’s photograph.

But what about…?

You might be able to find covers that break all of these “rules.” Designers understand the rules but also know when and when to break them.

Consider this analogy. Cutting somebody open with knives is illegal. That is the rule. However, as a surgeon, you are paid to “break” the rule and cut them open with blades. The difference is skill and expertise.

Trust a professional designer with your book cover, and let them do what they are trained to do.

FAQ’s – Frequently Asked Questions