A Glimpse To Dive In: The Elements Of A Book Cover

Every book has some fundamental elements of a book cover which will be described in detail later in the article. All of us have heard the famous saying “Never judge a book by its cover” but ironically this saying doesn’t fit too well in the book world. The book cover is an essential component of book marketing and promotional activities. But before we move ahead to discuss the elements of a book cover, let’s first know what is a book cover?

A book cover in layman terms is the protective outer covering used to bind the pages in hardcover and paperback formats. But with the technology sweeping in, the meaning of book cover has changed too, the elements of the book cover is now an integral part of the book sales to reach its target audience. So now we will move on to the key points of Elements of a book cover :

1) Front cover: The Star Maker or The Selling Page

Well in the world of books, the front cover is the star maker, and yes we all judge a book by its cover and we should. As lots of hard work, thinking and time goes in designing the front cover of the book. The aim of designing the front cover of the book is to make sales by developing an instant connection with the reader at the first glance. The cover should direct the genre of the book and in some cases, a glimpse of an idea of theme is also shown by the front cover. So, there are no two ways about the fact that it is the most crucial marketing tool for book sales. The main elements of the front cover of the book include the Title of the book and the author’s name. Beside this other important factors for a exciting and unique book cover are :

● Cover Art – as the title suggests it is the art and illustrations used on the front cover of the book. It is also referred to as imagery by some sections of designers. It can include different styles of art forms which may range from geometric patterns to modern art illustrations or it may range from charcoal painting to shimmer effect. The Options to express it are endless, this also becomes the flip side of the art. To overcome this problem most of the publishing houses or self-publishing authors hire professional cover designers. These professional cover designers follow the trends of the market closely so that they can guide you well towards the best possible cover for your book both in terms of appeal and value. These artists have clear ideas about the presentation of the genre of the book and the kind of cover it needs to spellbound your target audience.

For example, we have put two cover art of the two books which clearly reflects the genre, theme, content, mood, and tone of the book

These two covers are different in their style and approach yet conveys their message to the reader.
But all cover art is not designed in that way, in some a very simple and undefined presentation is used to arouse the curiosity in the reader specially with seasoned authors this trick is used off and on. As the seasoned authors have a definitive style and affinity towards a specific art form. So in such cases, the cover designer turns the table for the readers by giving out something unexpected. This can be done in the form of pictures, color scheme, font displays, etc.

● Color Scheme – well color plays a vital role in the display of the front cover of the book. As we usually have some fixed expression with colors like black and dark gray for demons, devils, and negativity; then gold donates power, wealth, passion, fire, hotness, seduction, beauty, etc, White is for peace, soothing sensations, tranquility, etc.

Color also helps in depicting the genre of the book like horror stories, and mystery have dark shades and tones of red, gray, and black color themes, whereas genre like romance will have colorful themes with flowers, rainbows, sunlight, lip icons, hearts, etc.

● Typography — Well typography is a very essential element of the book cover as it not only helps in creating something different in terms of representation. But it is also about the most appropriate placement of the title, subtitle, author’s name, etc on the front cover of the book in the font chosen. Font in typography is very important as it helps in setting the vibe of the book. Like for the romantic genre you will find fonts which are free flowing , for drama fonts used are strong and bold, whimsical or unique fonts are usually used for comedy and thrillers.

If you ever noticed when a book is released by a well-renowned author, then it is highlighted more than the title. Whereas in the case of budding authors the title of the book is given far more weightage. Subtitles are usually displayed in non fictional genre as it helps in distinguishing the sub-genre as well as guides a reader to the inside of the book too. For example Roots (title of the book) The saga of an American family (sub title of the book). Typography also includes testimonials by the reputed sources like you must have read on a book “a must read” or “the Best Buy for every youngsters” recommended by the New York Times or bookshelves.com etc.

Also Read: How To Write A Book Summary

2) The Spine of the Book Cover:

This element of a book cover is a view of the book on the bookshelf. It is called the center of the book where all the pages are bound holding the whole book together. Although at times many authors or publishers do not put much effort on the spine of the book. But if done in a creative way it will help in standing out the book on any bookshelf be it a bookstore or a library. The spine of the book must have two key items which are the title of the book and the author’s name. In a few cases, volume or part of the book is also mentioned. The font of the title on the front cover and on the spine of the book helps in creating the continuity of the vibe and appearance of the book.

While designing the spine of a book cover make sure it is easy to read,

3) The Back Cover:

This element of a book cover is much more than just an author’s reference. The key element present on the back cover of a book is the description of the book which gives away some of the information about the book in a way that it impels the reader to buy it. The description is commonly called a blurb.

The elements of a book cover on the back over includes:

● Summary of a book in brief ( Blurb) – this element is like a teaser of a movie which in a very short span of time creates a curiosity to watch more. Similarly the summary of the book, in brief, should be like that the reader wants to read the story and is compelled to buy the book. Not to forget to mention why a reader needs to read this book.

● Book reviews And endorsements – this element of a book cover which is present on the back cover is like a stamp of approval by the book fraternity and experts. This is more like a credibility factor and many readers are firm followers of such reviews and endorsements.

● Author’s Bio – although the author is the captain of the ship yet we should not forget that the book sells because of its content not because of the author only. An author who is popular and famous might have initial good sales but if the content is not good it will fail soon in the market too. The author’s description is usually two or three lines long which has his name, picture, achievements, previous best sellers, awards, his philosophy of life, etc.

The back cover should also have space for ISBN ( International Standard Book Number) with the barcode that it goes with. Since 2007 all books have this 13-digit ISBN code. Also, the logo of the company if needed.

Types of Book Covers And Their Aim:

The books which are printed are either Casebound (Hardcover) or paperbound (softcover). In some books, the case bound books have a paper cover which is called dust jackets or Casewraps or Flaps.The main aim of the elements of a book cover is to –

• classify and distinguish the books.
• a book cover is like an advertisement in the print medium.
• attracts the target audience
• endorses the selling point of a book.

In the end, we can easily say that the elements of a book cover are centered at only one goal that is to compel the reader to buy the book. This is done with the help of visual art in the form of images, typography, and color schemes. etc. As they say, the first impression is the last impression; well in cases of books, it might be true in most of the cases. A boring, unimaginative, insipid book cover can never bring a reader towards it, even if you have the greatest story of all times. So, investing in a book cover is very crucial for any author or publishing house to hire a professional book cover designer, as one needs to stand out in the ocean of books where everyone is looking for a catch.