How much important is the role of cover design

for your eBook?

Cover of an eBook gets noticed before anything else and authors as well as publishers

realize this fact. Earlier it was something overlooked. Long ago when the trend of

digitization was at its infancy, the cover merely had a simple text; sometimes there was

no such page at all.

Just like the traditional printed books, the cover of an eBook is also very crucial for its

acceptance and success. However certain promotional works like call-outs and

endorsements that are done by printed one is not seen on eBook covers. Instead the

same is done in metadata part. The reason for this is that texts can’t be read on the

cover images displayed in eBook selling websites or similar selling situations. Also such

text can’t be searched if used inside the images.

Though the ways eBook covers are used seem to be much different from printed one,

the impact made by them when it comes to quality ratings and sales is higher. When it is

about going digital, if you prefer using the same as that of the printed version, you are

committing a very big mistake.

Digital world is a different scenario and covers taken straight from print books may in

most of the cases fail to convey the intended message and look weird. So, what all are

those important factors you should consider for getting a best eBook cover design?

Outline and dimensions

In case of printed covers, they can be of multiple shapes and these are normally directed

by the standard sizes of papers. For digital versions, certain considerations are there

based on which some shapes are suggested. They are rectangle 3:2, rectangle 4:3 ratio

and square 1:1 ratio.

Rectangle 3:2 very closely resembles the shape of normal printed books and it is

ideal for Kindle screen.

Rectangle 4:3 ratio is suitable for iPad screens and when it comes to videos

(excluding HD) and digital images, this serves perfectly.

Square 1:1 ratio allows you to get more display space in the web; it is not in fact a

screen ratio.

Four variations are there for these shapes that are to be considered. Thumbnail view is

the most common and smallest display of your cover. As it is this variation that appears

in browser and search results when readers shop online, you should be very careful in

this regard. Product page view is an expanded display that people see when the eBooks

obtained via search results are clicked. E-reader screen view is what gets displayed

when it opened. Future proof variation is the master copy you should keep with highest

possible resolution; this can come really hand in an event when you need to regenerate

the cover. Reviving becomes unavoidable when new trends and technologies evolve.

Best size for cover images

There is in fact nothing like best size when it comes to eBook cover images but still most

of the companies prefer 1600 pixels. The specifications fluctuate based on new devices

and distributors. Also these devices and distributors will make tuning for optimizing

images for different displays. Always upload the highest permitted resolution.

What constitutes an eBook cover design?

All book covers are based on the typography, image and background. While designing,

most of the companies keep these three vital layers in mind. These layers work in

cohesion to impart the mood and message for your eBook.

The design as a whole should be capable of conveying the subject, style and genre of

your eBook. It is obvious that a style for thriller would never look natural for a romantic

genre and vice-versa. However the said fact doesn’t means that you should stick onto

the already travelled paths; going creative is always a better thing to do if you are

confident about the skills of the service provider you hire.

Rather than simply keeping the background white, prefer some textures, images or

suitable colours to add liveliness and invoke interest in the prospects. A high quality

image would always be great if it complements the other elements. Use professional

images rather than your amateurish home snapshots. If you can’t afford to buy one,

editing works can help you in improving the image but don’t overdo it and ruin the

whole purpose.

There are certain covers that don’t need any images; other elements are enough. But

still it’s a fact that images lift the design to great elevations of excellence and convey

additional relevant things which can help you in grabbing more sales.

Typography demands extremely creative brains and if your design company houses

innovative people, you will surely get amazing covers. The professionals who master the

art very well know that effective typography is the one that harmonize with the book

genre and is readable and clear in all shape variations.

Leave the job to experts

If you have even a pintsized spark of creativity, you may find it really tempting to carry

out the design work by yourself. But the very first thing you should remember is that

the actual book is the product of you hard work and investment of a lot of your valuable

time. And cover design is one of most relevant factors determining your success with it;

experimenting would really be unwise.

However, it is always good if you spend time studying different types of covers and

understand how things work. This will help you in suggesting your ideas to the

company you hire for eBook design services.

The market place is really competitive and to win your share, competent companies

indulged in this design can help you in the best way. But again you should be very

careful while selecting a service provider.

You should ask them their previous work and if you have done enough study about the

designing trends and ideas, you may ask them different questions to assure their level of

knowledge and skills. Inquire the tools they use and ask if they have won any

recognitions. Going through their portfolio always helps. Finally make sure that the

charges are reasonable and you are not deceived. Also, make sure that your inputs and

suggestions will be valued.

Most of the companies never hesitate to provide you more than a few samples. Always

ask for a quotation from different shortlisted service providers before you make up

your mind to select a company.

Hope the above facts, tips and insights come handy to you. Stay in touch with us to know

more about eBook conversion and formatting services.