5 Tips for Choosing Your Book Cover

Taylor Engle Anderson

2 days ago

3 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Writing a book involves a lot of decisions. And just when you think you’ve made most of them, there’s the cover: the first impression your story will make on someone who hasn’t read a single sentence.

David Colon and his wife, Flor, run COLONFILM, a studio in Zaragoza, Spain, where they’ve been designing book covers and movie posters since 2010. Here are five things the Colons want authors to consider before sending their books out into the world.

1. Think small

You might imagine your cover displayed proudly on a bookstore shelf. But for many self-published authors, its first appearance will be much smaller: a thumbnail on Amazon.

Before choosing colors or fonts, David recommends getting clear on your genre, your intended reader, and the feeling or promise your book offers. Then shrink the design.

"For most self-published books, that's a small thumbnail on Amazon, next to dozens of other covers," David said. "Before thinking about colors or fonts, be clear about three things: your genre, your reader, and the one feeling or promise the book makes. Then make sure the title can still be read when the cover is the size of a stamp."

2. Learn your genre’s visual language

How do you make a cover feel distinctive while helping the right readers recognize it?

David suggests studying 20 to 30 bestselling covers in your exact subcategory. Look for patterns in the lettering, colors, and imagery. Those shared elements give readers clues about what they can expect.

From there, choose one element to make your own: a striking image, an unexpected accent color, or a distinctive title treatment.

“The goal is to fit in at first glance and stand out at the second look," David said.

3. Resist the urge to include everything

After spending so much time with your characters, settings, and symbolism, choosing just one image can feel impossible, but your cover doesn’t need to explain the entire plot.

David often sees authors trying to include too much: several characters, a landscape, a symbol, and a tagline competing for attention.

“One strong focal image and a big, clear title almost always work better,” David said.

Think of the cover as an invitation. What will make someone curious enough to turn the book over or click through to the description?

4. Plan for the technical details early

A beautiful design also needs to work in the formats you’re publishing.

David flags incorrect trim sizes, spine widths, and bleed as common reasons print files get rejected by platforms such as KDP and IngramSpark. His advice is to use the printer’s template from the beginning.

Tell your designer whether you need an ebook, paperback, hardcover, or a combination. For print editions, discuss the dimensions, page count, and ISBN early so those requirements are part of the process.

5. Give your designer a clear brief

You don’t have to arrive with the design already figured out, but gathering a few essentials can make the collaboration smoother.

David recommends preparing:

Your title, subtitle, and author name exactly as they should appear.
Your genre, plus three to five covers you like and a couple you don’t.
A short summary or blurb, along with your back cover copy.
The publishing formats you need.
Your print specifications, approximate page count, and ISBN, if applicable.
Your deadline.

These details give your designer a clearer understanding of both the story and the finished product you need. "The clearer the brief, the faster you get to a cover you love," David said.

Meet David and Flor at COLONFILM

At COLONFILM, David and Flor begin with a short brief, develop initial concepts, and refine the design with the author before delivering the final files.

Their work includes covers for ebook, paperback, and hardcover editions, with files prepared for KDP and IngramSpark.

Explore their portfolio and get in touch at colonfilm.com.

Portfolio examples below courtesy of COLONFILM.