The imagery you use in your cover design are important. Your cover is the first thing that
readers see and it will be their main focus when searching through the many books they're interested in. The text is just as important at the images. Your font tells a story all its own and adds another dimension to the cover. No one wants to see a flowing, flowery script font on a horror cover or an eroded, grunge font on a romance cover.
The typography (or text) on the cover must be as appealing as the images you used. It isn't necessary to add dozens of effects to text to make it pop. You don't need fancy metallic fonts, bevels, or extrusions on text for the most part. I'm not saying to avoid effects but simply to be mindful that fancy effects or fonts can become difficult to read. Also keep in mind the style and theme as well as the genre that you're presenting.
Here are a few cover examples
You can see how fonts effect the feel of a cover. Regulated is dystopian, Merlin's Chosen is fantasy, and Sparks Will Fly is a paranormal novel. The eroded font and the addition of the barcode lend to the dystopian feel of the Regulated cover. You wouldn't use the script-like font from the Chosen cover on the Regulated cover, it would be confusing to readers.
Neither the Regulated or the Sparks Will fly covers have effects on the text, while the Chosen text has a simple bevel on it. You don't need a lot to make it pop and attract readers. The covers are eye catching enough for readers to pick it up and take a closer look at the book. That is what you want. When creating a cover design you must think about everything that will make up your cover. It must all fit together in a way that attracts readers to the book.
If your book is being published through a publishing house you may have little to no say in the final look of your cover but if you self publish you have complete control over your design. Not that going through a publisher is a bad thing, they usually do research so the covers their designers create are on trend for the genre. But often the authors have almost no input in how the cover looks and you may not like how the cover represents your book even if it fits the story and genre.
If you are self publishing then you want your book to appear as professional as possible to readers. You don't want them passing up your book for one with a prettier package. If you plan to hire a cover designer then do your research. Talk to other authors and ask about the designer they use, look at groups on Facebook or other platforms, and don't sign a contract until you read it thoroughly. If you want to create your covers yourself then invest in a good program like Photoshop or In Design and make certain you understand the basics of design.
Make certain you're placing things appropriately, that everything is centered and spaced properly, and your text is large enough to read, even on the small eBook thumbnails.
You can see the difference in the covers with the spacing, how the image is centered and the size of the text. The second cover doesn't have the same impact at the first and it appears much less professional. Be critical of your design and try to look at is as a reader would. You may like it but will it make a reader want to purchase your book?
As with all things, do research and find the best options for you to create the covers for your works. Make certain you're on trend for your genre and your text fits that genre. Don't be afraid to ask for help or opinions from other authors or even graphic designers.
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