Why Your Cover Matters
They say do not judge a book by its cover, but readers do exactly that. Your cover is the single most important factor in a reader's decision to click on your book or scroll past it.
The Thumbnail Test
In online marketplaces, your cover appears as a thumbnail roughly 120 pixels wide. If your title is unreadable or your image is unclear at that size, readers will pass. Professional designers design for the thumbnail first.
Genre Signals
Readers scan for genre signals. A thriller cover looks different from a romance cover, which looks different from a business book cover. Professional designers understand these visual conventions and use them to attract the right audience.
Amateur vs Professional
An amateur cover can actively hurt your sales. Readers associate poor design with poor writing. A professional cover signals that your book is worth their time and money. It is one of the best investments you can make.
What to Look for in a Designer
Look for a designer with experience in your genre, a portfolio of covers that perform well as thumbnails, and a process that includes revisions. At MetaBook, our design team has created hundreds of covers across every major genre.
Conclusion
Your cover is not the place to cut corners. A professional cover design pays for itself many times over in increased clicks, conversions, and sales.