Why Your Book Cover Design Might Be Sabotaging Your Success

How to Design It to Sell

Your potential readers make up their minds about your book in less than eight seconds.

Eight seconds.

That's all the time you have to convey genre, quality, professionalism, and intrigue: enough to make someone click "buy" or at least read your description. And in those crucial seconds, they're not reading your carefully crafted prose or brilliant insights. They're looking at your cover.

The Power of Passive Marketing

Book covers are what book marketers call "passive marketing": they work for you 24/7 without requiring additional effort once created. But unlike active marketing (emails, social posts, ads), you can't easily adjust your cover strategy if it's not working. You get one chance to make that first impression.

What many authors don't realise is that readers in every genre have subconscious expectations about what a "quality book" in that category should look like. When your cover aligns with those expectations, it triggers an immediate sense of familiarity and trust. When it doesn't, readers experience cognitive dissonance - something feels "off," even if they can't articulate why.

This isn't about following trends blindly. It's about understanding the visual language of your genre and using it strategically.

My Personal Cover Design Strategy

When I wrote my first book (a career guide), I approached cover design with the analytical mindset of a marketer rather than the creative instincts of an artist. Despite having 25+ years of experience as a writer and marketer with solid graphic design skills, I didn't trust my instincts alone.

Instead, I created a comprehensive research system:

I made a spreadsheet of the top 50 career guides on the Amazon bestsellers list across six categories—the three eBook and three paperback categories where I wanted my book to rank. This wasn't quick work, but it was invaluable.

For each book, I tracked:

• Current Amazon ranking

• Book title and subtitle length (character count)

• Author name placement (top, bottom, size relative to title)

• Number of pages

• Primary, secondary, and accent colours used in the cover

• Typography choices (serif vs. sans-serif, bold vs. light)

• Cover approach (image-based or typography-focused)

• For image-based covers: graphic illustration vs. photograph

• If photograph: person/people vs. objects vs. landscapes

• Price points for eBook, paperback, and audiobook formats

• Publisher (traditional vs. self-published)

• Average star rating and number of reviews

• Keywords in title and subtitle

• Use of subtitles (percentage using them, average length)

The patterns were fascinating. In my categories, 78% of bestsellers used a sans-serif font for the title with a contrasting serif font for the subtitle. 63% featured a simple graphic element rather than a photograph. Blue was the dominant colour (appearing in 42% of covers), often paired with either orange or yellow as an accent.

Using Canva, I designed a cover that strategically incorporated these elements while still maintaining uniqueness - I used teal instead of a clear blue. I tested three variations with my existing audience, selected the winning design, and launched.

The result? Within 48 hours of launch, my book became the bestselling career guide. The cover had done its job—it signalled to browsers that this was a quality book that belonged alongside other trusted resources in the genre.

(Note: this research takes a lot of time and you may be better served by outsourcing it to a Virtual Assistant using a Freelance site like Fiverr - get 10% off your first order with my affiliate link).

How to Design a Cover That Sells

Based on my experience and work with dozens of authors since then, here's my systematic approach to creating a cover that works as a marketing asset:

1. Research Your Category Thoroughly

Don't skip this step or rely on a small sample. Look at a minimum of 30-50 books in your specific sub-genre, focusing on:

• Bestsellers: These have proven market appeal

• New releases from established authors: These reflect current trends

• Books with similar topics/themes to yours: These are your direct competitors

Use the spreadsheet I offer free subscribers (in my Welcome Email) and look for patterns in colour, typography, imagery, and layout. This isn't about copying, it's about understanding the visual language that readers in your genre respond to.

2. Identify Pattern Breaks

Once you understand the patterns, look for strategic "pattern breaks": elements that successful books use to stand out while still clearly belonging to the genre.

For example, in business books, most covers use navy blue or black, white, and red. A cover that uses navy and bright teal might stand out while still feeling "business-appropriate."

3. Consider Thumbnail Legibility

Remember that most readers will first see your cover as a small thumbnail on Amazon or other retailers. At this size:

• Can they read the title clearly?

• Is the author name visible?

• Does the imagery make sense or become a blur?

• Does it stand out among similar books?

Test your design by reducing it to thumbnail size (about 160 x 240 pixels) and viewing it alongside other books in your category.

4. Choose the Right Typography

Typography communicates subtle messages about your book:

• Serif fonts (like Times New Roman) often signal tradition, reliability, and seriousness

• Sans-serif fonts (like Helvetica) suggest modernity, clarity, and accessibility

• Script fonts can convey elegance or creativity but often reduce legibility

• Display fonts make strong statements but should be used sparingly

Many successful covers use a combination: a strong display font for the title and a more readable font for the subtitle.

5. Use Colour Psychology Strategically

Colours evoke emotional responses:

• Blue: Trustworthiness, professionalism (ideal for business, finance, self-help)

• Red: Excitement, passion, urgency (effective for thrillers, romance)

• Green: Growth, health, wealth (common in personal development, health)

• Yellow: Optimism, creativity, attention-grabbing (works for humour, creativity)

• Black: Sophistication, luxury, mystery (prevalent in literary fiction, thrillers)

Look at the dominant colours in your category and consider how you might use them in your own design.

6. Hire a Professional (If Budget Allows)

If you can afford it, working with a professional cover designer who specialises in your genre is ideal. They already understand genre conventions and have the technical skills to execute at a high level.

When briefing a designer, share your category research and be clear about:

• The specific sub-genre your book belongs in

• 3-5 successful covers in your genre that you admire

• Your book's key themes, tone, and target audience

• Any specific elements you want to include or avoid

Trusted cover designers can be found on Reedsy, but can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Fiverr can be cheap but hit-and-miss, with many designers using AI rather than designing from scratch. Many self-published authors swear by Miblart, which has affordable options.

7. Test Before Finalising

Before committing to a cover design, test it with:

• Members of your target audience

• Other authors in your genre

• Readers in relevant online communities (with permission)

Ask specific questions like:

• "What genre does this book appear to be?"

• "Does this cover look professional to you?"

• "What would you expect this book to be about?"

• "Would you click on this cover to learn more?"

The AI Cover Design Trap

In 2020 when I published my book, generative AI wasn't widely available for cover design. Today, it presents both opportunities and significant risks.

My number one piece of advice: Do not use an AI-generated image for your cover.

Today's readers are increasingly savvy about spotting AI-generated content, and using an AI image on your cover sends a clear signal that your entire book might be AI-generated. Even if your content is 100% human-written, an AI cover creates immediate suspicion.

If you're on a tight budget, it's better to use a template-based service like Canva with stock photography or custom graphics than to use AI-generated imagery. The uncanny quality of many AI images—unusual hands, weird proportions, slightly off details—is immediately recognisable to many readers.

Image generated by author using DALL-E

Cover Design is Marketing, Not Just Art

Remember that your cover isn't just decorative: it's a marketing tool with specific jobs to do:

1. Signal the correct genre

2. Appeal to your target reader

3. Communicate professionalism and quality

4. Stand out (appropriately) from competition

5. Work at all sizes (thumbnail to full-size)

6. Entice the reader to learn more

When evaluating cover options, ask yourself how well each design accomplishes these objectives rather than simply which one you find most attractive.

The Results Speak for Themselves

A strategic approach to cover design consistently delivers results. Beyond my own experience, I've seen numerous clients transform their sales through cover redesigns:

• One author saw a 340% increase in clicks on Amazon ads after redesigning her cover to better align with genre expectations

• A business author moved from ranking #12,500 to the top 500 after a cover update (with no other changes to the book or marketing)

• A self-help author doubled his conversion rate on landing pages by adjusting his cover's colour scheme and typography to match category leaders

Your content may be brilliant, but if your cover doesn't convince readers to discover that brilliance, it's like having a fantastic restaurant hidden behind an uninviting façade, most people will never come in to experience what you offer.

---

Subscriber Bonus: As a subscriber to my Substack, you get exclusive access to the Google Sheet template I use for category research. This includes all data fields mentioned in this article that I've found valuable for positioning books effectively. Simply duplicate the sheet and use it for your own research to design a cover that connects with readers and drives sales. You’ll get a link to the spreadsheet in my Welcome Email.

---

The Marketing-First Author is a bestselling non-fiction author and platform strategist who has helped more than 50 experts transform their knowledge into influential books and thriving audiences.

I keep most of my content free to enable as many authors as possible to benefit. If you’d like to support my work but are not in a position to commit to a monthly subscription, consider buying me a coffee.