October 30, 2024
What are the secrets to great book series covers? Some books are so successful that readers beg for a whole series. Some writers start out with one idea for a book and then discover their character has a lot more to say and do. Others start out with a specific plan to tell interconnected stories. Publishing a series is a mark of success as an author. People like your stories so much, they can’t get enough. Now, however, you need book series covers for all your books. Here are some tips to get you started with book series covers.
You already know that consistency is important in a book series. Your characters must look, talk, and act the same in each book. They must have the same character traits, friends, addresses, and opinions.
That doesn’t mean they can’t change at all, but your readers must be able to instantly recognize them. Readers should feel as if they’re entering familiar territory whenever they pick up a book in a series.
In the same way, the book’s layout and covers should have a consistent look. You can make minor changes, but it’s best to keep that same familiarity.
Don’t forget images, graphics, and illustrations when you design book series covers. If you used a particular artist for one book cover design, strongly consider working with that artist again. They know you, know your book, and have a good sense of what works for your story.
If your first book had a single strong image, you don’t have to use the same one. Choose a new picture, and make it relevant to your series.
Should your colors match? Some writers like to use the same colors on every book in their series. Others prefer to use complementary colors. Complementary colors are those that go well with each other. Graphic designers use a tool called the color wheel to choose colors that go well together. If you look at a color wheel, the colors directly opposite your chosen color are the most complementary.
Some common pairings found on the color wheel:
Other classic pairings come from the world of fashion, where these are considered elegant mixes:
You can learn a lot about color blending from the color wheel and from fashion palettes. You’ll learn how to blend three or four colors that look beautiful together and convey the mood you want to evoke, whether it’s warm, traditional, elegant, cool, or futuristic.
Think about how your books will look when placed next to each other on the shelf. To see your book series covers together, take a colored print of each cover. Lay it on a table, and then place the second book cover next to it. Do you see a consistent style and branding? If you do, you’re on the right track. If you don’t, it may be time to redesign your book series covers.
Many authors have created successful book series. Series are a staple of mystery fiction and detective novels, where readers often meet the same characters, settings, and situations. The creators of Harry Bosch, Armand Gamache, Dublin Murder Squad, and Hannah Swensen are some of the world’s top-selling writers.
They’re also common in romance novels. Authors like Janet Dailey and Penny Reid create multi-generational sagas about a particular family, with a focus on their struggles and romances.
If you want to create covers that look professional, study the examples of current best-sellers.
In this popular young adult series, the book series covers feature a large single image that dominates the cover. The picture changes with each new title, but it is always related to a mythical element of the fictional world. The one-word title appears below this image in large, bold font: Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, Four. Under this, the author’s name is smaller but still easy to read.
Each cover depicts a street scene in shadowy colors from the fictional world. It’s a simple, powerful design. The dominant background color changes with each book, and a subtitle explains which book in the series it is.
Weir’s series focuses on each of Henry VIII’s six wives. Each cover in the series has the same design. A beautiful young woman in Tudor dress stands or sits in a Tudor-era setting, facing directly at the viewer. The picture has sumptuous clothing, jewels, flowers, and stone walls. The image takes up most of the cover, and the title and subtitle appear in a large typeface that’s almost translucent, so it doesn’t blot the cover image.
The first book’s title, Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen, makes it clear who the book is about. Each later title features the subject’s name and a subtitle, for instance, Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen. Weir is well-known in her genre, and her name is a selling point, so it appears in a large, bright blue font in a prominent spot.
This popular series starts with Crazy Rich Asians. The cover has a full-bleed, bright orange background with a stylized, almost cartoon-like picture of a woman in profile, wearing large sunglasses and an enormous diamond earring. The title is placed across the top in white lettering, and the author’s name appears at the bottom.
The second book in the series features the same woman in sunglasses looking straight at the viewer, and the background is a full-bleed bright blue. The third entry, Rich People Problems, shows the same woman looking off into the distance, with a green background and the same lettering.
As you’ve seen in the earlier examples, one way to maintain design consistency across titles is to use the same typography. Typography includes everything related to the lettering on the cover, including the font family, typeface, whether it’s bold or italic, and the spacing between characters. Typography makes a book instantly recognizable when it’s part of a series.
When it’s time to design your book series covers, are you planning to do it yourself or hire a professional? There are pros and cons to both.
It’s possible to design your own books, including the covers, and many self-published writers do so successfully. Today’s design software packages are sophisticated and easy to use, even for first-time users. This is the most affordable choice.
On the other hand, you’ll need to spend a lot of time getting the design right. You’ll have to learn a new software program, understand its features, and figure out your book’s layout—and you’ll have to do it after going through the long, arduous work of writing a book and going through the editing process.
The finished product will look competent, but it won’t have the powerful impact of a professionally designed cover.
Hiring a graphic artist will cost money, but it will reduce your stress and save you tons of time. Best of all, you can be certain that your book series covers will look as good as those you now see on the bookstore shelves.
Many writers find that it’s worth it to hire a graphic artist. After struggling to get the cover design right, they found it was easier to leave that work to a professional and use their free time for other things.
Publishing a series of books shows your success as an author. Celebrate that success by giving your books the gorgeous covers they deserve. Publishing Xpress can help you with the graphic design and provide expert printing. Contact us today to learn about our affordable rates and top-notch customer service
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