Of all the elements that go into creating a beautifully and professionally packaged book, the cover has the greatest marketing potential. Your book’s cover is its face, and it’s the first real glimpse potential readers will get into your work. Giving your cover a firm and widespread presence on social media and in ads will prompt potential readers to buy a copy . . . if they haven’t already.
Be sure to start off on the right foot by hiring a professional cover designer to ensure that all the elements are harmonious, legible, aesthetically pleasing, and indicative of the contents, and that it is eye-catching in whatever form a potential reader encounters it. A professional designer will also take into account current in-genre design trends to make sure your cover can hold its own among similar titles.
Cover art, with or without the title treatment, can be used to create social media and website banners, profile images, ads, header images, and the like—all of which can be used for book promotion.
It’s a good idea to do a book cover reveal before your book is released via social media, to your e-mail list, and on your author website to build reader interest. (In traditional book publishing, the cover is often revealed three months prior to a book’s release.) Some authors might offer promotional giveaways when the cover is revealed to build their e-mail list.
By the way, we don’t think it’s a great idea to post different versions of your cover on social media to see which ones your connections like best. Because many of those people may be potential purchasers, you will want to show them that you are confident in your book, inside and out. Do your opinion-gathering off social media, but always keep in mind that it’s your opinion that really matters.
In the days and weeks leading up to your book’s release, establishing your book’s presence on social media and reminding potential readers that it can soon be in their hands builds anticipation. If your readers see your cover only once, they’re more likely to forget that they’ve seen it at all. With that said, don’t inundate the newsfeed with too frequent posts, and try to offer some value with your posts, perhaps a particularly intriguing paragraph from your book or some trivia about what went into writing it.
Even if your book has been out for a year, take whatever opportunities you can to make your cover visible. Did you just hit a thousand sales? Has your book been featured on a website, magazine, blog post, podcast, or TV show? Post a celebratory message on social media or to your e-mail list, and make sure you feature the cover. You can even post pictures of yourself with the book. Remind readers that your book is still out there, waiting for them to pick up a copy.
It boils down to this: A cover is a marketing tool, but it only works if it’s well made and if you’re willing to use it. Be willing to invest in a good cover and then be willing to show it off. Use your cover to its fullest potential.
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