Start with the reader, not the plot
Tell the designer who picks this book up and what they expect a book like it to look like. "Readers of domestic thrillers, mostly women 30 to 55, who buy on their phone" is more useful than three paragraphs of plot. The plot matters, but the category is what the cover has to signal first.
Give five comparable covers and say why
Find five recent covers in your category that you think work, and for each one write a line about what you like: the typography, the colour, the mood, the use of a figure. Then add one or two you dislike, with reasons. This tells the designer where the boundaries are without dictating the design.
Supply every word that goes on the cover
Final text, not placeholder text. Line lengths change the layout, so a title that gains a word later means rework.
- Title and subtitle, exactly as they should appear
- Author name, and any series name and number
- A tagline for the front, if you want one
- Back cover description, usually 100 to 180 words
- A short author bio and whether you want an author photo
- Any endorsement you have permission to quote, with the exact attribution
- ISBN and barcode requirements for the print edition
Specify the physical book
A print cover is built around the trim size and the spine width, and the spine width depends on the page count and paper. Tell the designer your trim size, your estimated page count, which printer you will use and whether the book is paperback or hardcover. If you are not sure, say so and ask; it is better to decide this with the designer than to guess.
- Trim size, for example 5.5 x 8.5 inches
- Estimated final page count after formatting
- Printer or platform, for example Amazon KDP or IngramSpark
- Paper colour: white or cream
- Ebook stores you will use, so the ebook cover is sized correctly
Mood, colour and must-nots
Describe the feeling in a few words: cold and precise, warm and nostalgic, loud and funny. Mention colours you love or hate and why. List anything that must not appear, such as a face, a specific symbol or a cliché of the genre you want to avoid. Short lists work better than paragraphs here.
A brief template you can copy
- Book: title, subtitle, series, author name
- Category and reader: one or two sentences
- One-paragraph description of the book
- Five comparable covers with a line on each
- Mood in five words, colours to use or avoid
- Must include, must not include
- Trim size, page count, printer, paperback or hardcover
- Ebook stores
- All cover text, final
- Deadline and anything else the designer should know