Components of a book cover

Focus on the writing, on the treatment of the topic, on the characters, on the storyline, on the research, on the facts, and so on. Remove the book and fold the paper in at the lines, toward the center. Creating an attractive comic book cover is necessary to draw people into your comics and capture their interest. What are the key elements of a professional book cover design. Cover creation is the very last creative step when publishing a book. Its so tempting to think if everyone is doing x and i. Book design is the art of incorporating the content, style, format, design, and sequence of the various components and elements of a book into a coherent unit. Jul 24, 2017 how to design a cover for a childrens book in photoshop in this design tutorial i will be showing you how to use some of the fun and playful elements from the latest bundle to design a book. Nov 12, 20 your checklist for the components of a nonfiction book, from the front cover to the back and everything in between. The exposed smyth sewn binding is strong but flexible. Dont make judgment calls about the authors faith, intelligence, relationships, parenting skills, parentage, or whatever. What book publicists and media want to see on the outside of a book printed books 101.

Despite the popular saying, the cover of a book is what readers will use to judge the contents of your book. While the process can be overwhelming, weve come up with 6 elements of a bestselling book cover to help navigate you through designing your cover. Parts of a pump components and workings of a pump powerzone. A book cover also serves as a protective binding for the pages of the book. This is an excerpt from printed book design 101, written by joel friedlander of the book designer. In the words of renowned typographer jan tschichold 19021974, book design, though largely forgotten today, relies upon methods and rules upon which it is impossible to improve. Sep 17, 2014 external parts of a book dust jacket example. A professionally designed cover will instantly and attractively convey the essence of what your book is about. The artwork should extend to the outside edge of the templates pink zone to ensure a white border will not exist within the printed work. Weve published a number of posts on the importance of a good book cover and even provide a resource page with tips and tools on how to design a book cover. How will you combine all these elements to make the perfect book cover. To get in the spirit of things, here is a diagram and definitions of the various parts of a book.

The iconic covers of these books are etched in our minds just like their underlying story and characters. At a minimum, your front cover should contain the name of the book, its subtitle, and your name. Even astounding writing cant always speak for itself. Even if youve already polished your chapters to perfection, you still need to prepare various other parts of a book before publishing namely. Hi, im trying to make a book cover for my book on video games and im honestly lost. Graphic novel is a term whose definition is hard to pin down, but usually refers to selfcontained, booklength form. Your book cover is your product packaging its your branding for your book and for you as an author. Online shopping from a great selection of bike components and parts in the outdoor recreation store on. This article details the specific elements we take into consideration when evaluating book covers. This online guide provides information about the components of a book cover. Create a book cover in minutes, with easy to use tools and a wide range of professionally designed templates. If you discover a designer whose work you love, you can continue working with that designer on future products.

An unabridged list of the parts of a book by joel friedlander on september 29, 2009 57 comments the history of book printing goes back to the first bibles pulled sheet by sheet off johannes gutenbergs presses in mainz, germany in the late fifteenth century. As already noted, writing a back book blurb is a marketing exercise. Why a good cover makes a good book better books the guardian. The exposed smyth sewn binding is strong but flexible, so the book opens fully and lays flat on every page. When you are working with a book cover designer, there are many elements you need to think about. Mar 25, 2017 lets create a professional cover page for books in microsoft word 20, this nice and clean cover page design can be created in ms word in few minutes. Your checklist for the components of a nonfiction book, from the front cover to the back and everything in between.

Sep 09, 2016 from fonts to colors and photos, the number of options you have to choose from for your books cover makes your head spin. Adobe sparks wattpad book cover maker can assist you with brainstorming and designing a cover that piques curiosity and engages your readers on a whole new level. Dust jacket or dust wrapper first used during the 19th century, the original purpose of the dust jacket was to protect the cover of books from scratches and dust which could have been made from fine leather, linen cloth, silk or other expensive materials. The back of the book is a bit like an elevator pitch. A truly great jacket is one that captures the book inside it in some fundamental. Nov 17, 2019 nowadays, a book may be published traditionally or selfpublished or not even published in print at all. In order to write a book book in full, you need to have all the moving parts to make it not only good but also effective. Obviously, the text is the thing, but the cover of a book can surely influence our reading of said text. How to design a fantasy or sf book cover with canva in five. Of course, catching a potential bookbuyers eye is only part of mendelsunds job. Introductory content uses a charcoal color scheme, and advanced content uses an orange color scheme.

In this post, well zero in on the anatomy of a book, covering which components you should include in the front, body, and back matter. The cover of a book is the first thing the reader will see and is often one of the things that entices a reader to read a certain book, despite the common phrase never judge a book by its cover. Therefore, buying a suitable highefficiency pump requires a thorough understanding of its parts as well, so that one can buy the pump best suited to their needs. Lets create a professional cover page for books in microsoft word 20, this nice and clean cover page design can be created in ms word in few minutes. The best design for your cover art will incorporate elements of composition, psychology, and. From fonts to colors and photos, the number of options you have to choose from for your books cover makes your head spin. Oct 03, 2018 the back of the book is a bit like an elevator pitch.

Pdf how are book covers and their components represented in. If a book completely disregards these standards, readers are likely to be skeptical of the actual contentthis is one case where the wrapping really does tend to. If an ebook is intermediate level like our example here, the cover and color scheme throughout the book uses blue as the dominant color, and a page in the beginning of the book explains which type of audience would benefit from each skill level. Then, center the open book on the paper and draw a horizontal line along the top and bottom edges of the book. Pdf this article discusses the way in which the book cover and its elements are represented in and translated into the digital market. Put the book back on the folded paper and open the front cover. To produce perfect books these rules have to be brought back to life and applied. A short testimonial or endorsement can also be tastefully used on the front cover.

Ten cover design elements that will knock your book off the. They simply refer to the first and last sections of your book. Many teachers are partial to this literature assignment because it contains elements of crafting, allowing more room for creativity, and provides students with a new way to summarize the plot and theme of a book. Remind them to revisit the book cover components checklist or dust jacket components checklist so they include all of the required parts. If a reader has got as far as picking up the book, the back cover is there to clinch the deal. Books have been published for thousands of years and on thousands of different subjects. Your front cover should be legible and easily read from a. Feb 28, 2017 cover creation is the very last creative step when publishing a book. Im sure there are many readers of breakfast at tiffanys who cannot help but picture holly. Dust jacket or dust wrapper first used during the 19th century, the original purpose of the dust jacket was to protect the cover of books from scratches and dust which could have been made from fine.

In this chapter, book design means the content, style, format, design, and sequence of the various typical components of a book. Design your cover in the design layer, using the template pdf or png file as the guide layer. A heavy lb cover stock keeps your character sheet in pristine shape, and 70lb acidfree satin paper inside provides an excellent bleedfree writing surface that preserves your notes and drawings for eons. How to make a professional book cover in ms word cover page.

When you are designing a book cover, you are visually representing the chapters, paragraphs, characters, events, settings, and ideas, all in a single image. The elements of this content share a common structure, and each element appears in a similar location in every book. Parts of a book make up the entirety of the book, including the title, introduction, body, conclusion, and back cover. Nov 05, 2017 a great book cover, on the other hand, takes more skill and experience than i currently possess but i am working on it. The book is going to cover a lot of angles and i want it to be something of a. How to design a cover for a childrens book youtube. Components here refers to actual sections or pages of a book such as the edition notice, the preface, the index, or the front or back cover. Elements of this type of book jacket usually include. Nov, 2019 they simply refer to the first and last sections of your book.

Free wattpad cover maker with online templates adobe spark. Carefully crafted design is key to the success of a book cover, with layout, typography, imagery, color, and format all playing important roles in. Of course, each cover is evaluated on a casebycase basis. To make a book cover with a brown paper bag, start by cutting the bag open and removing any handles. On the cover you will often find the title and author of the book you are.

Making a great cover may require an expert, but i have found that if you work with the templates on canva you will make a good book. A book cover is not only a marketing tool, but an identity. A title page preceding or following the title page chosen as the basis for the description of. Optional elements include the subtitle if there is one and photos, background images or. A great book cover, on the other hand, takes more skill and experience than i currently possess but i am working on it. It could make the difference between readers walking or scrolling past it or.

Our knowledgeable team has years of experience in print design in a wide variety of genres. The title pages of an item, the verso of the title pages, any pages preceding the title pages, and the cover. The main elements of a book cover are the front cover, spine, and back cover. If designed carefully and properly, it entices interest and has the power to sell, almost completely in and of itself. Download the complete guide here for free for quick reference, heres a cheat sheet of common components used in book design. This means all the focus needs to be on the reader their needs and expectations. A casing can be explained as a shell, cover or a housing which protects and supports most of the components. But fear not, because you dont have to be a technological whiz to create a striking. Just select a template, edit the content and youre done.

There are several elements that come into play for every album cover, from the colors and imagery used on the front cover to the typography and text on the back. There is more to a nonfiction book than a catchy cover and table of contents much more. In this post i am going to explain how you can make a book cover in five minutes or less. That includes getting a great cover designed, having your book professionally edited, and making sure that the interior design, formatting, and layout meet professional standards. A floppy comic is also known as an american comic book. An examination of some of the top selling books in the kindle store yields surprises. In her english journal article fifty alternatives to the book report, diana mitchell explains students tire of. Knowing and understanding the constituent parts of a book cover will help you make the best marketing decisions when you design or. How to design a comic book cover with pictures wikihow.

But most book content is arranged in a traditional, prescribed manner. A common assignment given to middle and elementary school students is to design a summarizing book cover. The essential elements of a front cover include title and author name. Nowadays, a book may be published traditionally or selfpublished or not even published in print at all. Thats because almost everything about the anatomy of a book cover is controlled by the final, edited version of the book. Basic elements of digital book cover design celebrating.

The cover of a book is the first thing the reader will see and is often one of the things that entices a reader to read a certain book. Some would have its use restricted only to longform narratives, while at the other extreme are people who use it as a synonym for comics or comic book. This is also a good time to take anecdotal notes andor interview the students about their knowledge of the books and the components of a book cover or dust jacket. How to design a cover for a childrens book in photoshop in this design tutorial i will be showing you how to use some of the fun and playful elements from the latest bundle to design a book. Of course, catching a potential book buyers eye is only part of mendelsunds job. Do not move the guide layer, as it is properly aligned for our printing specifications. This online tool allows students to design and prints covers for books. A cheat sheet for selfpublished authors making print books. One potential bonus for using a site like 99designs. Start by finding the right cover for your theme there are designs centering on good eats perfect for a gastronomic memoir, covers. There are many components to designing a successful cover, and if youre already a designer, of course you know theres a lot more creative freedom to apply, and that. Here are six rules to be mindful of before you put pen to paper on your back book cover blurb. But fear not, because you dont have to be a technological whiz to create a striking cover design with canvas free online book cover maker. The components of a book and where they go how to correctly format your book interior using.