Creating a Winning Title and eBook Cover

Your title can have a lot to do with how successful your Kindle eBook becomes.  And not just how good the words are, but also how it is graphically displayed. Here's how to create a winning title and eBook cover.

Creating a Winning Title

It should:

• Be catchy
• Be memorable
• Be relevant
• Come up in search results for your keyword

It should also:

• Be the right size
• Be readable

What is the “right size”?  That depends on whether the Title is more important in catching peoples’ attention… or the Cover Photo.

• It should be professionally designed, along with the Cover Photo or art.
• It should not be written in hard-to-read fonts such as scripts.
• It should never mislead.
• It should contrast (light vs. dark) with the Cover photo, if it is overlaid on it.

Use existing best sellers as aids in picking a title for your Kindle eBook.  No, you’re not going to copy them – but do use them for tips and inspiration.

Creating a Winning Cover

Don’t skimp here.  An amateurish cover can affect your sales more than any other factor.  And hire an artist experienced in creating eCovers – one with a proven track record who can point you to samples of his or her work.

Remember that your eCover is most likely going to be viewed on a mobile or on a Kindle Reader, so don’t use complex photos or illustrations – all the detail will get lost.

Keep titles BIG, so they are easily readable.

Again, use contrast – light vs. dark – to showcase the most important element in the cover and make it stand out.

Case Study:  Here is an excellent example of a professionally-created cover, where the Title text is as much a design element as the graphic…

Notice that the cover actually looks more striking in its smaller format – That’s exactly what you want for a Kindle eBook cover.  The artist knows the circular whorls will “disappear” more when reduced to a smaller size.

What’s the most important element on the page?   The celebrity subject, Harry Potter creator, J. K. Rowling.

Her image fills the Cover and its light tones contrast nicely with the dark background.

Her name is as important (if not more so) as her image, so the designer has used the strongest contrast with the brightest color in the name (also the Title) – “J. K. Rowling”.  And although it is a cold color, it is not diluted with greys, as are the other colors on the page, so it reads very strikingly.  It’s also a different color from others on the page, and shows up because of this singularity.

“Biography of” is not as important as the name, but it still shows up at the reader’s second glance, its dark lettering contrasting against Rowling’s light clothing.

This cover and title does an admirable job of making the reader want to check it out, to see if it lives up to its well-produced promise.

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