Have you ever wandered through Barnes & Noble or Borders and have a course in miracles jump off the shelves straight into your attention center? It’s a great idea to do this. Set aside a few hours and make a trip with notebook in hand. You might be amazed at what you learn. I know of one author who did this and learned that all of the books in her category contained the word “happiness” or some form of it. She might never have recognized this without the trip. Look specifically at the category of the book you are writing and see what is attractive about it or investigate what book is selling the best. The staff can help you with statistics. This trip will give you excellent clues about superb graphic book cover design as you move into the publication phase for your self-published book.

The design of the book cover should hum a little song that tickles both the eye and the ear of the shopper. Will they pick the book up and flip through it? Will they want to take it home with them? Would the book store management be proud to have it on display? Is it tasteful? Does it visually say “Come here.” Does it stand out from your category’s crowd? These elements should be evoked by a great book cover design.

Can you tell the theme of your book from its cover? Think of the graphics for the vampire series currently so popular: they speak their theme in purples, greys, blacks and mysterious eyes. You know exactly what the theme is about. Does your book cover design portray your voice, your style? Will the market that you target through your writings find it appealing? A savvy graphic artist is current with the latest marketing or design trends that are essential for gaining notice for your self-published book. Yesterday’s look will not sell today’s book.

You will want your book cover design to be unique – a different expression to portray your main idea. It’s got to be done tastefully and creatively. Turning people off with something not tasteful needs to be avoided. The graphics need to create interest. Using original graphics and choosing the right color pallet can be just the thing to snag your buyers as they browse through the section. Boldness on a spine is quite effective as well as on the front cover.

You wrote your book with the intention of providing something for your audience: a service, entertainment, a feeling. Does the appearance of the inside of your book allow readers to know you, to like you and to trust you? Would they trust someone with uncorrected editing errors? Will they be immediately aware of the benefits they’ll enjoy when they see your Table of Contents?

You can affect their trust by the wise choice of paper stock. If your book has a precious message, using cheap stock won’t convey your message. The formatting of your book using the key elements of leading, margins, art work, photos, typeface will let the reader want more and want to read the book again and again.

Graphics elements for your self-published book need to be wisely chosen, and an experienced graphic artist can play a substantial supporting role in the successful selling of your book because of the successful designing of its cover.