Rookie Mistakes, Part 4: Covers

Background

In this fourth installment of the “Rookie Mistakes” series, I examine recurring problems I observed with covers—front, back, and spine— analyzing books across all genres, sizes, and formats.

Good cover design is something (nearly) all publishers realize is essential to the marketing and sale of their book. But how do you avoid a cover being judged as “bad” in readers’ eyes?

Generally speaking, in book publishing, we use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) as our primary reference.

I examined the issues of book interiors in three previous posts: structural problems in books that are “mainly text” (Part 1) and closely related implementation issues of those books (Part 2). In Part 3, I explored “visual and large format” book interiors.

Introduction

While the uninformed masses often wonder if the interior of a book needs design (answer: yes!), even those uninitiated to the world of publishing realize the importance of the book cover. As the central element of a book’s marketing, the cover sets the tone for the book, hints at what to expect from the interior, and hopefully engages a potential reader (and prospective buyer) enough to pick the book up, flip it over, and read the back.

So, what goes wrong when a book cover doesn’t feel right? Call it what you will—the “self-published look,” “budget design,” “template typography,” or just that hard-to-name feeling that something’s not quite right…

While we can debate if a cover is good or not, even casual readers notice when something feels off, and may turn away from a book, even if they can’t explain why.

This summer, I decided to take a deep dive into the finalists and winners of the 2025 Midwest Book Awards to better understand the “why”—examining books from indie publishers across the Midwest, ranging from established academic presses to author-publishers self-publishing for the first time, and everything in between.

Even among the books that otherwise impressed the judges, I kept seeing the same avoidable design issues pop up again and again. Small missteps in design and typesetting that chipped away at a book’s professionalism and polish.

You see, when design is working, it vanishes—it becomes “intuitive” or natural. However, when design stumbles—such as with poor alignment, clunky graphics, or crowded text—it draws attention to itself. Once that happens, it’s hard to unsee.

In this four-part series, I’ll walk through the most common design mistakes I found, and explain why they matter. These aren’t arbitrary rules—they’re time-tested guidelines rooted in how people actually see and read. And most of them are easy to fix, once you know what to look for.

In the final part of this series, I look at the book covers across all genres. Design dominates, but as with Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, which discuss the interiors of books, the basics remain true. As before, for each issue area, I’ll include the percentage of books where I saw room for improvement.

Before we get into the details, let me say this: I’m not here to discredit anyone’s work. The books I reviewed were written, edited, and published with heart. But ensuring that none of these baseline issues sneak into your work—what I consider the minimum level of visual clarity and polish any published book should meet—is doing your readers a service by making your book more approachable and appealing, not to mention better received by book professionals, including librarians, book sellers, and reviewers.

Part 4: Cover Design Concerns

A good cover isn’t about “liking” or “disliking” it; as the central piece of a book’s marketing, the cover should connect with and intrigue the reader (or the buyer!). That means fitting in with the genre, but not blending in with everything else. And it is paramount that you look like you know what you’re doing.

Appropriateness of a cover is also determined by how a book will primarily be sold—in person? Direct sales? Bookstores? Or online via a small image thumbnail? Since I don’t have the marketing plan to accompany these books, I cannot judge them in this regard, beyond the sense of how a book is likely to be marketed and sold.

But before all of that, the fundamentals must be solid.

Technical note on the images

I will display all the back/front cover images at the same scale to facilitate a clearer understanding of the details cover-to-cover. A detailed picture accompanies each, and you can click on the images to open a larger viewing gallery.

Font sizes are referenced in relation to the body (or base size) and the line spacing. For example, 12/15 means a 12-point typeface on 15-point leading, equivalent to a 1.25 line spacing.

#1 Back Cover Overload (35%)

Too much text
- Inviting? (“If you made it too small to read, why did you bother including it?”)
- Thin/reversed type —remember the laminate can “soften” the edges.
Bar code over-size

Back covers are often an afterthought. And it sometimes shows. The bane of designers is the overloaded back cover: the synopsis is too long, blurbs and endorsements run on and on, and the author bio is a full life story, …

Too much “content” is understandable—the author and publisher have great things they want to say about this book! But when sound design principles of white space, visual balance, line length, etc., are not followed, the net result is to overwhelm the potential reader, actually discouraging reading the back cover. Less is more.

This 8-1/2 x 11 softcover has an overwhelming amount of back cover content.

Despite being a generous 13/18 type size, filling the page with dark-on-color (low-color contrast) discourages reading, as does the excessive 92-character line length.

In addition to font style consistency issues (#4), this thin 10/11 type squeezes too much in.

Color helps set the bylines apart, but otherwise, hierarchy is hard to follow.

Another 5-1/2 x 8-1/2, this reversed 10/13 (9/12 in the bio) is one solid chunk.

At 10/13, this is fairly small for reversed type (see #4)

A spritely 5 x 8 MG fiction, the 8/10.5 type is well balanced, just too small.

8/10.5 type is clean, although the picture in the background is unclear and unhelpful.

Getting it right

#2 Text Misalignment (24%)

Failure to honor reasonable margins
Centering problems
Spine centering
Hardcover hinge complicates all three of these

Centering offers its own special challenges in covers, and differs between softcover, hardcover (case laminate), and jackets. The key is defining reasonable margins, and understanding how much “wiggle” room is necessary.

The book that started me on this analysis journey! I want to love this 6 x 9 softcover (winner in the cover category). But there are two problems on the front cover. Also, the 8/11 thin yellow serif reverse type on the back—with matte finish further softening things—is almost impossible to read.

A closer look at the most egregious problem: an off-center tagline. This chiseled typeface, while snazzy looking, is perhaps too tight and too small at this size. Given that this book is POD, I sincerely hope the publisher has corrected this mistake.

This 6 x 9 softcover book suffers from insufficient margins all around—front and back. I can imagine that the front cover art was selected without consideration for cover design. There are alternatives. But there is no excuse on the back cover for the “too muchness” problem.

The tell-tale ”rookie mistake”: the spine is too small for text on this 82 pp. softcover book. But still, it shouldn’t have “split” the front/back this way. This cover was likely prepared for saddle-stitching and later “upgraded” to perfect binding without adjustment.

Multiple alignment points on this 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 softcover. While the cover text area is arguably centered, the dominant title and the bridge shape are *slightly* off center. Back cover has no excuses.

On the other hand, the back cover’s typography looks clean, although that 9/13 yellow-on-teal is challenging to read.

This 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 softcover presents a conundrum: I like to see the title asymmetry, but is the overall effect working…?

A closer look at the text block (with “A Novel” considered) is off. However, the visual balance with the cloud almost compensates. Swing and a miss. If “A Novel” had been moved to the right, it would work great.

A wonderful cover concept on this 5-1/4 x 8 softcover, but no need to track the title quite that wide into the margins. Also, the back cover reversed type is a bit too small and thin.

A closer look at those margin-pushing byline, and a missed opportunity to create an alignment on “There” and the author’s name. Tracked out is nice, but maybe not quite so much.

Tension points are created on the crowded back cover, accentuated by the centering issue on the front of this 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 hardcover.

Closer look at the centering issue of the back cover. The dark, matte means the hinge does *not* play a visual role here.

Proof that the centering problems are not a result of spine misalignment… except for the top book which has a bit of POD drift.

An example of spine misalignment, common to POD books. This tiny 4 x 6 book was created by IngramSpark’s printing arm, LighteningSource—and ironically handed out at a publishing conference as an example of their work! Small spines and POD are always a roll of the dice.

This perfect front cover is regrettably paired with a crowded back cover on this 8-1/2 x 8-1/2 hardcover book. Too much, and a lack of visual hierarchy. The “note” up in the upper right of the back shows that there was no misalignment accident.

A closer look at the zero-margin back cover. Oops? But I love the pencil border on the bottow wrapping the front back and spine.

Special Case: Hardcover Hinges

Keep prominent elements away from the edge
Avoid centering/asymmetric layouts
Build different versions for hardcover and softcover/jacket
Avoid the case-wrap entirely: go classic foil-on-cloth/paper
“Split the difference” is the usual rule-of-thumb for alignment calculations

As alluded to earlier, the hinge of a case-wrap hardcover book (a book whose cover art is affixed to the hardcover itself) presents a particular problem when it comes to centering, or any design that relies on art or text near the left edge of the front cover.

Let me step back for a moment. When considering a design, everything plays into the composition: the type (style, size, weight, and color); the art or illustration; the “white space” and background area; and also the edges of the page/cover itself, real or perceived.

In hardcover books, the hinge is also a visual element. But it is a tricky one, as it depends on the lighting and underlying color. The hinge on a matte or gloss cover reacts differently; light or dark colors also change the relative importance of the hinge.

Consider this case-wrap cover with a very wide layout. By varying the lighting, I can exaggerate the effect of the spine hinge.

Comparing the dust jacket and case-wrap version of identical designs also shows the effect of the hinge on alignment problem:

On the dust jacket there is no alignment problems. Perfect!

The case-wrap looks ok under flat lighting, but starts to feel crowded.

But when the hinge comes into full play, the alignment is atrocious.

On the dust jacket version, centering looks great.

But on the case-wrap version of the identical layout, the hinge throws things out of balance.

There is no “solving” this problem—we cannot control the lighting for how our books will be displayed or read. But you can mitigate the effect by staying away from or obscuring the hinge effect with patterns, texture, or just plain asymmetry:

With flat lighting, this book is actually slightly off-center. But the problem is almost invisible because of smart layout.

Starting to come into play, the hinge isn’t close enough to cause any problems.

Even with the hinge in play, the imbalance is irrelevant because of the strong pattern and relative separation from the edges. Perfect!

This book solves the hinge problem by wrapping an irrelevant part of the image toward the spine, and building an asymmetric layout. Perfect!

A great way of solving the hinge problem is to wrap the spine over into the cover, creating a well-defined hard edge to align to.

This isn’t correctly centered on any of the possible references. Ironic, because the matte laminate on the black cover virtually eliminates the effect of the hinge.

Softcover books are not immune to this hinge issue. With poor-quality lamination, cracking can occur at the hinge. On dark covers, this white line can come into play. With heavy laminations, a “ridge” at the hinge can also catch light, creating the illusion of an unintended line.

However, this is usually less of a concern, as it is most likely showing up only after a book has been opened and closed a lot—so likely already purchased.

#3 Visual Clutter (15%)

Too much much-ness.
Lack of visual hierarchy (type/image compete)
Text-image overlay lacks contrast or visual clarity

As with the problems of #1, the back cover containing too much content, both the back and front can be overwhelmed by … visual “stuffing.” Layers and texture are important, but not at the expense of visual hierarchy. The mind needs to understand what to look at, where to look next. It is the cover designer’s job to ensure that happens—sometimes despite the demands of the author.

There is a lot to see on this cover, which can be fun. At least the script title manages to pull itself above the clutter.

One particular issue is the secondary text element. At least the scale is quite different.

Generally an excellent cover, really engaging with clear hierarchy. But…

Nit-picking, perhaps, but these points where the fins get so close to the text are areas of tension.

The front cover has great contrast, except I bet you thought the title was just “Beyond the Cemetery,” didn’t you?

The “Gate” becomes lost at first glance because it blends too closely with the background.

A lovely, lively cover. It is busy, but appropriate with clear hierarchy.

But the back cover with that black-on-blue text can be a problem at lower light. Technically correct (for contrast checks), it is borderline in actual use.

A fairly dark abstract image is paired with silver foil title.

Depending on the light, the foil title may become entirely invisible. Because it is foil-on-paper without any depth of relief, there are no edge shadows to even imply an outline.

I really want to like this front cover. It is visually interesting—too interesting. Because it lacks a clear visual hierarchy, the eyes are unsure of what to focus on first.

Everything has nearly the same visual “weight” so the eyes bounce around … eventually giving up.

This amazing cover art is regrettably crowded by the type, creating several pinch points of visual tension.

The back cover text overlay also suffers. Yes, you can read it, with a little effort. But do you really want to make your readers work that hard?

I know I have picked on this book a lot in this series. It is a big, heartful tribute to a wonderful theater. It could have been even better with tighter design. Here the front cover shows the conflicting lines of the proscinium and the book edges—easily corrected in Photoshop.

Any time you find yourself using drop shadows or outer glows that are this pronounced, you know you have image problems. Visual clutter destroys the pronouncement of this large image.

The back cover likewise offers a bold image, but then visually clutters it with shadowed text.

Even the spine, which has a clever wrap around image, suffers from too much texture that competes with the text—which is saying something on an 8-1/2 x 11 hardcover book!

#4 Style Mismanagement (6%)

Misalignment of cover with content/interior
Misalignment of type with genre
Reversed type that is too small/thin for printing and lamination limitations

The fonts we choose help set the book’s tone, but they must also be legible and align with the book’s genre. Translating from the screen to print takes a certain level of expertise (or luck). Reversed type (white on black) is a common problem, since “black” isn’t one color, but four in most CMYK processes. (See “What Color Black?” for more on CMYK printing.)

Black with matte lamination feels nice, and certainly sets a tone for this genre-appropriate cover.

Unfortunately, the 12/14 back cover type is too thin for easy readability when reversed white-on-black.

At 10/16 the white-on-black synopsis suffers from poor spacing and an overly contrasty font. But this pales compared to the minisclue 8/11 yellow-on-black for the endorsements. One fewer and a larger font would have made this readable.

A dark red is an exciting choice, but it suffers the same problems as 4-color black: softness of the type from thin strokes is washed out.

Shown closer, in good lighting it can be read, but it is challenging, even at a generous 12/18. A medium-weight might have been a better choice.

Close-up view of how the thin strokes disappear due to the color half-tones, even with a gloss laminate.

Heavy or bold fonts aren’t always the answer. See how the thin strokes and serifs still disappear in the “noise” of the 4-color background?

White on this light teal is a tricky combination, with the matte lamination softening and dulling. Less weight and more space would have helped the font choice succeed.

While reversed type that is too thin can be a problem, too thick is also an issue.

Coming in at 26/32, the back cover text on this 8 x 10 hardcover is overpowering.

It is a beautiful typeface, but at 26/32, it is too large and too close to the top of the image (likely due to its excessive size).

The yellow lines and blocky outlines destroy the gentle mood of the old photo on this 6 x 9 softcover.

The yellow outlines are unnecessary; less text and more space is what is needed here.

Really, fat outlines in yellow on a light brown image?

#5 Poor Quality Graphics (6%)

Resolution and Clarity
Avoid obviously AI or poor compositing
Remember, cover lamination softens images and text, dulls colors

There really is no excuse for poor-quality images. Time and money are the limits that all covers face, but settling for an image because the “concept is there” or because the author chose it isn’t a good reason to make this rookie blunder.

Other than being off-center, the back cover of this 6 x 9 softcover works.

But the cover image, with the subject in black & white on the brilliant orange and yellow flames, feels like a bad job of compositing.

An exciting front cover that is eminently difficult to read. The back cover actually works better.

But the image suffers from inconsistent lighting/shadows, and a strange green blob that maybe was a nebula?

An obvious DIY project with bad kerning, text with glow, and a tiny cover image.

Ironically, the cover image is full of excellent detail, if only it wasn’t relegated to a peep-hole view in an otherwise bland sea of blue.

We all know that people judge a book by its cover—readers, retailers, librarians. And wisely they should, because the cover sets the tone for the book, and draws a reader in.

At least, it does when there aren’t a slew of rookie mistakes screaming “don’t pick me up.” Solving these six common problems will not make your cover “great,” nor will it guarantee sales. But it will at least let your book stand up and tell the world what it is really about.

A book’s cover is the single most imporant piece of a book’s marketing. While the definition of a “great” cover may be in the eye of the beholder, avoiding obvious mistakes goes a long way toward elevating the stature of a book in the eyes of consumers and readers.

As a professional designer, I begin every book cover design with a consideration of composition and hierarchy, balancing the type with image on the front, back, and spine of a book—bringing voice, tone, and aesthetic nuance to connect with readers before they’ve read even the first word of your writing.

Learn more about Paul and Illustrada Design.