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The 139 Best Book Covers of 2023

We asked 47 designers for their favorites.

For what is now  the eighth time  in a row, I am pleased to present the best book covers of the year—as chosen by some of the industry’s best book cover designers.

This year, I asked 47 designers to share their favorite covers of the year, and they came back with a grand total of 139 covers (!), representing work by 85 different designers for 74 different imprints at home and abroad. The designers’ choices, and their comments, are below.

But first . . . the stats.

The best of the best book covers:

First place (12 mentions):

Szilvia Molnar, The Nursery   design by Linda Huang (Pantheon, March 21)

* Second place (8 mentions):

Olga Ravn,  The Employees design by Paul Sahre (New Directions, February 7)

* Third place (tie—6 mentions each):

Greg Jackson, The Dimensions of a Cave   Design by Jamie Keenan (Granta Books, October 26)

Celina Baljeet Basra,  Happy   Design by Alex Merto (Astra House, November 14)

The presses with the most covers on the list:

First place: FSG (19 covers)

* Second place: New Directions (11 covers)

* Third place: Pantheon (7 covers)

The designers with the most different covers on the list:

First place: Na Kim (7 covers)

* Second place: Alex Merto (6 covers)

* Third place (3-way tie) Jamie Keenan, June Park, Jaya Miceli (5 covers each)

The best month for book covers:

First place: August  (20 covers)

* Second place: September (19 covers)

* Third place: October  (18 covers)

The full list:

Such wonderful simplicity, but also cleverly articulating a newborn’s not fully developed vision and the new mother’s struggle with her dissolving identity. Love the placement of ‘A Novel’.

– Holly Ovenden

Everything about this cover is so elegant and minimal. Using “a novel” as part of the illustration is such a clever way to keep from adding more elements to it.

– Vivian Lopez Rowe

I gasped when I first saw this cover. Such a genius idea that speaks perfectly to the title while also avoiding cliches. The blurring is perfection.

– Jaya Nicely

– Erik Carter

Perfectly captures the bleariness of new motherhood. Best design use of “A Novel” I’ve seen in a long time.

– Jenny Carrow

Tender, brilliant, beautiful. I almost can’t believe that Linda was able to get this approved, but I’m so glad she did.

– Alicia Tatone

Although this cover is blurred we know exactly what we’re looking at. Playful and surprising, yet elegant.

– Stephanie Ross

It’s placement of “a novel” for me. Genius!

– Cecilia Zhang

What a smart and sophisticated solution, it’s really beautiful.

– June Park

It’s perfect. The perfect choice of color, type, and image. Linda managed to find a refreshing way to evoke the tenderness, pain, and love of motherhood.

– Arsh Raziuddin

Such a bold, simple and evocative visualization of postpartum depression. Love the way “a novel” is set here and becomes part of the narrative.

– Janet Hansen

No water cooler talk in this office. The dripping “s” in the title is a smart way to echo the overflow above.

– Stephen Brayda

Sinister stock image and haunted office noticeboard type, this cover looks like nothing else. Also the back cover is a work of art in itself.

– Tom Etherington

This is my favorite book cover of 2023. The image is left to sing and the simple, off-kilter type works perfectly in concert.

– Beth Steidle

This seems like a depiction of an intrusive thought a bored office worker would have while at the water cooler. The falling ’s’ adds to the overall despondent mood.

The cover is beautiful, but the back cover is even better.

For me, the most striking cover of the year, hands-down. The back cover is just as good, too.

– Luke Bird

Joyful, smart, eye-catching—instantly iconic.

Amusing, witty, and incredibly clever—a funhouse distortion of the stereotypical happy face. Turning the book over is an added treat—you’re greeted with an inverted version of the cover, with that elongated smile turned wistfully upside down.

– Devin Grosz

This makes me feel happy.

– Tyler Comrie

Always a sucker for a bold smiley (and frowny!) face cover.

Just makes you smile. The use of the space is the key to this. Looks so nice on the shelf too.

The back flap as front cover is a perfect backwards way to start this journey.

A truly weird cover, and the flaps made me laugh out loud.

This design is so clever and trippy—tricking you into thinking you are looking at the back flap of the book. What’s really great is that the entire jacket follows through with the concept.

– Laywan Kwan

I love the back flap image on the front cover. So clever!

– Jaya Miceli

The U.S. design is excellent as well, but a particular nod of respect to the U.K. design, a mind-bender of a jacket.

– Mark Abrams

Brilliant idea, brilliantly executed. So good it’s almost unsettling.

Gorgeous execution!

The juxtaposition of the cool, linear paint “tears” with the hyperreal portrait is enough to make ME cry. Achingly gorgeous.

– Alison Forner

Stunning interpretation of a coming-of-age novel. The super-tight crop and brush strokes work brilliantly.

I love the use of photography and paint here. Just beautiful and emotive.

The liquidy script, creepy monster, and colorful geometric shapes combo create an intriguing and magical world I want to learn more about.

The contrast between the cheery, childlike shapes and the monster lurking down on the bottom edge makes for a compelling cover.

The creature catches you by complete surprise in its unexpected placement beneath all the happy shapes and loopy type. The eeriness of those eyes stayed with me, even after I put the cover down. Unsettling in all the best ways.

I had no idea Alex was behind this cover the whole year I’d admired it. I love everything about it; the choice of fonts, the colorful shapes, the crouching monster… everything seems to be in perfect harmony, but the tension is palpable. I want a poster!

It’s not easy to make a cover with a red-eyed monster appealing…I guess that is unless you’re Alex Merto.

– Grace Han

Hauntingly beautiful. The glossy slab in the center, the glimmer of the gold typography, the creature emerging from the inky blackness—the alchemy of these elements reflect the novel’s theme of a story blotted out and then resurrected.

This cover is a perfect example of how to do a lot with very little. It’s an exercise in minimalism and contrast that manages to feel lush, textural, and mysterious.

Simple but effectively executed black-on-black art. It’s smart and elegant.

“It’s the wild colour scheme that freaks me out,” said Zaphod, whose love affair with the ship had lasted almost three minutes into the flight. “Every time you try and operate these weird black controls that are labeled in black on a black background, a little black light lights up in black to let you know you’ve done it.” -The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

I already thought it was perfect, and then I saw ‘a novel’. Brilliant.

This cover feels simultaneously bold and delicate. I can’t get over the “A Novel” disappearing into the haze. Another one that made me gasp on first sight.

I love how beautifully simple yet atmospheric this book cover is, It’s mesmerising, like staring into the literal sun!

– Kishan Rajani

Moody! I love looking at this.

– Anna Kochman

When it comes to effectively utilizing negative space, Na Kim dominates—and this cover is no exception. It’s like a colorful abstract painting that evokes pure emotion.

– Pete Garceau

In a world of big shouty titles, this cover really stands out. So elegant and understated.

Simple, quiet and beautiful. I love the gradating colors.

The delicately intertwined arrows work as a perfect visual metaphor for these stories—evoking the journeys undertaken by the characters across continents, generations, and deep within their own emotional landscapes. A quiet gem.

– Allison Saltzman

Eye-catching perfection. I can’t stop staring at the sun. The red type on top of the green creates just the right amount of vibration.

– Sarah Schulte

Simple geometric shapes, beautiful colour and Ed Ruscha type on an uncoated paper. Take my money.

The simplicity and confidence of this cover just work!

My favorite cover of the year. I’m a huge fan of the metal lettering + foil + pink endpapers.

Exquisitely channeling the heavy-metal-death-cult vibe.

– Lauren Peters-Collaer

The type! The holographic foil! Just so much fun and visually electrifying.

You can hear these forks scraping! The odd colors add even more tension.

Bryan Washington’s covers have all been so bold and witty, and this most recent one is no exception!

– Cassie Gonzales

This color combo is so unexpected and strangely appealing. I really love when color can do a lot of the heavy lifting in creating a compelling cover. And this is a great example of color that is not in your face but still eye-catching.

– Lauren Harms

The interlocking forks! This cover feels so fresh.

I love everything Joan Wong x New Directions. Joan has a beautifully distinctive style, and she continues to do something surprising each and every time. Poster please!

Meltingly good.

Another bold interruption of a sweet image, this time with a more disturbing feel.

A thrilling mash-up of old and modern, brilliantly executed. It’s also hilarious that the lady is plummeting rather violently yet her expression remains unperturbed.

– Linda Huang

Perfect execution of an exceptional concept. Everything works in concert here to evoke both old and new.

The use of color, texture, and repetition is incredibly engaging. Every choice is so well conceived.

– Emily Mahon

It’s not just the treatment of the artwork, but the way the type echoes it that really makes me love this.

I knew this would be one of my favorites of the year as soon as I saw it. So smart, the kind of simple that is anything but. Really elegant.

– Jamie Stafford-Hill

Even when you figure out the footprints are thumbprints, your brain still refuses to see it that way. So simple and so brilliant!

– Jamie Keenan

This is just beautiful, simple and clean. A lovely idea beautifully executed. The finished book feels nice too.

This gradient + type combo kills me. So good.

Jon Gray does it again.

I love how mirrored bold type treatment becomes the cover image. Pink and red!

What more can I say? I love clever typographic solutions. I love how the type forms a beautiful abstract shape. I love the red-pink palette. I love the display font.

So simple and so so charming.

I need to blow this up and hang it on my wall.

A collage with a depth and perceived dimensionality not always seen with this art creation technique.

– Nicole Caputo

The delicate type juxtaposed with the boldness of the collage, the balance of it all just works for me.

Great use of color, love a grid design especially one with such intriguing and charming illustrations.

– Kelly Winton

This color palette is gorgeous. A lot is going on in this design and yet the whole thing is still soft and moody.

– Zoe Norvell

A truly gorgeous cover. These soft, ethereal rainbow waves elegantly wrap around to the back of the jacket, organically integrating all of the type in a sophisticated way.

There is a calming feel to this cover. The type is thoughtfully placed, while the undulating shapes move your eyes around the entire space.

– Kimberly Glyder

I love this by Tom Etherington, so calming and beautiful! It’s a work of art.

– Anna Morrison

A personal favorite for not only the content of the novel but the brilliant solution of how to place such a long subtitle. I love the bright colors and little stars throughout.

So funky and vibrant, you just want to keep looking at it and get lost in the ribbons.

The spiraling type is SO FUN! The cadence of the ribbon bunching adds dimension and movement; reading the copy was a mini adventure! The sharp drop shadow is an added plus. June is an absolute pro!

This cover really packs a punch. The crop of the dog’s noses works so well—and that tongue!

Bold image that is victorious in striking so much mystery between title and the ambiguous expression and composition…and gravity!

Bold, sexy—I love it.

Beautiful colours and such a striking and thoughtful illustration.

This bright, citrusy palette is so pleasing to look at. That soft green is sublime. The hole punches through the objects add a satisfying layer of mystery.

The shapes around the artifact remind me of rock climbing holds and I love how that implies a solitary and intense struggle with heritage, identity or history. I also like the nostalgic and fading quality of watercolor.

I love the energy of this cover. The whimsical type treatment paired with the bubbly illustration, shattered into pieces like a broken plate, is intriguing.

A clever way to depict a character on the cover, without really showing them. The illustration is gorgeous as is the movement of the type.

Such an evocative photograph and great use of negative space. This cover reminds me of Sofia Coppola (high praise in my book!).

I love how there are so many parts of this cover that are uncomfortable—the empty space, the slightly misshapen square, the fidgeting hands and the handwritten text shoved right up against the title.

I love that the text almost isn’t present (graceful as it is)—the illustration maxes out the visual space and the touch of blood signals the story before you even read the title. Keen and gorgeous.

– Alban Fischer

A redesign of a classic that feels both timeless and yet entirely new. Tim Lahan’s illustration is the perfect nod to the titular story.

Love the intriguing dream-like head of the rose / jellyfish combination.

The novel itself descends into a frightening yet irresistible world, so fusing a jellyfish with a rose is a stroke of genius. Both are beautiful, yet both can inflict pain—one with its tendrils, the other with its thorns. The lush type treatment furthers the seduction.

So original and elegant. I love the flowing placement of the type and how it works with the illustration.

Such a sweet, whimsical illustration with a surprise pop of color in the vessel. Love the unusual composition.

I’ve always been drawn to covers that pose a question to the reader, and this one is quite literally full of them. The insistent repetition of the title question, the unnatural pastel flowers rising to obscure the words from view—gorgeous and unnerving.

A brilliant and beautiful image that seems indeed to be a perfect marriage of poetry, art and tech and that draws the viewer in enough to inspire a win for design and for the team and author who approved this, as the title is parsed slightly more slower than most covers out there today. Refreshing.

Looks good, smells even better.

The title streaming down from the nostrils is a nice (yet slightly gross) touch—this cover is wacky in the best way.

Amazing movement and depth . . . the hand-drawn, edgy quality screams thriller.

This cover has a great sense of movement. It’s easy to imagine the type, trees, and drone on the cusp of being swept away in the wind.

The attention to detail in this illustration is astonishing. The entire cover is dangerous and lush.

I love a twisted still life! The venus fly traps, the skull, the spilled coffee—every sinister detail is spot on.

It’s just… perfect. I don’t know what else to say. It’s perfect! Makes me want to be a fifteen-year-old girl again.

10/10 perfect execution.

This one forces you keep trying to work out what exactly is going on and noticing another new bit.

Beautiful, ominous.

So tender and edgy. If Tyler did this in Photoshop, it’s just brilliantly executed.

Food for thought!

So Monty Python. The way you see just under a half of Harding’s rueful eye peering out at the reader, 😘.

Suzanne Dean’s designs for the reissues of the Murakami series (illustrated by Tatsuro Kiuchi) are so unique, eye catching, and captured the spirit of Murakami’s writing so beautifully.

This design of this series is a celebration of Japanese illustration, reflecting the narrative in a colourful and playful way, and the obi wrap-around is inspired. Any Murakami fan would be ecstatic to receive this series.

My favorite part of this half-jacket, pre-printed case combo is how “Lou Reed” peaks out from behind the jacket, like a crown on top of Lou Reed’s head.

The case for simplicity.

Having this much black and then this loud pop of color is such a bold choice. It feels so much like a movie poster.

The simplicity, contrast, and overall vintage quality of type and design really resonates. It’s one of those simple and effective covers, where you say…why didn’t I think of that??? But I didn’t….June Park did, and it’s stunning!

There’s something about the hierarchy of the type that feels wrong—it took me a moment to distinguish the title from the author, but that’s the type of rule-breaking that makes this so memorable and confident. I didn’t realize that this book was part of a series, which makes it all the more compelling. The sophisticated color combo is also winning.

Not easy to make a typographic series design feel as fresh and as striking as this. There’s retro nod which I love.

I love Na’s covers for Yiyun Lee. Everything feels so considered.

I love the bold interruption of the pregnant pear shape into that charming dog painting.

I love these colors together. It’s such a contemporary choice and the contrast to the traditional imagery in the painting adds so much depth.

I love that red and pink combo. The combination of traditionalism and modernity is really striking.

What’s not to love about this cover? It’s engaging, striking, and uses eyes in a way that’s never been done before (which is no small feat when it comes to book covers).

I mean who couldn’t love all those teeny tiny eyes? She found the perfect piece of art for this!

Somehow a perfect blend of nostalgia, wit and design balance. The clashing palette works so well.

The illustration and type feel spontaneous and fresh. I’m intrigued by these figures in a hot tub/boat. What are they scoping out?

Lush and beautiful. It feels intriguing, raw and emotional. It really draws you in.

This cover speaks to this subject matter so succinctly and emotively—from the perfect placement of the bindi and the sharpness of the Kajal, it speaks to the idea of the ideal Indian woman and wider expectations of the model minority. It’s brilliant.

A charming collection of fonts and shapes.

The artwork is gorgeous and the color and type work so beautifully together.

Love me a good spy cover! Type, color, perspective, and figure placement are all spot on.

– James Iacobelli

I just completely lose myself in the gills of this mushroom.

I love the dimensional collaged overlay with the hand lettered type. Beautifully executed.

This could have easily fallen into a predictable trap, but Lynn took a completely unexpected approach and turned it into a work of art.

Absolutely beautiful art by Lisa Ericson and the minimal type with subtle gradient does a great job at toggling between the foreground and background without distracting from the art and its message.

I love how bold, evocative, and graphic this cover is—a real standout in the nonfiction world.

Who knew a gradient could be so sexy?! Love how the type just barely touches the shape.

The attitude of this design—the figure itself, yes, but also the scale and interaction with the gorgeous typography—is simply everything.

– Morgan Krehbiel

I love a typographic cover and this one works so well. The way 1984 is almost peering over the title, as a looming presence is so impactful.

Jamie is always good at finding new ways of saying things. This captures streets at night and I love the use of colour.

The illustration is incredible! I love it when there are different levels of information in a design. This works on both a detailed micro level with the waves and the ship, and a macro level with the face.

Great texture and craft.

I think I remember my mouth uncontrollably popping open the first time I saw this one—it’s just so unique. And those pokes!

Understated creepiness, with glow in the dark spot gloss. What’s not to love!

I love the energy and punk rock feel of the type and illustration.

So much warmth and spirit.

Haunting. Of note, from the back flap: “the image on this jacket was created by Bennett Miller, using OpenAl’s DALL-E 2 software. He arrived at the final product by making extensive edits on variations of an image generated using the following prompt: ‘a vintage photograph of huge plumes of smoke coming from an enormous UFO crashed in the desert.'”

Creative way to turn type into imagery.

There is something wonderfully magnetic and lush in this illustration. It feels both classic and contemporary. And I love the unconventional framing typography. Looks fantastic in person and on screen.

Super commercial and super good! I love the details like the sloping title and the screen on the image.

I love the pairing of this historical illustration with modern hand lettering.

The level of detail that Andrew puts into his covers, blows me away. The way the beautifully illustrated crow fills the cover and the red ribbon that flows through it all, is just perfect.

I love the humor of the illustration contrasting the title and the simplicity of the composition. It looks vintage yet contemporary, and the neon green is so fun.

There’s so many layers to this cover. I love that the art and text come together, making this a unique cover. No idea what’s going on, but I’m intrigued.

I’ve been obsessed with this cover since the moment I saw it.

I am struck by this cover every time I see it. The color palette and the image so perfectly capture the strangeness, interiority, and otherness of what happens within our own bodies.

Amazing combination of title and art.

When I look at this my eyes just yoyo backwards and forwards between the title and young kids and It’s a great use of empty space.

Lauren’s hand lettering pairs so beautifully with Amoako Boafo’s art.

Captivating Rorschach-esque art with hidden elements begs to be picked up.

This cover perfectly captures the paradox of urban loneliness. Also, the attention to craft on this cover is remarkable—the imperfect rectangles and the slightly off-center circles all come together to give it that midcentury modern flavour…an homage to a time when the Align-Window didn’t exist.

This edition takes a conventional sci-fi-thriller look and throws it out the window. Love those colors!

What Na Kim did with this cover was take one of the most direct cover designs possible while still leaving room for ambiguity with a giant Ellsworth Kelly blob.

Love how the art—unsettling and beautiful at the same time—gets to shine here. Seamless type integration, pearl finish, and sculpture emboss make this a really striking package.

Trippy. What was this guy smokin’ when he made this?

I first saw this cover on display in my local bookstore, and literally stopped mid-conversation to run across the room for a closer look. Something about the restraint in the design is just so exciting.

What a pairing of type and image! The typography is really fantastic and lends sophistication. Love the simplicity.

The layered views offer a glimpse into a confused world, while the serene color palette and structured type balance out the chaos.

This cover is bonkers and brilliant!

LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about this cover!!

A clean and heartbreaking design. I like how the windswept flower appears to force the type further and further apart.

Perfect, as always.

I love how this one asks you to look closer.

A perfectly balanced cover that only gets better the closer you look at the textures and details.

The negative space, the colors, the Paul Rand-esque illustration—Matt can do no wrong.

Simple, daring, and brave enough to take risks (no quotes, sticker barcode) like Rubin himself.

An excellent photograph that pairs perfectly with the title. Humorous and sentimental.

Love the colors and surreal quality of this cover. That eyeball!

It’s so incredibly hard to create something fresh and unexpected for books like these. I love how this captures the raw energy of one of the most important issues of our time. It feels urgent and unbridled.

Something about the unsettled energy of the illustration and type just grabs me. Plus, it’s a wolf in a suit.

AMAZING art by Belkis Ayón.

Such an imaginative take on a wunderkammer. I love how the illustrated elements are falling playfully against the structured type.

Love the contrast between the zoomed-in intimate photograph and small-scale digital type.

The yellow of the nails and typography pops off this jacket in person.

I mean, yeah.

The textures and patterns lend such a rich and warm sense of place to this cookbook. Cookbook industry, please take notes.

Shouting out a category normally not on people’s radar. Love the mood and composition here, not to mention the swash on the N!

The hole punches are such an efficient way of adding a sense of fleeting moments, memories and partially processed feelings to a cover that is essentially just a very simple typeface and an image.

I love every bit of this cover—the brushstrokes in the type, the color palette, the little shadow characters, and the stars at the top.

There is so much texture in this cover! The concentric circles bring my eye right to the center. I also find it refreshing to see a historical fiction cover that doesn’t rely on setting or fashion.

Feels both vintage and entirely modern. Always appreciate Oliver Munday’s designs.

The lettering and graphic illustration create the perfect tension for this memoir about the author’s strict Rastafarian upbringing.

It’s amazing how the ship in the far distance pulls you right in.

The layering of elements is so beautifully executed here. The push-and-pull between foreground and background ask some questions while drawing me in—to me, the ultimate bar for a memoir cover.

This one must be seen in person. The special effects are stunning.

So elegant and also playful. Such a sweet and tender design.

Park’s type work is always so cozy and considered. And that big field of oversaturated red! The muchness this cover achieves with such economy is nothing short of wizardry.

A jolt of energy.

Love this. Excellent contrasts with that bright yellow, huge sharp black type, organic/digital liquid splash. Still fresh and eye catching every time I see it. (Also, gotta appreciate a four letter word on two lines.)

So impactful. I love how emotive the painterliness is here.

This cover speaks to how prolific Black Thought is, and the depth of his music and his story. The modern and fresh collage is spot-on.

A big deal book with a big look cover. What sets this jacket apart for me is that while there are big graphic elements, there are also really fine details. Simple and striking.

One thing about me? I simply love a collage. And the weirder the better.

Emily Temple

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Guides • Book Design

Last updated on Jan 21, 2022

The Elements of a Book Cover: A Deeper Dive

Ever wondered what makes a successful book cover ? While authors and designers obviously want their covers to stand out on the shelves, there are many standard features that you'll find on pretty much any book cover.

In this post, we'll dive into the elements that make up a cover design to better understand the crucial role they play in contributing to a book's appeal.

Front cover: the moneymaker 

Let's be honest; we all judge books by their covers, and for a good reason! The front cover should be designed to reflect its genre and hint at what it's actually about. It's the first thing a reader will see, making it your number one marketing tool. 

The crucial elements of a front cover are the title and the author's name, but those alone would hardly jump out at you from the shelves. Cover art, color scheme, and typography are just a few other elements that will make your book stand out to potential readers. 

Your cover art will be one of the most critical aspects of your book cover design — different styles and trends are closely associated with specific genres, so it's important to get it right. This is why it's essential to hire a professional cover designer who knows what's fit for the market you want to sell to. 

Adding photos or illustrations to the cover of a book can help offer some insight into what the book is about and signal to a reader whether or not they'd like it. The designs for the two books below do a great job of communicating genre, tone, and content.

The log cabin set in the moody, moon-lit forest for Hidden Beneath the Pines (above) simply screams " mystery-thriller " and tells the reader where the story will be set. On the other hand, the catalog-perfect room on the cover of Messy Bed, Messy Head immediately connects to the book's content — and offers a glimpse of what the reader might aspire to.

However, some covers are more abstract and give an idea of their concept, rather than plot or specific locations and characters. Reedsy designer George Stevens's cover for The Pain Habit takes author Drew Coverdale's metaphor of a 'journey to recovery' and represents it as a trail map up a mountain. 

Through George's use of color and playful graphics, he's able to represent a topic that's tied up in trauma and present it in a hopeful light.  

The cover below (by Reedsy designer Patrick Knowles ) uses bespoke illustrations to capture the unique story in Goran Baba Ali's The Glass Wall.

This design bridges the gap between literal and abstract cover art by depicting the book's characters and settings and the book's complex theme. The book deals with the vast inequalities and challenges facing immigrants escaping conflict in the Middle East. To offset the challenging subject matter, Knowles and Ali ensured that the cover remained accessible, rather than too abstract or metaphorical.

While you can just use stock images to create your cover, illustrations tailored to your book will convey your message much better and help it stand out more, especially if you're publishing as an ebook that could so easily be scrolled past.

Type hierarchy 

The title of the book and the author's name aren't carelessly slapped onto the book's cover without any thought. The font, size, and placement of any text are key elements of book cover design — not only can it be used to catch a reader's eye and guide them to the most essential information. That's why the names of well-known authors are often more prominent than the title of their book, while debut authors will put more focus on an intriguing title.

Taking the reader's eye on a journey across the cover is especially important on nonfiction covers. More often than not, they'll have a subtitle to clarify what the book is specifically about. The title 'Our Road to Damascus' , for example, could be for almost any kind of book — anything from adventure or fantasy to religion and memoir would fit. It's the subtitle, '7 Lessons for a Life of Purpose and Meaning,' that tells us it's a self-help book. 

Testimonial 

If you've already got some reviews for your book you might want to include a short testimonial on the front cover, too — especially if they're from a recognizable or reputable source. The cover above omits photos or illustrations in favor of a striking background, bold title, and a short recommendation from another author.

Spine: I bet you look good on the bookshelf

The spine is the center of the book's cover, where all pages are bound. It holds your book together and, if done well, will make your book stand out on the bookshelf. 

The essentials for a book's spine are the book's title and the author's name — these should be in the same font as the main text on the front cover. In the example below from Patrick Knowles, the spine continues the front cover and re-utilizes one of the graphical elements. 

Back cover: the (not-so) boring bits 

Once a front cover has caught the reader’s attention, it's up to the back cover to convince them to actually buy and read your book. To anyone sighing because "no one ever looks at the back cover," we ask: how many times have you bought a book without reading its description?

Practical elements

Let's get all of the less glamorous practicalities out of the way first, starting with the ISBN . An ISBN is a unique, 13-digit code used to identify a book, usually found just above the barcode at the bottom of the back cover.

Traditionally published books will also display the publisher's logo towards the bottom of the book's back cover. 

Marketing materials 

The most important feature of a book's back cover is the blurb — a short description to tell readers what it's all about. It shouldn't be a lengthy synopsis, and nor should it contain any spoilers, but it should make your readers curious about the pages between the covers.

Another great way to draw in new readers is a positive review from another author in your genre, especially if you've not already got a testimonial on your front cover or if this is your first book. Many authors also add a personal touch. A short author biography and headshot is standard — especially in nonfiction. 

Flaps: the hardback's special feature

Your book's cover will look a little different if you're publishing a hardback. Hardbacks usually have dust jackets — a removable cover printed on thick, heavyweight paper. Some features usually found on the back cover may be relocated to the dust jacket's back panels (or flaps). 

There aren't really any hard and fast rules — the author's photo and bio are the most common choices for the flaps, but they can also house a book's blurb or some testimonials. 

The exterior design of a book is one of its most important features so getting it right can feel a little daunting at first. But, now that you’ve got a solid grasp of its various elements — you know what it takes for a cover to truly work . If you want a professional cover for your next book, be sure to check out Reedsy's network of experienced book designers.

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How to Write a Book Review: The Complete Guide

by Sue Weems | 23 comments

Want to Become a Published Author? In 100 Day Book, you’ll finish your book guaranteed. Learn more and sign up here.

If you've ever loved (or hated) a book, you may have been tempted to review it. Here's a complete guide to how to write a book review, so you can share your literary adventures with other readers more often! 

You finally reach the last page of a book that kept you up all night and close it with the afterglow of satisfaction and a tinge of regret that it’s over. If you enjoyed the book enough to stay up reading it way past your bedtime, consider writing a review. It is one of the best gifts you can give an author.

Regardless of how much you know about how to write a book review, the author will appreciate hearing how their words touched you.

But as you face the five shaded stars and empty box, a blank mind strikes. What do I say? I mean, is this a book really deserving of five stars? How did it compare to Dostoevsky or Angelou or Dickens?

Maybe there’s an easier way to write a book review.

Want to learn how to write a book from start to finish? Check out How to Write a Book: The Complete Guide .

The Fallacy of Book Reviews

Once you’ve decided to give a review, you are faced with the task of deciding how many stars to give a book.

When I first started writing book reviews, I made the mistake of trying to compare a book to ALL BOOKS OF ALL TIME. (Sorry for the all caps, but that’s how it felt, like a James Earl Jones voice was asking me where to put this book in the queue of all books.)

Other readers find themselves comparing new titles to their favorite books. It's a natural comparison. But is it fair?

This is honestly why I didn’t give reviews of books for a long time. How can I compare a modern romance or historical fiction war novel with Dostoevsky? I can’t, and I shouldn’t.

I realized my mistake one day as I was watching (of all things) a dog show. In the final round, they trotted out dogs of all shapes, colors, and sizes. I thought, “How can a Yorkshire Terrier compete with a Basset Hound?” As if he'd read my mind, the announcer explained that each is judged by the standards for its breed.

This was my “Aha!” moment. I have to take a book on its own terms. The question is not, “How does this book compare to all books I’ve read?” but “How well did this book deliver what it promised for the intended audience?”

A review is going to reflect my personal experience with the book, but I can help potential readers by taking a minute to consider what the author intended. Let me explain what I mean. 

How to Write a Book Review: Consider a Book’s Promise

A book makes a promise with its cover, blurb, and first pages. It begins to set expectations the minute a reader views the thumbnail or cover. Those things indicate the genre, tone, and likely the major themes.

If a book cover includes a lip-locked couple in flowing linen on a beach, and I open to the first page to read about a pimpled vampire in a trench coat speaking like Mr. Knightly about his plan for revenge on the entire human race, there’s been a breach of contract before I even get to page two. These are the books we put down immediately (unless a mixed-message beachy cover combined with an Austen vampire story is your thing).

But what if the cover, blurb, and first pages are cohesive and perk our interest enough to keep reading? Then we have to think about what the book has promised us, which revolves around one key idea: What is the core story question and how well is it resolved?

Sometimes genre expectations help us answer this question: a romance will end with a couple who finds their way, a murder mystery ends with a solved case, a thriller’s protagonist beats the clock and saves the country or planet.

The stories we love most do those expected things in a fresh or surprising way with characters we root for from the first page. Even (and especially!) when a book doesn’t fit neatly in a genre category, we need to consider what the book promises on those first pages and decide how well it succeeds on the terms it sets for itself.

When I Don’t Know What to Write

About a month ago, I realized I was overthinking how to write a book review. Here at the Write Practice we have a longstanding tradition of giving critiques using the Oreo method : point out something that was a strength, then something we wondered about or that confused us, followed by another positive.

We can use this same structure to write a simple review when we finish books. Consider this book review format: 

[Book Title] by [book author] is about ___[plot summary in a sentence—no spoilers!]___. I chose this book based on ________. I really enjoyed ________. I wondered how ___________. Anyone who likes ____ will love this book.

Following this basic template can help you write an honest review about most any book, and it will give the author or publisher good information about what worked (and possibly what didn’t). You might write about the characters, the conflict, the setting, or anything else that captured you and kept you reading.

As an added bonus, you will be a stronger reader when you are able to express why you enjoyed parts of a book (just like when you critique!). After you complete a few, you’ll find it gets easier, and you won’t need the template anymore.

What if I Didn’t Like It?

Like professional book reviewers, you will have to make the call about when to leave a negative review. If I can’t give a book at least three stars, I usually don’t review it. Why? If I don’t like a book after a couple chapters, I put it down. I don’t review anything that I haven’t read the entire book.

Also, it may be that I’m not the target audience. The book might be well-written and well-reviewed with a great cover, and it just doesn’t capture me. Or maybe it's a book that just isn't hitting me right now for reasons that have nothing to do with the book and everything to do with my own reading life and needs. Every book is not meant for every reader.

If a book kept me reading all the way to the end and I didn’t like the ending? I would probably still review it, since there had to be enough good things going on to keep me reading to the end. I might mention in my review that the ending was less satisfying than I hoped, but I would still end with a positive.

How to Write a Book Review: Your Turn

As writers, we know how difficult it is to put down the words day after day. We are typically voracious readers. Let’s send some love back out to our fellow writers this week and review the most recent title we enjoyed.

What was the last book you read or reviewed? Do you ever find it hard to review a book? Share in the comments .

Now it's your turn. Think of the last book you read. Then, take fifteen minutes to write a review of it based on the template above. When you're done, share your review in the Pro Practice Workshop . For bonus points, post it on the book's page on Amazon and Goodreads, too!

Don't forget to leave feedback for your fellow writers! What new reads will you discover in the comments?

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Sue Weems is a writer, teacher, and traveler with an advanced degree in (mostly fictional) revenge. When she’s not rationalizing her love for parentheses (and dramatic asides), she follows a sailor around the globe with their four children, two dogs, and an impossibly tall stack of books to read. You can read more of her writing tips on her website .

23 Comments

The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin is about a girl that shows no emotion befriending a ice dragon.

I chose this book based on the cover that had a little girl riding a ice dragon, and wondered what is about.

I really enjoyed the interaction the little girl had with the dragon.

I wondered how how the girl’s bond with the dragon.

Anyone who likes a coming of age story set in a fantasy will love this book.

Thanks for sharing your practice, Azure!

You’re welcome.

A interesting, at times perplexing, subject! And one on my mind lately,as I’ve agreed to do a few. I do enjoy giving reviews and am delighted when I can say, “This was a great book!” Or even, “I enjoyed this book.” It gets perplexing when I agree to review a book — and simply don’t like it. Then what to say? I hate to disappoint the writer but I’ve promised to give my honest opinion.

I’ve found some books mediocre and yet I see a dozen other reviewers saying “A great story!” Tastes do vary. But when there are obvious flaws I tend to skip all the best-friend-and-cousin reviewers and find the first person who says, “This writer has a problem with…” Usually there’ll be a number of reviewers who spot the same problems I do.

I like upbeat main characters, but not aggressive, belligerent, and/or self-centered ones. I like to meet in a story the kind of people I’d like to meet in real life— not people I’d avoid if possible. I recently read a book where the main character came across as insipid and the story only mildly interesting. Other reviewers said it was great and I know for this specific audience — readers who want a certain slant to a story — it was quite suitable. So I tried to cut the book some slack. Everyone has their limit as to how much blood and gore, smooching and snuggling, they are willing to read about.

Once I agreed to review a book and would have tossed it after the first chapter — for several reasons. A lot of “writer inserting facts for reader’s benefit”; teach/preach paragraphs; excess of description; attitudes of MCs. Once it’s live on seller’s sites like Amazon, what can you say? The one thing good it had going for it was the story line or theme. With a pro editor’s help it could have been a great story.

As for a review, one book I read lately was “A Clue for the Puzzle Lady” by Parnell Hall. It’s one of those “Stayed up half the night to finish it” books; I think anyone who likes a compelling cozy mystery would probably like it. Downside: I didn’t care for the “Puzzle Lady.” She’s a lush, hangs out at the bar getting sloshed. The upside: her sensible niece has a starring role —trying to keep her aunt on the straight-and-narrow and the mystery keeps you guessing until the end.

Christine, Thanks for sharing your insight! It sounds like you are approached often to review new books. It does make it tricky if it’s a request, especially outside your own preferences. Thanks for chiming in about your process, as I’m sure others will appreciate the perspective too. I’ll have to take a look at the Puzzle Lady– I do enjoy cozy mysteries. Sue

Here’s another cozy mystery book review in case you’re interested. I’m not approached by writers that often, but there are the Story Cartel, Book Bub and Goodreads, all sites where authors ask for review volunteers.

Reel Estate Ripoff by Renee Pawlish

The detective Reed Ferguson is a fan of Humphry Bogart, movie memorabilia of that era, and fancies himself a bit of a Sam Slade. Though not your super-sleuth, rather inept at times, he’s a likeable character. Told in first person, the story has a Philip Marlowe tone to it, but much tamer. Dialogue and story line are well done, the story well plotted and believable. I’d gladly read more stories about this particular gumshoe.

If you like cozy mystery books, I’ll send you a list later, Sue. Love them too and I’ve met many authors who write in this genre. Back on topic– you inspire me again to add some reviews to my Blog. I have been reading and writing many middle grade mysteries for a project! My latest favorite: “The World’s Greatest Detective” by Caroline Carson (who I hope to meet tomorrow in Arlington, VA!) My 12 year old grandson borrowed it and finished it before I could. “It’s the best mystery I ever read, Grandma! You’ ll never guess the ending with unpredictable twists!” What better review could we read. The target audience and I both highly recommend this 2017 mystery.

Adding it to my stack, Beth. Thanks!

Not wanting to sound life an idiot, but willing to risk it here among friends: What exactly is a cozy mystery?

Glad you asked! It’s a subgenre of mystery. The best examples of cozy mysteries are those by Agatha Christie. They usually avoid profanity, excessive gore/ violence, and sex. They focus more on the puzzle, sleuth, and their smaller world. Hope that helps!

Thanks, Sue.

Wonderful article. The first I have read by you. It especially gets those of us who don’t feel we have the formula down for review writing to be introduced to a form we can build upon with experience. You’ve kept it simple but you have given us the main ingredients needed for a good review. I printed this one off to look at the next few times I write reviews. Thank you.

Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for reading and commenting!

I haven’t gone into all this. It’s a matter of time, Joe. I gad about all over the place, not knowing where I am or where I’m going. Within weeks, I’ll be 87. I’ve books of my own that I’d like to see reviewed. Even sorting them out, however, even finding where any of them are, would be a time burden. You see the fix?

Hi Dave, You aren’t alone in feeling the press of time for getting your stories out into the world. May I gently offer this: start with finding and sorting one. If you can’t find it, write it anew. You’ve probably grown in time and perspective since you wrote the first draft, which will make for a stronger story. Good luck. I’m cheering you on!

This is an article for me, because I am happy to receive a rating. I haven’t sold many books. But, at least some thinks that it was worth the time to read. That was refreshing. And, I think I wrote two reviews, so far. It was on Amazon.com. Thank you.

You’re welcome!

Hi, Sue. Thanks for the helpful advice. I did a review on Amazon for the first of a 7-part thriller titled ‘Mosh Pit (The Rose Garden Incident)’ by Michael Hiebert. [Here it is.]

“5.0 out of 5 stars Advance copy review. By A fellow author on September 18, 2016 Format: Kindle Edition I Recommend This Book Strongly

I enjoyed reading this first part of the thriller. The author’s opening chapter/prologue was fast paced, and set me in the middle of the inciting incident along with two of the main characters. After that thrilling opening, I felt the ensuing chapters moved at a more leisurely pace, and was about to grade them as less praiseworthy when I watched a lecture by Brandon Sanderson on YouTube about building three dimensional characters and realised Michael Hiebert had done exactly that by introducing the reader to the minutiae of other characters who had parts to play in the development of the story. So, instead of cardboard cutouts of bland stock characters, the author shows us real people with real concerns that the reader can relate to.and actually care about. I look forward to reading the rest of this intriguing thriller, and highly recommend it to all lovers of well-written, and well-crafted thrillers.”

I also reviewed Part 2 of the series, but that review is too long to post here.

Footnote: The author, Michael Hiebert, was so pleased with my reviews, he recently asked me to beta-read a short story collection he plans to publish in November.

Great review, John! I like how you shared a bit of your process as a reader too, in recognizing what the writer was doing with their characterization. Thanks!

Thank you, Sue.

Five out of five stars When I picked up a copy of “The Girl with All the Gifts,” by M R Carey, at the used book store, I somehow had it in my head that it was a YA dystopian novel along the lines of “Divergent” or “The Hunger Games.” While I would definitely say that I was not right about that, I wouldn’t say that I was completely wrong. I was, however, completely unprepared for a zombie novel–which is a good thing, cause I wouldn’t have read it, and I’m glad I did. Think “The Walking Dead” meets (why do I want to say ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night”?) “Peter Pan.” I really enjoyed seeing things from, the main character, Melanie’s point of view. Her limited knowledge of her own situation was intriguing, to say the least (and probably why I thought of “The Curious Incident”). I was a bit disappointed when the POV changed to another character’s, but, as the novel progressed, I found myself sympathizing with nearly all the characters–with one exception, and I’ll leave that for you to ponder when you read it. I wondered how much of the science was real, but not enough for me to research it myself. Although, based on other reviews, I guess most of the science about the fungus is real. I also wondered about the fate of the remaining ‘lost boys’ of the cities. If you liked…. well, I don’t know. I’m not typically a fan of things zombie, so I don’t have a comparison, but the book was somewhat similar to “Divergent” and “The Hunger Games” in that the main character goes through a hellluva time and comes out the other side with a plan for her future.

“Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom is a true story about how one man found meaning in life when his doctors gave him a death sentence. Morrie was a college professor who passed on his new found wisdom in the last year of his life to a favorite student, the author, who chronicled his professor’s perspectives on death and dying.

I chose this book because of its philosophical topic, and because it is so well written that the words just jump off the page.

Knowing we are all mortal beings, I especially liked the insights, the tidbits of wisdom imparted by the dying man. Death is a subject that few, if any of us, ever talk about seriously with friends and family. The subject of death is verboten. We deny its existence. And, if we are religious, we pretend we will not really die, but we deceive ourselves and think we will live on in some afterlife existence for all eternity. But the professor, Morrie, learns some valuable life lessons from his impending death, and Mitch Albom was gracious enough to capture them in this short but eminently readable book.

I really liked the book because it is timeless. This true story will impart serious life lessons for all future generations, and will help us gain perspectives on our lives and the relationships with those we love the most.

R. Allan Worrell

Sue, I’ve been meaning to come back since this was first posted to tell you thanks for a great article. I seldom review books for alllllll the reasons you listed. This is a perfect tool and I’ll surely use it. Cathy

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Book review: Cover to Cover: What First-Time Authors Need to Know about Editing

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Associate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a couple of pennies (at no extra charge to you). 

“Do I need an editor for my book?”

I see this question repeatedly in a Facebook group that I moderate. The person asking usually doesn’t understand an editor’s role and how a good editor can make a difference. They’re often confused about the difference between an editor and a proofreader, too.

Here’s what you need to know about it.

Table of Contents

What does Cover to Cover cover?

The first thing I do when I’m considering reading a nonfiction book is study the table of contents. Even with the first table of contents page missing from the Amazon “Look inside” feature for the print version, I could see that it covers what I’d expect it to.

I think by the time you reach that final section of the book, you’ll be so antsy to improve your manuscript with what you’ve learned that you’ll skip that part.

Focus on the first two parts of the book. They will help you understand:

• What an editor will and won’t, can’t and shouldn’t, do for you and your book
• The different editing levels and how to determine which one you probably need
• Where to find the best editors
• Questions to ask an editor before hiring them (and what they’ll probably ask you, too)
• How to save money on editing costs by making your manuscript as good as it can be before turning it over to an editor
• Conventional book sections we expect to see in a book (the author recommends using an alternative word for the section usually titled “Appendix”)

Wendel sprinkles gems of wisdom throughout, including that you don’t want to use “Table of Contents.” That’s the mark of an amateur she says. Use “Contents” instead.

How will this book help you?

At a minimum, I hope it convinces you that you need an editor. Even the author hired an outside editor to review her manuscript. Follow her lead.

It does more than help you become better informed about how an editor will improve your manuscript. It can also make you a better writer. Wendel provides a great deal of writing advice and offers examples of before and after edits.

TIP: The editing examples are presented as Word file screenshots. Those and other images didn’t display well in my Kindle, so you might want to buy the print version. This is a  resource you’re likely to refer to repeatedly, so it’s worth the extra expense.

Use it, too, to format your manuscript accordingly before sending it to the editor you contract with (after following the advice in the book to find just the right one).

This is important. I edit business books on occasion and the Word files often arrive in my inbox with what we might call unconventional formatting. And why not? How does someone who is busy running a successful business know what a book manuscript should look like in Word?

For that reason, I hope that Wendel’s editor colleagues will recommend this book to their clients before they start a project. When your manuscript arrives in your editor’s inbox with the right formatting, you won’t be paying your editor to format it for you.

What surprised me

I recommend reading Cover to Cover before finishing your next or current book, but I’m reluctant to recommend reading it cover to cover. There’s content in the third part that I take issue with.

In Chapter 13, “What I Know about the New World of Publishing,” the author refers to literary agents as “the pond scum of the publishing world.”

She also rails against traditional publishing in general, describing those in the business as greedy people who “view your book as a product they can make money on.”

Well, yeah. We call that “business.”

I wrote three traditionally published books. That experience and my immersion in the self-publishing world confirms that there are many good reasons to pursue a traditional publishing contract. I disagree with Wendel that independent publishing is the only sensible option.

I recommend Cover to Cover

Personal opinions and publishing rants aside, Cover to Cover: What First-Time Authors Need to Know about Editing will help anyone who hasn’t worked with an editor before, doesn’t understand why they should, or wonders what an editor will do for their manuscript.

What’s your favorite book publishing how-to book? Please tell us in a comment. Maybe I’ll review that one next!

Like what you’re reading? Get it delivered to your inbox every week by subscribing to the free Build Book Buzz newsletter. You’ll also get my free “Top 5 Free Book Promotion Resources” cheat sheet immediately!

Sandra Beckwith is an author, book marketing coach, freelance writer, and national award-winning former publicist whose Build Book Buzz book marketing blog is ranked 7th among thousands globally and has been honored as a top website for authors and writers seven times.

10 Comments

I read a lot, including many self-published books. EVERYONE needs an editor and a proofreader. We aren’t good even at proofreading our own work, let alone editing. Unedited, unproofread books are too often embarrassingly bad–grammatical errors, typos, and words that are simply the wrong words (that don’t mean what the author apparently thought they meant or intended to write). What are they teaching them in school now?

Kathleen, don’t you almost feel sorry for the author who skips the editing process and produces that book with all the typos and grammar errors that make you cringe? They’ve come so far, only to shoot themselves in the foot. As for what’s taught in schools, I think that years from now when the current generation of “seasoned” editors retires, we might see books that don’t quite meet our standards, but are acceptable to younger readers. Language — even how words are pronounced — is evolving.

Hi Sandra, Thank you for all the good suggestions. I look forward to your emails. I am working on a novel on “Lost at Sea.” Gary Bailey

You’re welcome, Gary. Be sure to hire an editor when you’re done!

>>She also rails against traditional publishing in general, describing those in the business as greedy people who “view your book as a product they can make money on.”<<

Wow. That is so uncalled for. And we can also flip this sentiment to say that some of those who advocate self-publishing are so intent on making money that they ignore factors that would make traditional publishing by far the best option for certain kinds of books.

Marcia, I was so surprised by what seemed like an inappropriate chunk of text that I felt I had to address it. I suspect it comes from a bad personal experience but regardless, the agent comment isn’t accurate or fair. As for publishers, they don’t have unlimited capacity, so of course they’re going to invest in books they believe will succeed. That’s how business works. Nothing shameful or despicable about it.

I’m very disheartened to hear what she said about agents and traditional publishing. I think agents make every penny of their percentage, and I love the ones I work with.

I agree, Melanie. I also have a lot of compassion for them right now. With the industry struggling, it’s getting harder and harder for them to make a living.

I’ll share this review. I run a indie publishing company – I also do freelance work – and editing and proofing is confusing to people, so anything that helps authors with this is great. And not sure why traditional publishing bashing. Indie publishing is not (and shouldn’t be) for everyone. Indie publishing is a business too, so has to be taken as serious as traditional publishing.

Thanks for sharing it, Christine. You’ll be helping more authors improve their book’s quality. I’m seeing people confuse editing and proofreading, too. The skills are related, but different. If I’m the editor, I can’t be the proofreader because I’ve seen the manuscript too many times to catch everything. It’s in good shape when it gets to the proofreader — but that person will definitely catch things I didn’t.

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25+ Book Review Templates and Ideas to Organize Your Thoughts

Danika Ellis

Danika spends most of her time talking about queer women books at the Lesbrary. Blog: The Lesbrary Twitter: @DanikaEllis

View All posts by Danika Ellis

When I was a kid I loved reading, but I hated book reports. It felt impossible to boil a book down to a few lines or even a page of writing. Besides, by the time I had to write the report, I had already forgotten a lot. It never ceases to be painful to try to pull my thoughts and opinions out of my head and put them on the page, especially in a coherent way.

As an adult, I continue to usually find writing book reviews painful . And yet, I maintain a book blog with reviews of all the (bi and lesbian) books I read. Why? For one thing, I want to raise the visibility of these books — or, in the case of a book I loathed, warn other readers of what to expect. It helps me to build community with other book lovers. It’s also a great way to force myself pay attention to how I’m feeling while I’m reading a book and what my thoughts are afterwards. I have learned to take notes as I go, so I have something to refer to by the time I write a review, and it has me notice what a book is doing well (and what it isn’t). The review at the end helps me to organize my thoughts. I also find that I remember more once I’ve written a review.

Once you’ve decided it’s worthwhile to write a review, though, how do you get started? It can be a daunting task. The good news is, book reviews can adapt to whatever you want them to be. A book review can be a tweet with a thumbs up or thumbs down emoji, maybe with a sentence or two of your thoughts; it can also be an in-depth essay on the themes of the book and its influence on literature. Most are going to fall somewhere between those two! Let go of the idea of trying to create the One True Book Review. Everyone is looking for something different, and there is space for GIF-filled squee fests about a book and thoughtful, meditative explorations of a work.

This post offers a variety of book reviews elements that you can mix and match to create a book review template that works for you. Before you get started, though, there are some questions worth addressing.

Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Book Review Template

Where will you be posting your book reviews.

An Instagram book review will likely look different from a blog book review. Consider which platform you will be using for your book review. You can adapt it for different platforms, or link to your original review, but it’s a good starting point. Instagram reviews tend to be a lot shorter than blog reviews, for instance.

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Will you be using the same template every time?

Some book reviewers have a go-to book review template. Others have a different one for each genre, while another group doesn’t use a template at all and just reacts to whatever each book brings up.

Heading or no headings?

When choosing which book review elements to mix and match, you can also decide whether to include a header for each section (like Plot, Characterization, Writing, etc). Headers make reviews easier to browse, but they may not have the professional, essay-style look that you’re going for.

Why are you writing a review?

When selecting which elements to include in your review, consider what the purpose is. Do you want to better remember the plot by writing about it? You probably want to include a plot summary, then. Do you want to help readers decide whether they should read this book? A pros and cons list might be helpful. Are you trying to track something about your reading, like an attempt to read more books in translation or more books by authors of color? Are you trying to buy fewer books and read off your TBR shelf instead? These are all things you can note in a review, usually in a point-form basic information block at the beginning.

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Book Review Templates and Formats

Essay-style.

This is a multi-paragraph review, usually with no headers. It’s the same format most newspapers and academics use for book reviews. Many essay-style reviews use informal categories in their writing, often discussing setting, writing, characters, and plot in their own paragraphs. They usually also discuss the big themes/messages of a story. Here are some questions to consider when writing an essay-style review:

What is the author trying to do? Don’t evaluate a romance novel based on a mystery novel’s criteria. First try to think about what the book was attempting to do, then try to evaluate if they achieved it. You can still note if you didn’t like it, but it’s good to know what it was aiming for first.

What are some of the themes of the story? What big message should the reader take away? Did you agree with what the book seemed to be saying? Why or why not?

How is this story relevant to the world? What is it saying about the time it was written in? About human nature? About society or current issues? Depending on the book, there may be more or less to dig into here.

What did this book make you think about? It may be that the themes in the book were just a launching off point. How did they inspire your own thinking? How did this book change you?

A Classic Book Review

This is probably the most common kind of book review template. It uses a few criteria, usually including Setting, Writing, Characters, and Plot (for a novel). The review then goes into some detail about each element, describing what the book did well, and where it fell short.

The advantage of this format is that it’s very straightforward and applies to almost any fiction read. It can also be adapted–you will likely have more to say about the plot in a mystery/thriller than a character study of a novel. A drawback, though, is that it can feel limiting. You might have thoughts that don’t neatly fit into these categories, or you could feel like you don’t have enough to say about some of the categories.

Pros and Cons

A common format for a Goodreads review is some variation of pros and cons. This might be “What I Liked/What I Didn’t Like” or “Reasons to Bump This Up Your TBR/Reasons to Bump This Down On Your TBR.” This is a very flexible system that can accommodate anything from a few bullet points each to paragraphs each. It gives a good at-a-glance impression of your thoughts (more cons than pros is a pretty good indication you didn’t like it). It also is broad enough that almost all your thoughts can likely be organized into those headings.

This is also a format that is easily mix and matched with the elements listed below. A brief review might give the title, author, genre, some brief selling points of the novel, and then a pros and cons list. Some reviews also include a “verdict” at the end. An example of this format:

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

🌟 Fantasy All-Ages Comic 💫 Adorable pet dragons ✨ A diverse cast

Pros: This book has beautiful artwork. It is a soothing read, and all the character are supportive of each other. This is a story about friendship and kindness.

Cons: Don’t expect a fast-moving plot or a lot of conflict. This is a very gentle read.

Another approach to the review is not, strictly speaking, a book review template at all. Instead, it’s something like “5 Reasons to Read TITLE by Author” or “The # Most Shocking Plot Twists in X Series.” An advantage of this format is that it can be very to-the-point: if you want to convince people to read a book, it makes sense to just write a list of reasons they should read the book. It may also be more likely to get clicked on–traditional book reviews often get less views than more general posts.

On the other hand, listicles can come off as gimmicky or click-bait. You’ll have to decide for yourself if the book matches this format, and whether you are writing this out of genuine enthusiasm or are just trying to bend a review to be more clickable.

Your Own Original Rating System

Lots of reviewers decide to make their own review format based on what matters to them. This is often accompanied by a ratings system. For instance, the BookTube channel Book Roast uses the CAWPILE system:

CAWPILE is an acronym for the criteria she rates: Characters, Atmosphere, Writing, Plot, Intrigue, Logic, Enjoyment. Each of those are rated 1–10, and the average given is the overall rating. By making your own ratings/review system, you can prioritize what matters to you.

My favorite rating system is Njeri’s from Onyx Pages , because it shows exactly what she’s looking for from books, and it helps her to think about and speak about the things she values:

A “Live Tweet” or Chronological Review

Another format possibility is live tweeting (or updating as you go on Goodreads, or whatever your platform of choice is). This has you document your initial thoughts as you read, and it’s usually informal and often silly. You can add what you’re loving, what you’re hating, and what questions you have as you go.

This is a fun format for when you’re reading a popular book for the first time. That way, other people can cackle at how unprepared you are as you read it. This requires you to remember to always have your phone on you as you read, to get your authentic thoughts as they happen, but it saves on having to write a more in-depth review. Alternately, some people include both a “first impressions” section and a more in-depth analysis section in their final review.

Get Creative

There are plenty of book review templates to choose from and elements to mix-and-match, but you can also respond in a completely original way. You could create a work of art in response to the book! Here are some options:

• Writing a song , a short story, or a poem
• Writing a letter to the author or the main character (you don’t have to send it to the author!)
• Writing an “interview” of a character from the book, talk show style
• Making a visual response, like a collage or painting
• Making a book diorama, like your elementary school days!

Mix-and-Match Elements of a Book Review

Most book reviews are made up of a few different parts, which can be combined in lots of different ways. Here is a selection to choose from! These might also give you ideas for your own elements. Don’t take on too much, though! It can easily become an overwhelming amount of information for readers.

Information

Usually a book review starts with some basic information about the book. What you consider basic information, though, is up for interpretation! Consider what you and your audience will think is important. Here are some ideas:

• The title and author (pretty important)
• The book’s cover
• Format (audiobook, comic, poetry, etc)
• Genre (this can be broad, like SFF, or narrow, like Silkpunk or Dark Academia)
• Content warnings
• Source (where did you get the book? Was is borrowed from the library, bought, or were you sent an ARC?)
• Synopsis/plot summary (your own or the publisher’s)
• What kind of representation there is in the novel (including race, disability, LGBTQ characters, etc)
• Anything you’re tracking in your reading, including: authors of color, authors’ country, if a book is in translation, etc

Review Elements

Once you’ve established your basic information, you’re into the review itself! Some of these are small additions to a review, while others are a little more time-intensive.

Bullet point elements:

• Rating (star rating, thumbs up/down, recommend/wouldn’t recommend, or your own scale)
• Who would like it/Who wouldn’t like it
• Read-alikes (or movies and TV shows like the book)
• Describe the book using an emoji or emojis
• Describe the book using a gif or gifs
• Favorite line(s) from the book
• New vocabulary/the most beautiful words in the novel
• How it made you feel (in a sentence or two)
• One word or one sentence review
• Bullet points listing the selling points of a book
• BooksandLala’s Scary, Unsettling, and Intrigue ratings, for horror
• World-building, for fantasy and science fiction titles
• Art, for comics
• Narration, for audiobooks
• Romance, for…romance
• Heat level, for erotica

Visual elements:

• Design a graphic (usually incorporating the cover, your star rating, and some other basic info)
• Take a selfie of yourself holding the book, with your expression as the review
• Make a mood board
• Design your own book cover
• Make fan art

Elements to incorporate into a review:

• Quick/initial thoughts (often while reading or immediately after reading), then a more in-depth review (common on Goodreads)
• A list of facts about the book or a character from the book
• Book club questions about the book
• Spoiler/non-spoiler sections
• Research: look up interviews with the author and critique of the book, incorporate it (cited!) into your review
• Links to other resources, such as interviews or other reviews — especially #OwnVoices reviews
• A story of your own, whether it’s your experience reading the book, or something it reminded you of

This is not a complete list! There are so many ways to write a book review, and it should reflect your own relationship with books, as well as your audience. If you’re looking for more ways to keep track of your reading, you’ll also like 50+ Beautiful Bujo Spread Ideas to Track Your Reading .

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How to Write a Book Review: A Comprehensive Tutorial With Examples

You don’t need to be a literary expert to craft captivating book reviews. With one in every three readers selecting books based on insightful reviews, your opinions can guide fellow bibliophiles toward their next literary adventure.

Learning how to write a book review will not only help you excel at your assigned tasks, but you’ll also contribute valuable insights to the book-loving community and turn your passion into a professional pursuit.

In this comprehensive guide,  PaperPerk  will walk you through a few simple steps to master the art of writing book reviews so you can confidently embark on this rewarding journey.

What is a Book Review?

A book review is a critical evaluation of a book, offering insights into its content, quality, and impact. It helps readers make informed decisions about whether to read the book.

Writing a book review as an assignment benefits students in multiple ways. Firstly, it teaches them how to write a book review by developing their analytical skills as they evaluate the content, themes, and writing style .

Secondly, it enhances their ability to express opinions and provide constructive criticism. Additionally, book review assignments expose students to various publications and genres, broadening their knowledge.

Furthermore, these tasks foster essential skills for academic success, like critical thinking and the ability to synthesize information. By now, we’re sure you want to learn how to write a book review, so let’s look at the book review template first.

Table of Contents

Book Review Template

How to write a book review- a step by step guide.

Check out these 5 straightforward steps for composing the best book review.

Step 1: Planning Your Book Review – The Art of Getting Started

You’ve decided to take the plunge and share your thoughts on a book that has captivated (or perhaps disappointed) you. Before you start book reviewing, let’s take a step back and plan your approach. Since knowing how to write a book review that’s both informative and engaging is an art in itself.

Choosing Your Literature

First things first, pick the book you want to review. This might seem like a no-brainer, but selecting a book that genuinely interests you will make the review process more enjoyable and your insights more authentic.

Crafting the Master Plan

Next, create an  outline  that covers all the essential points you want to discuss in your review. This will serve as the roadmap for your writing journey.

The Devil is in the Details

As you read, note any information that stands out, whether it overwhelms, underwhelms, or simply intrigues you. Pay attention to:

• The characters and their development
• The plot and its intricacies
• Any themes, symbols, or motifs you find noteworthy

Remember to reserve a body paragraph for each point you want to discuss.

The Key Questions to Ponder

When planning your book review, consider the following questions:

• What’s the plot (if any)? Understanding the driving force behind the book will help you craft a more effective review.
• Is the plot interesting? Did the book hold your attention and keep you turning the pages?
• Are the writing techniques effective? Does the author’s style captivate you, making you want to read (or reread) the text?
• Are the characters or the information believable? Do the characters/plot/information feel real, and can you relate to them?
• Would you recommend the book to anyone? Consider if the book is worthy of being recommended, whether to impress someone or to support a point in a literature class.
• What could improve? Always keep an eye out for areas that could be improved. Providing constructive criticism can enhance the quality of literature.

Step 2 – Crafting the Perfect Introduction to Write a Book Review

In this second step of “how to write a book review,” we’re focusing on the art of creating a powerful opening that will hook your audience and set the stage for your analysis.

Identify Your Book and Author

Begin by mentioning the book you’ve chosen, including its  title  and the author’s name. This informs your readers and establishes the subject of your review.

Ponder the Title

Next, discuss the mental images or emotions the book’s title evokes in your mind . This helps your readers understand your initial feelings and expectations before diving into the book.

Judge the Book by Its Cover (Just a Little)

Take a moment to talk about the book’s cover. Did it intrigue you? Did it hint at what to expect from the story or the author’s writing style? Sharing your thoughts on the cover can offer a unique perspective on how the book presents itself to potential readers.

Present Your Thesis

Now it’s time to introduce your thesis. This statement should be a concise and insightful summary of your opinion of the book. For example:

“Normal People” by Sally Rooney is a captivating portrayal of the complexities of human relationships, exploring themes of love, class, and self-discovery with exceptional depth and authenticity.

Ensure that your thesis is relevant to the points or quotes you plan to discuss throughout your review.

Incorporating these elements into your introduction will create a strong foundation for your book review. Your readers will be eager to learn more about your thoughts and insights on the book, setting the stage for a compelling and thought-provoking analysis.

How to Write a Book Review: Step 3 – Building Brilliant Body Paragraphs

You’ve planned your review and written an attention-grabbing introduction. Now it’s time for the main event: crafting the body paragraphs of your book review. In this step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the art of constructing engaging and insightful body paragraphs that will keep your readers hooked.

Summarize Without Spoilers

Begin by summarizing a specific section of the book, not revealing any major plot twists or spoilers. Your goal is to give your readers a taste of the story without ruining surprises.

Support Your Viewpoint with Quotes

Next, choose three quotes from the book that support your viewpoint or opinion. These quotes should be relevant to the section you’re summarizing and help illustrate your thoughts on the book.

Analyze the Quotes

Write a summary of each quote in your own words, explaining how it made you feel or what it led you to think about the book or the author’s writing. This analysis should provide insight into your perspective and demonstrate your understanding of the text.

Structure Your Body Paragraphs

Dedicate one body paragraph to each quote, ensuring your writing is well-connected, coherent, and easy to understand.

For example:

• In  Jane Eyre , Charlotte Brontë writes, “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me.” This powerful statement highlights Jane’s fierce independence and refusal to be trapped by societal expectations.
• In  Normal People , Sally Rooney explores the complexities of love and friendship when she writes, “It was culture as class performance, literature fetishized for its ability to take educated people on false emotional journeys.” This quote reveals the author’s astute observations on the role of culture and class in shaping personal relationships.
• In  Wuthering Heights , Emily Brontë captures the tumultuous nature of love with the quote, “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” This poignant line emphasizes the deep, unbreakable bond between the story’s central characters.

By following these guidelines, you’ll create body paragraphs that are both captivating and insightful, enhancing your book review and providing your readers with a deeper understanding of the literary work. 

How to Write a Book Review: Step 4 – Crafting a Captivating Conclusion

You’ve navigated through planning, introductions, and body paragraphs with finesse. Now it’s time to wrap up your book review with a  conclusion that leaves a lasting impression . In this final step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the art of writing a memorable and persuasive conclusion.

Summarize Your Analysis

Begin by summarizing the key points you’ve presented in the body paragraphs. This helps to remind your readers of the insights and arguments you’ve shared throughout your review.

Offer Your Final Conclusion

Next, provide a conclusion that reflects your overall feelings about the book. This is your chance to leave a lasting impression and persuade your readers to consider your perspective.

Address the Book’s Appeal

Now, answer the question: Is this book worth reading? Be clear about who would enjoy the book and who might not. Discuss the taste preferences and circumstances that make the book more appealing to some readers than others.

For example:  The Alchemist is a book that can enchant a young teen, but those who are already well-versed in classic literature might find it less engaging.

Be Subtle and Balanced

Avoid simply stating whether you “liked” or “disliked” the book. Instead, use nuanced language to convey your message. Highlight the pros and cons of reading the type of literature you’ve reviewed, offering a balanced perspective.

Bringing It All Together

By following these guidelines, you’ll craft a conclusion that leaves your readers with a clear understanding of your thoughts and opinions on the book. Your review will be a valuable resource for those considering whether to pick up the book, and your witty and insightful analysis will make your review a pleasure to read. So conquer the world of book reviews, one captivating conclusion at a time!

How to Write a Book Review: Step 5 – Rating the Book (Optional)

You’ve masterfully crafted your book review, from the introduction to the conclusion. But wait, there’s one more step you might consider before calling it a day: rating the book. In this optional step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the benefits and methods of assigning a rating to the book you’ve reviewed.

Why Rate the Book?

Sometimes, when writing a professional book review, it may not be appropriate to state whether you liked or disliked the book. In such cases, assigning a rating can be an effective way to get your message across without explicitly sharing your personal opinion.

How to Rate the Book

There are various rating systems you can use to evaluate the book, such as:

• A star rating (e.g., 1 to 5 stars)
• A numerical score (e.g., 1 to 10)
• A letter grade (e.g., A+ to F)

Choose a rating system that best suits your style and the format of your review. Be consistent in your rating criteria, considering writing quality, character development, plot, and overall enjoyment.

Tips for Rating the Book

Here are some tips for rating the book effectively:

• Be honest: Your rating should reflect your true feelings about the book. Don’t inflate or deflate your rating based on external factors, such as the book’s popularity or the author’s reputation.
• Be fair:Consider the book’s merits and shortcomings when rating. Even if you didn’t enjoy the book, recognize its strengths and acknowledge them in your rating.
• Be clear: Explain the rationale behind your rating so your readers understand the factors that influenced your evaluation.

Wrapping Up

By including a rating in your book review, you provide your readers with an additional insight into your thoughts on the book. While this step is optional, it can be a valuable tool for conveying your message subtly yet effectively. So, rate those books confidently, adding a touch of wit and wisdom to your book reviews.

Additional Tips on How to Write a Book Review: A Guide

In this segment, we’ll explore additional tips on how to write a book review. Get ready to captivate your readers and make your review a memorable one!

Hook ’em with an Intriguing Introduction

Keep your introduction precise and to the point. Readers have the attention span of a goldfish these days, so don’t let them swim away in boredom. Start with a bang and keep them hooked!

Embrace the World of Fiction

When learning how to write a book review, remember that reviewing fiction is often more engaging and effective. If your professor hasn’t assigned you a specific book, dive into the realm of fiction and select a novel that piques your interest.

Opinionated with Gusto

Don’t shy away from adding your own opinion to your review. A good book review always features the writer’s viewpoint and constructive criticism. After all, your readers want to know what  you  think!

Express Your Love (or Lack Thereof)

If you adored the book, let your readers know! Use phrases like “I’ll definitely return to this book again” to convey your enthusiasm. Conversely, be honest but respectful even if the book wasn’t your cup of tea.

Templates and Examples and Expert Help: Your Trusty Sidekicks

Feeling lost? You can always get help from formats, book review examples or online  college paper writing service  platforms. These trusty sidekicks will help you navigate the world of book reviews with ease. 

Be a Champion for New Writers and Literature

Remember to uplift new writers and pieces of literature. If you want to suggest improvements, do so kindly and constructively. There’s no need to be mean about anyone’s books – we’re all in this literary adventure together!

Criticize with Clarity, Not Cruelty

When adding criticism to your review, be clear but not mean. Remember, there’s a fine line between constructive criticism and cruelty. Tread lightly and keep your reader’s feelings in mind.

Avoid the Comparison Trap

Resist the urge to compare one writer’s book with another. Every book holds its worth, and comparing them will only confuse your reader. Stick to discussing the book at hand, and let it shine in its own light.

Top 7 Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Writing a book review can be a delightful and rewarding experience, especially when you balance analysis, wit, and personal insights. However, some common mistakes can kill the brilliance of your review. 

In this section of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the top 7 blunders writers commit and how to steer clear of them, with a dash of  modernist literature  examples and tips for students writing book reviews as assignments.

Succumbing to the Lure of Plot Summaries

Mistake: Diving headfirst into a plot summary instead of dissecting the book’s themes, characters, and writing style.

Example: “The Bell Jar chronicles the life of a young woman who experiences a mental breakdown.”

How to Avoid: Delve into the book’s deeper aspects, such as its portrayal of mental health, societal expectations, and the author’s distinctive narrative voice. Offer thoughtful insights and reflections, making your review a treasure trove of analysis.

Unleashing the Spoiler Kraken

Mistake: Spilling major plot twists or the ending without providing a spoiler warning, effectively ruining the reading experience for potential readers.

Example: “In Metamorphosis, the protagonist’s transformation into a monstrous insect leads to…”

How to Avoid: Tread carefully when discussing significant plot developments, and consider using spoiler warnings. Focus on the impact of these plot points on the overall narrative, character growth, or thematic resonance.

Riding the Personal Bias Express

Mistake: Allowing personal bias to hijack the review without providing sufficient evidence or reasoning to support opinions.

Example: “I detest books about existential crises, so The Sun Also Rises was a snoozefest.”

How to Avoid: While personal opinions are valid, it’s crucial to back them up with specific examples from the book. Discuss aspects like writing style, character development, or pacing to support your evaluation and provide a more balanced perspective.

Wielding the Vague Language Saber

Mistake: Resorting to generic, vague language that fails to capture the nuances of the book and can come across as clichéd.

Example: “This book was mind-blowing. It’s a must-read for everyone.”

How to Avoid: Use precise and descriptive language to express your thoughts. Employ specific examples and quotations to highlight memorable scenes, the author’s unique writing style, or the impact of the book’s themes on readers.

Ignoring the Contextualization Compass

Mistake: Neglecting to provide context about the author, genre, or cultural relevance of the book, leaving readers without a proper frame of reference.

Example: “This book is dull and unoriginal.”

How to Avoid: Offer readers a broader understanding by discussing the author’s background, the genre conventions the book adheres to or subverts, and any societal or historical contexts that inform the narrative. This helps readers appreciate the book’s uniqueness and relevance.

Overindulging in Personal Preferences

Mistake: Letting personal preferences overshadow an objective assessment of the book’s merits.

Example: “I don’t like stream-of-consciousness writing, so this book is automatically bad.”

How to Avoid: Acknowledge personal preferences but strive to evaluate the book objectively. Focus on the book’s strengths and weaknesses, considering how well it achieves its goals within its genre or intended audience.

Forgetting the Target Audience Telescope

Mistake: Failing to mention the book’s target audience or who might enjoy it, leading to confusion for potential readers.

Example: “This book is great for everyone.”

How to Avoid: Contemplate the book’s intended audience, genre, and themes. Mention who might particularly enjoy the book based on these factors, whether it’s fans of a specific genre, readers interested in character-driven stories, or those seeking thought-provoking narratives.

By dodging these common pitfalls, writers can craft insightful, balanced, and engaging book reviews that help readers make informed decisions about their reading choices.

These tips are particularly beneficial for students writing book reviews as assignments, as they ensure a well-rounded and thoughtful analysis.!

Many students requested us to cover how to write a book review. This thorough guide is sure to help you. At Paperperk, professionals are dedicated to helping students find their balance. We understand the importance of good grades, so we offer the finest writing service , ensuring students stay ahead of the curve. So seek expert help because only Paperperk is your perfect solution!

What is the difference between a book review and a report?

Who is the target audience for book reviews and book reports, how do book reviews and reports differ in length and content, can i write professional book reviews, what are the key aspects of writing professional book reviews, how can i enhance my book-reviewing skills to write professional reviews, what should be included in a good book review.

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Test Your Book Cover! · Review with AI In Seconds (For Fiction Covers)

Try the free joelbooks' fiction book cover review tool. get a glimpse into the power of ai, test your fresh cover design.

Certainty 100%

Select minimum 224×224 pixel size cover image. Amazon thumbnail works perfectly.

How attractive is your book cover for Amazon visitors?

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Do you think that book cover quality is subjective .

Some book covers perform better, hence quality is subjective, modern AI models are capable to find objective attributes of covers that could decide whether the cover will sell or not. Literarily they are able to do a book cover test. 

We created an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool that is capable to decide whether a fiction cover image (for example the one that is available on Amazon) is High quality and will sell on Amazon or Low quality and requires further work to make it compelling. 

Our tool is capable to test your cover design in several seconds and it's completely free! 

But cover is only one part of the many elements that will define your book's sales numbers. If you want to learn more on how to improve your sales read our Sell More Books Guide  in Authors' Corner .

What Kind of Covers Can The AI Test?

At the moment the AI model is capable to do a book cover review on fiction books . We trained the AI model with 650+ fiction covers in genres sci-fi, fantasy, literary fiction, historical fiction, thrillers and mystery (see a sample image of our cover set below). 

You can test children's books or non-fiction books, but these book genres require other AI models. We will working on these models in the future. 

How Does The AI Book Cover Review Work?

The application uses state of the art Machine Learning AI technique, specifically Google's Tensorflow to classify images. The tool uses a pre-trained model against the uploaded cover image and evaluates it. 

How Accurate Is the Book Cover Review or AI Test?

The Cover Reviewer is able to determine whether a cover is High or Low quality in 90% of cases . Which means that in one case out of ten the model will return false positive result, and have absolutely no idea, whether the cover is High or Low quality (regardless the calculated certainty level). In nine cases, the model can actually calculate it's own certainty level (showed in the left bottom grey box). The more closer it is to 100% the more accurate the evaluation is. 

How We Define High or Low Quality Book Cover?

These are subjective measures right? They are. But we all agree that there are book covers that are compelling and attractive and there are covers, where we feel that “it could be much better”. We selected only covers where the jury (one book marketer and two book cover designers) were able to put the cover definitely in High or Low quality bracket. 

Low quality cover samples

High quality cover samples

Is the Cover AI Reviewer Able to Tell What Is Wrong With The Cover?

Since it's a classification AI tool, it isn't capable of reasoning. The model is looking for certain patterns on covers, which it identified on the training set. It could be colors, contrast, font quality, title readability, special hidden patterns.

What Happens With The Cover I Upload? Do You Save Images?

Absolutely not. For GDPR and data security reasons we won't save any images you are testing with our tool. This book cover test runs ultimately in your browser and don't send any images to our server. 

Why A Book Cover Is Important?

The saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” may apply in some areas of life, and it's true to some point, but truth be told. Most readers do not entirely go by this idiom. They judge a book based on the cover that adorns it almost all the time. Yes, a book is an extensive and detailed work, and the surface may not give it enough justice. But, the cover is like a billboard that suggests and tells more about a book.

For readers, all the contents of a book cover are driving factors on whether to pick or leave a book- the font(s) used, illustrations, and color schemes. That is why it is common to find redesigned and reprinted book covers and this is why a book cover review may help in this respect.

It is the First Sales Pitch

There are millions of readers, and your book cover is your book’s first selling point. A book’s cover is a prerequisite that differentiates it from many other books of the same genre. For it to draw enough attention, it has to be striking enough. Otherwise, readers will just walk past your book to find something with a more exciting cover. Even ebooks need a clear online thumbnail to entice a potential reader.

If you have a book on a particular site, there are qualities you need to meet. The print needs to match screen brightness for a reader, and aspects like white-out text are vital. Sloppy, illegible, and unappealing fonts or unclear texts are judged as unprofessional and turn off readers. Covers tell a reader that they can love a book’s genre and trust the author with their limited and valuable reading time.

A book cover is what speaks to a reader’s emotions even before they can pick a book. That is how they then get to engage on a deeper level and decide whether they will like the book or not.

 It Tells the Book’s Story

In a sense, a book’s cover narrates the initial story of the content. It communicates to a potential reader a bit of the story’s style and mood. It also creates a perception in a reader's mind about how the characters in the book are potentially developed.

The artwork in a book’s cover reinforces the themes of the book. For example, a very dark cover may imply horror. A philosophical or older book may have more abstract cover art. There is a reason erotica and romantic book covers are different from motivational books. Covers for the former are usually adorned with appealing models to entice readers as they will possibly entice each other in the story.

The cover is subjective, and what works for a particular reader may not work for another. A reading experience that is different from the book’s cover is disappointing, and that is why authors must create covers that are true to the book.

It Communicates Professionalism and Assures the Reader

A book cover communicates to the target audience the professionalism put into the book. A quality cover somehow assures a reader that they will be reading a good quality book. It says that the content and its delivery is excellent. The surface lures or captivates a potential reader. A poorly put together cover suggests to a reader that the book’s interior will be equally bad. This may not always be true, but it is immensely impactful.

A poorly produced design creates a preconceived idea in a reader’s mind. It sets them in a critical or judgmental mode rather than an enjoyment mode. Having their attention already drawn to the mistakes and sloppiness, even if they pick the book, they might intentionally look for and spot more errors in the text. Possibly, they can be unforgiving to any typos than they would a book with a more professional or well-executed cover.

It Speaks Uniquely to Cultures

A book’s cover is tailored to captivate different audiences. That is why book covers are created differently for different markets. Design principles are different worldwide; you may find simpler designs for UK book covers and more detailed ones for US book covers. These are ways to potentially speak to people of different regions or cultures based on their perceptions.

Authors change titles on book covers due to the variance in word meanings across different regions. For example, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the US. This was because the word “philosopher” had different magic connotations there from the UK. The author also changed the cover’s artwork, font, and magical themes.

Know if your Book has a Quality Cover

Doing a book cover review and carrying out a book cover test are helpful ways authors can create high-quality covers or improve low-quality ones. Joel’s book’s Artificial Intelligence Reviewer tool is an excellent way to test the quality of your book’s cover image. It evaluates fiction covers for genres like fantasy, sci-fi, mysteries, and thrillers. It can also assess literary and historical fiction. It classifies images using the Machine Learning AI technique. The AI Reviewer tool will not tell what’s wrong with a cover. However, it analyzes specific patterns on book covers like color, the quality of the used font, contrast, title alignment, and unique hidden designs, then classifies the cover in the High or Low-Quality category.

Final Thoughts on Our Free Book Cover Review

A great book cover design draws readers' attention to engage them emotionally and suggests what the book is about. It also showcases the quality of a book and informs the tone, style, and character development within the text. It must achieve all these considering the readers' cultural expectations, perceptions, or beliefs.

A book cover can go a long way in deciding whether a book becomes a best seller or not. Authors and publishers must therefore take the necessary steps to execute the best cover designs. A book cover may be an author’s decision, but authors must also beware of the psychological and philosophical effects on a reader.

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Writing a Book Review

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Book reviews typically evaluate recently-written works. They offer a brief description of the text’s key points and often provide a short appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the work.

Readers sometimes confuse book reviews with book reports, but the two are not identical. Book reports commonly describe what happens in a work; their focus is primarily on giving an account of the major plot, characters, and/or main idea of the work. Most often, book reports are a K-12 assignment and range from 250 to 500 words. If you are looking to write a book report, please see the OWL resource, Writing a Book Report.

By contrast, book reviews are most often a college assignment, but they also appear in many professional works: magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. They typically range from 500-750 words, but may be longer or shorter. A book review gives readers a sneak peek at what a book is like, whether or not the reviewer enjoyed it, and details on purchasing the book.

Before You Read

Before you begin to read, consider the elements you will need to included in your review. The following items may help:

• Author: Who is the author? What else has s/he written? Has this author won any awards? What is the author’s typical style?
• Genre: What type of book is this: fiction, nonfiction, romance, poetry, youth fiction, etc.? Who is the intended audience for this work? What is the purpose of the work?
• Title: Where does the title fit in? How is it applied in the work? Does it adequately encapsulate the message of the text? Is it interesting? Uninteresting?
• Preface/Introduction/Table of Contents: Does the author provide any revealing information about the text in the preface/introduction? Does a “guest author” provide the introduction? What judgments or preconceptions do the author and/or “guest author” provide? How is the book arranged: sections, chapters?
• Book Jacket/Cover/Printing: Book jackets are like mini-reviews. Does the book jacket provide any interesting details or spark your interest in some way? Are there pictures, maps, or graphs? Do the binding, page cut, or typescript contribute or take away from the work?

As You Read

As you read, determine how you will structure the summary portion or background structure of your review. Be ready to take notes on the book’s key points, characters, and/or themes.

• Characters: Are there characters in the work? Who are the principal characters? How do they affect the story? Do you empathize with them?
• Themes/Motifs/Style: What themes or motifs stand out? How do they contribute to the work? Are they effective or not? How would you describe this author’s particular style? Is it accessible to all readers or just some?
• Argument: How is the work’s argument set up? What support does the author give for her/findings? Does the work fulfill its purpose/support its argument?
• Key Ideas: What is the main idea of the work? What makes it good, different, or groundbreaking?
• Quotes: What quotes stand out? How can you demonstrate the author’s talent or the feel of the book through a quote?

When You Are Ready to Write

Begin with a short summary or background of the work, but do not give too much away. Many reviews limit themselves only to the first couple of chapters or lead the reader up to the rising action of the work. Reviewers of nonfiction texts will provide the basic idea of the book’s argument without too much detailed.

The final portion of your review will detail your opinion of the work. When you are ready to begin your review, consider the following:

• Establish a Background, Remember your Audience: Remember that your audience has not read the work; with this in mind, be sure to introduce characters and principles carefully and deliberately. What kind of summary can you provide of the main points or main characters that will help your readers gauge their interest? Does the author’s text adequately reach the intended audience? Will some readers be lost or find the text too easy?
• Minor principles/characters: Deal only with the most pressing issues in the book. You will not be able to cover every character or idea. What principles/characters did you agree or disagree with? What other things might the author have researched or considered?
• Organize: The purpose of the review is to critically evaluate the text, not just inform the readers about it. Leave plenty room for your evaluation by ensuring that your summary is brief. Determine what kind of balance to strike between your summary information and your evaluation. If you are writing your review for a class, ask your instructor. Often the ratio is half and half.
• Your Evaluation: Choose one or a few points to discuss about the book. What worked well for you? How does this work compare with others by the same author or other books in the same genre? What major themes, motifs, or terms does the book introduce, and how effective are they? Did the book appeal to you on an emotional or logical way?
• Publisher/Price: Most book reviews include the publisher and price of the book at the end of the article. Some reviews also include the year published and ISBN.

When making the final touches to your review, carefully verify the following:

• Double-check the spelling of the author name(s), character names, special terms, and publisher.
• Try to read from the vantage point of your audience. Is there too much/enough summary? Does your argument about the text make sense?
• Should you include direct quotes from the reading? Do they help support your arguments? Double-check your quotes for accuracy.

Want help with your author marketing? Get our FREE ebook and cheat sheet: 6 Steps To Getting More Readers.

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Back Cover of a Book: Must-Haves & Examples

Finishing your manuscript is a massive accomplishment, almost a complete victory.

But so much must be done to ensure that all your efforts weren’t for nothing. You need readers to buy your book!

And you can’t stand in the bookstore or pop out on the side of Amazon’s book page to try and convince the reader that they’ll love this book. 

Your book’s back cover is one of the tools that will do that for you.

That means a lot is riding on creating the perfect back cover. But not to worry, we’ve compiled a beginner’s guide to creating a back cover of a book that wows. And we’ve included 16 examples to show how successful ones are done. 

Importance of The Back Cover of a Book

The back of a book cover can make the difference between increasing book sales and losing the reader’s interest.

Your back book cover together with the front cover must make a convincing sales pitch to the reader.

The front cover or the spine of the book must attract the reader. Once you have their attention, they’ll flip over the book and that’s your chance to persuade them to buy it.

To get the reader to buy your book, or at least open it to chapter one, your book’s back cover needs to tell a story:

• What the book is about (using a book blurb)
• Why it’s worth reading (using book reviews)
• Why this reader in particular will want to read it (using enticing copy and targeted keywords)

This is a book promotion tool that’s as important as author newsletters , your social media posts, or book trailers .

What Goes on The Back of a Book

The back cover usually has the elements listed below. Some elements may be omitted based on what you want to convey about your book. 

Once you understand the roles each of these components plays, you’ll have a better idea of what serves the best purpose on the back cover of your book.

Book Reviews

Awards and past work, isbn and barcode.

• Publisher Details 

This is a one-liner that stands out the most on the back of a book. This appears at the top, ensuring that it’s the first thing the reader sees.

The tagline is usually written differently to make it pop. For example, it could be bolded, a different color, larger in size, or italics.

Examples of a tagline:

Descriptive

A brief descriptive sentence that teases at the main theme, conflict, or (in the case of non-fiction) problems being solved by the book.

For example:

“No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.” Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

A brief line that uses keywords from the genre to target ideal fans.

“Lethal. Loyal. Legendary.” Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

A quote from a professional book review that will intrigue the reader while explaining the book’s hook.

“The greatest romance story of this decade. –Entertainment Weekly” Fault in Our Stars by John Green

From a Scene

A line from the book that makes the reader feel as if they’re dropped right into the action.

“He needs my help, but he’ll be my downfall.” A Prince So Cruel by Ingrid Seymour

Note: The tagline can be between 5 to 50 words, so use them wisely!

This is a description that tells the reader what the book is about without summarizing the plot or giving away any spoilers.

It lets the reader know what to expect.

Your book blurb is kind of like the text version of a book trailer. Just like a trailer, it will highlight the compelling parts of your story.

The best way to go about writing your book blurb is to keep the target reader at the front of your mind. Consider what the reader will be excited to see from your book.

If you need tips on writing a book blurb, check out our blog: How To Write a Compelling Book Blurb (+15 Examples) .

Readers are more likely to believe that your book is good if someone noteworthy praises it.

Pick a stellar testimonial from another author (preferably from your genre) or a publication to give your book credibility.

Avoid adding reviews that say, “I loved it!”

Rather choose reviews that praise a specific part of your book like your writing capability, the characters, the premise, etc.

Take a review on the cover of All the Broken Places by John Boyne for example: 

“Exceptional, layered and compelling…This book moves like a freight train.” Review by Amy Bloom, New York Times bestselling author of In Love

The number of reviews you use will depend on what you want the back cover of your book to convey. Some back covers only use reviews, while some have it in the tagline or at the end of the blurb.

But if you don’t have a publication or notable author to turn to, you can use your best customer review.

If you want to know more about getting endorsements, check out our blog: Professional Book Review: The Ultimate Guide .

Your book’s back cover can also mention any awards and achievements you’ve received that add credibility to your book. You could even include if your books have only been nominated.

Also, add any previously published work. The reader may notice a previous title making them lean towards getting your new release.

Adding your past work will also signal that you have staying power as an author.

Sometimes the back cover of a book will include an author bio, and for some authors, this can seem like the hardest thing to write.

While you don’t need to share your favorite color or that you like long walks on the beach, you do need to let the reader get to know you a bit.

Your author bio shares the credentials, writer’s journey, other works, etc. And it is way more streamlined than something you’d find on the author’s website .

Want To Give Your Readers An Engaging Online Experience?

Get an author website that showcases your books, grows your list, and attracts publishers and promoters.

But does every author need one for their book?

Not necessarily.

If you write fiction, it won’t be the end of the world if you don’t add it. But if you write non-fiction including a bio can help build trust with the reader.

In that case, a bio will show why you are qualified or have the experience to have written your book.

Note: When adding your author photo alongside your bio, make sure it both matches your personality and your book’s genre. Be sure to use a professional photo that has been taken more recently.

Your book’s ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a number that is used to identify your book. The accompanying barcode is the scannable version of this number.

They’re created by the publishing or self-publishing company. Unless you’re using Amazon, you may have to pay for it in the case of self-publishing.

Note: When getting your book printed, the printing company will have a set requirement for where this number and barcode will go, so keep that in mind when arranging the elements on the back cover of your book.

Publisher Details

The reader won’t be eagerly flipping over your book in search of the publisher’s information, but it needs to be on the back cover of your book nonetheless.

Note: The publisher’s information and logo are low priority so make sure they’re in smaller text.

Tips For Designing Your Book’s Back Cover

Follow the below tips to level up your book back cover design:

Do some research

We recommend doing research in your genre to see what unique styles you could try for your own back cover design.

When analyzing the covers, look at the positioning of the blurbs and reviews, and take note of how a story is told from the front cover to the back. 

Keeping both covers consistent will make your book tell a complete story without the reader even reading a word.

Prioritize layout

It may sound fun to create a wacky book cover, but you could end up creating a confusing mess that’s hard to decipher.

It’s okay to color out of the lines a tad bit, but don’t go overboard! The goal is to avoid a cluttered book back cover and ensure the text is easy to read.

You can achieve this by using clear fonts, an uncomplicated color scheme, and giving the content sufficient space to breathe.

The reader should be able to grasp some information at a single glance. After that glance, if they’re interested, they’ll keep reading.

Use style to tell a story

Your front and back covers don’t need to be designed the same to be cohesive. The front and back covers are not twins, they’re sisters.

For starters, you could use similar borders or related elements. For example, if you’ve written a mystery novel you could have one big puddle of blood on the front and smaller splatters on the back.

Consider the atmosphere and tone that you want the reader to feel and use the appropriate fonts, colors, and design elements to communicate that.

Use copy to sell the book

What you can’t say through design, you’ll say through words.

There’s an art to writing copy that compels a reader to open your book. You have to say a lot in as few words as possible.

Make sure each piece (your blurb, reviews, and bio) serves a purpose that discusses something different from the last. The reader should come away with an understanding of the premise and excitement to keep reading.

DIY – Doing It Yourself

When self-publishing, you can get templates from book cover printers to insert your designs into or you can use software like Canva or Adobe Creative Suite to design the back cover of your book.

Hire somebody

If you lack the time or design prowess to create a back cover for your book, you can simply hire a professional.

It will save you a lot of time and effort, just be sure to research which designer meets your budget and needs.

Don’t forget the book’s spine

When a reader is browsing a bookstore or library, they’ll most likely see the spine of your book first.

Therefore, the spine of your book needs to continue the same story as the rest of your book cover.

Your spine should include the same color scheme, fonts, and design elements as your cover. Everything will be minimized and sideways, so make sure it is easy to read from an angle.

Here’s the information that could be found on your book spine:

• Title of the book.
• Full Author name (If the book is long enough, the author’s first and last name), or
• Shortened Author name (If the author’s name is too long, the spine will have an initial and the last name).
• Publisher’s logo.
• Book series number.

Back Cover Of A Book Examples

As promised, below are 16 examples you can use as reference when designing the back cover of your own book. 

We’ve included the front cover too so you can see the full design story!

1. Romance Genre

Icebreaker by hannah grace.

Curvy fonts and cool colors create the right atmosphere in this Romance example. 

Text is given plenty of room to tell its story with the use of adequate spacing, plus the artwork of the main characters breaks up the pattern of the text too.

With a few pops of orange and bolder text, the back cover draws the reader’s eyes from one point to the next. The author bio is the last thing the reader will notice, as intended by the designer of this book’s back cover.

2. Non-Fiction Genre

Stop overthinking by nick trenton.

This book’s back cover follows the theme of this book, practicing what it preaches. It avoids clutter and uses text that is super clear to read.

It’s easy to start skimming through the content because of this, and only one point is highlighted on the back cover, “Stop Overthinking,” which reiterates the topic of the book.

3. Thriller Genre

The new couple by alison james.

We love this back book cover because the blurb is written from the main character’s perspective. It immediately pulls the reader into the story.

The tagline appears on both the front and back cover of the book, but it serves to cement the premise of the book making sure the reader won’t forget it.

Lastly, the yellow text at the bottom continues speaking directly to the target reader, mentioning other popular books in the sub-genre similar to this one. If a reader has loved those books, they will be more likely to buy this one.

4. Sci-Fi Genre

Recruitment by k. a. riley.

Streamlined is the name of the game for the back cover of this book.

Targeting Sci-Fi lovers is the main aim here, so the tagline just states the year the book is set in.

Although it doesn’t tease the story, it’s still effective in attracting the reader because the blurb is short and discusses the premise in enough detail.

5. All in one (Fantasy Genre)

A court of thorns and roses by sarah j. maas.

This fantasy example has it all: the accolade in the tagline, the well-written blurb, the decorated author bio, and the enthusiastic endorsements.

The back cover of this book is stacked with information yet it all feels easy to skim read because the content is sectioned off.

The back cover cleverly mentioned the author’s name and credibility multiple times. It clearly aims to promote the book using the author’s name. It’s trying to say: 

“If you’ve heard of her, you should definitely check this book out!”

6. Children’s Genre

Children who dance in the rain by susan justice .

We love the design of this example. Since it’s a children’s book, it sells the art style first and foremost and gets creative with the design of the text.

Although the reviews are on top of white backgrounds, the text doesn’t look out of place and rather just adds to the innovative nature of the cover.

Endorsements are highlighted from the front to the back cover, showing parents that this book is worth reading since it is worthy of awards!

7. Consider the Reader

The clockmaker’s daughter by kate morton.

The layout of this cover considers the target readers in every decision made.

Equal importance is given to each component, enticing the reader to read all of it from top to bottom.

The tagline reveals the setting and genre efficiently, and the praises for the author solidify it.

Although the front and back covers don’t share a similar background, the font and leaf design elements are used to connect the experience.

8. Use endorsements

None of this is true by lisa jewell .

Lisa Jewell’s back cover aims to convince readers to buy the book through reviews by respected authors.

It leaves the reader thinking, “Well if they couldn’t put this book down, then maybe I wouldn’t be able to either.”

The names of the authors are contrasted to the reviews using a slightly different font and yellow text. 

And it also has the largest review near the top, with varying sizes as the reader’s eyes go down the cover. This keeps the cover from being dull and hard to skim through.

9. Taglines

The only woman in the room by marie benedict .

In the above example, the tagline is split up and integrated into the blurb but if it’s all read together, it tells the story briefly for anyone skimming the back cover of the book.

The taglines are capped by reviews to complete the experience.

Not to forget the addition of Marie Benedict’s past works at the bottom left of the book’s back cover. It reminds readers of her other popular novels.

10. Past works

November 9 by colleen hoover.

A total of 3 font colors are used for the back cover of this book, yet it doesn’t look busy or cluttered.

The lighter colors surround the blurb, keeping it the center focus. This encourages the reader to read the taglines and still be interested in reading the blurb and author bio.

Speaking of Colleen Hoover’s author bio. It lists so many popular past books for fans and newcomers to be impressed by.

We love this addition because if a fan forgot that you’re the one who wrote a book they loved, they’ll be reminded. This will increase your chances of selling your new release. 

11. Continue the Style Story

Lightlark by alex aster.

With an entertaining front cover, it can be hard to decide what to do with the back cover.

Lightlark shows us that with the same font, colors, and a recurring design element, it can be done!

This book’s back cover continues the story by using the same border, but flipping it so it doesn’t look exactly the same as the front.

The fades from tinged-orange to yellow-gold on top of a sleek black background keep the front and back covers connected.

The cover has 2 taglines large and in charge of drawing the reader in. What seals the deal is the mention of the second book in the series, making the reader aware that there’s more to come.

12. About The Author Example

Self-love workbook for women by megan logan .

We love how fun and colorful this cover is – and it fits the book’s theme so well!

Highlighter-like taglines and bullet points give this back cover even more spunk. This highlighting style makes it feel like it’s the reader’s notebook, emphasizing that the book is about working on one’s self.

But what gives this book an extra edge is the authority the author has in her field. The author bio showcases the author’s expertise, letting the reader know that if there was anyone they should listen to about self-love, it’s this author.

13. Author Branding

The gifts of imperfection: 10th anniversary edition by brené brown.

This is the 10th-anniversary edition of this book, so that means it was pretty well received.

But there are 8 billion people in the world, so not everyone would’ve heard of this book – and the covers try to make up that ground.

The back cover of this book uses the author’s branding to sell the book. Even though the author bio is at the bottom, it feels as if we’re being told about Brene Brown’s efforts for this book at every turn.

But the author’s bio reveals more about her decorated past than the blurb, discussing her achievements, past works in other industries, and experiences.

14. Minimalism

The food lab by j. kenji lópez-alt.

Plain doesn’t have to mean boring. 

There’s a lot of content on this page which would otherwise be overwhelming. But with the use of bronze borders, content is neatly sectioned and given space. 

Instead of a tagline, at the top lies the blurb in a newspaper or magazine type of column. The main selling point is centered within a box: the reviews. This is a great way for the author to build trust with the reader.

15. Artwork

The zen monkey and the lotus flower by tenpa yeshe.

Text is simple, big, and bold on this back cover. But the main attraction is the art.

The artwork of this book reiterates the title, reinforcing it in the reader’s mind.

The balance of artwork and text upholds the book’s theme too. And the art is a great feature of the book, making it hard for a reader to look away.

16. Creative Layout

The science of spice by dr. stuart farrimond .

You can use your book’s genre and theme to come up with unique ideas for the back cover of your book. 

Above is a fantastic example of how to do this.

Ingredients sit within boxes labeled by chemistry-like symbols. The text on the back cover of the book uses copywriting techniques to call out to the reader and persuade them that this book is for them.

Back Cover Of A Book Template

Follow any one of these templates below to craft your dream back cover for your book.

Promotion Doesn’t Stop There

Creating the perfect back cover of a book doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing from there.

If only it was as simple as publishing your book and watching the sales come in. That’s the dream, right?

Life isn’t that simple, so book promotion isn’t that simple. 

You need everyone and their mothers to hear about your book, and in today’s digital world, the best way to do that is by spreading the word online.

If you’re looking to improve your online presence you need an author website. An author website helps readers, publishers, and other industry professionals find you easily online.

We love working with authors, so fill in this inquiry form and we’ll see how we can help you.

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The Best Book Covers of 2020

The Book Review’s art director offers his annual laurels to the covers that distinguished themselves in his eyes.

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By Matt Dorfman

Amid a pandemic, my expectations of a book cover became simpler. It either needed to signal the book’s intent to explore mortality, which we spend our lives struggling to make peace with, or it had to take the opposite route and remind a prospective reader — loudly, if possible — that the possibilities of curiosity, wonder, exploration, beauty, art and life still mattered in a year roundly dominated by hand sanitizing while doomscrolling.

For a designer, moving in either of these directions is harder than it sounds. Though much of what used to be the normal day-to-day stopped cold this year, the barrage of updates, warnings, flashes, posts, tweets and links featuring compounded local and global emergencies continued apace, often with accompanying images, all competing for our attention, all the time. The covers that made lasting impressions this year did so on account of each one’s ability to survive in the mind just as we all sought to survive 2020. That the cover of a book — something produced with a finite shelf life — could grip us throughout such a bitter, caustic year is either a triumph of artistry or a sign that our collective alarm bells are still not ringing loudly enough. Maybe it’s both.

You Will Never Be Forgotten

By mary south designed by alex merto embroidery by alex stikeleather, the art of war, by sun tzu designed by jaya miceli, by hari kunzru designed by john gall, by roddy doyle designed by sarahmay wilkinson, by catherine lacey designed by thomas colligan, tokyo ueno station, by yu miri designed by lauren peters-collaer, ain’t i a woman, by sojourner truth designed by david pearson, by amina cain designed by june park, talking animals, by joni murphy designed by na kim photo by daniel gebhart de koekkoek, michael kohlhaus, by heinrich von kleist designed by paul sahre, by sarah gerard designed by joanne o’neill, cool for america, by andrew martin designed by rodrigo corral photo by jason fulford.

Matt Dorfman is the art director of the Book Review.

Follow New York Times Books on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram , sign up for our newsletter or our literary calendar . And listen to us on the Book Review podcast .

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

As book bans have surged in Florida, the novelist Lauren Groff has opened a bookstore called The Lynx, a hub for author readings, book club gatherings and workshops , where banned titles are prominently displayed.

Eighteen books were recognized as winners or finalists for the Pulitzer Prize, in the categories of history, memoir, poetry, general nonfiction, fiction and biography, which had two winners. Here’s a full list of the winners .

Montreal is a city as appealing for its beauty as for its shadows. Here, t he novelist Mona Awad recommends books  that are “both dreamy and uncompromising.”

The complicated, generous life  of Paul Auster, who died on April 30 , yielded a body of work of staggering scope and variety .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

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Why You Should Judge a Book by its Cover

By neha n., grade 9.

The expression “don't judge a book by its cover” is an idiom commonly used to discourage people from using something’s outward appearance to make assumptions about what it’s really like on the inside. For example, the covers of the books you see. We’re told that we shouldn’t make assumptions about the inner content of a book just by looking at the art on the cover, no matter how eye-catching or beautiful it is. Although I agree with this expression when it’s applied to people, or concepts, books seem to be an exception. Book covers are, after all, a form of marketing. They’re designed to be eye-catching, right? Should the consumer be discouraged from being drawn to good marketing? 

There are a couple reasons why it’s totally fine for you to be judging the cover of a book. One of which is that through a book cover, you can almost always tell the genre of a book or at least see some of its components, whether it’s through characters, landscape, or themes. Also, certain styles of book covers are typically associated with some genres- for example, romance novels. If I asked you to picture the cover of a romance novel in your head, you might imagine a picture of the main couple in the center of the cover, illustrated or photographed against a pretty background. So if you were in a bookstore or a library, seeking out new reads, you may get some information about a romance book by looking at its cover. You wouldn’t necessarily have to go into the book blind without any idea of whether you’d enjoy it or not. In this example, the cover of a book would make it easier for a romance lover to find their preferred picks, and make it easier for someone into other genres to see that they might not enjoy in this book. 

Another factor to consider when checking out covers is that the author themself chose the cover you’re looking at. Although they may not have been the one to draw, paint, or photograph the art on the cover itself, they still were a vital part of the process of approving and providing creative direction for the art being put on their own books. Since the author is very involved in the process of deciding on a cover, their own personality or values may be expressed subtly through the cover they choose. Even the smallest details like whether the cover is in black and white or color, or whether it’s an illustration or a photograph can give you slight hints as to whom the author is advertising for. If you come across a book cover, and you think it’s not very your style, that might be intentional and could be a clue to you that this book was designed for a different audience. Of course, it also works the opposite way- if you see a cover that really sticks out to you, and you end up choosing and enjoying the book, that likely was not a coincidence. You were most likely the target audience for that particular book, and the author and creative team successfully reached you through the cover art that gave you your first impression of the book.

Cover redesigns are also a way for cover designers and marketing teams to draw in new readers. Over the years, you may have noticed some of your favorite books being redesigned with new cover art and fonts. This kind of change is most common in classic literature and children’s books, series that are relatively old and well established. From just a glance, it may seem pointless to change cover art, especially on established series, since it may make their books harder to recognize to their well established audience. There is actually a good reason that art on covers may be changed- to draw in new, younger readers. When we think about the covers of classics, we might think of a very old, vintage seeming, maybe even borderline boring or plain cover. Redesigns are utilized to modernize covers and help them appeal to younger audiences who may be discouraged from picking up classics or older books.

We can see this through the example of the very famous and classic novel Animal Farm by George Orwell. The first cover (the orange cover) is one from 1951, the first cover published by Penguin Books. 

These three covers are all redesigns of the original cover.

If you think about which cover would most likely draw in your interest, which would you pick? I know I’d probably pick one of the bottom covers, personally. From the three new covers, I can get a sense of what the plot is about- I can clearly see that there are animals involved, pigs especially. With the original, older cover, I couldn’t make out any details about the plot whatsoever, and so I probably wouldn’t end up wanting to reach for the book. Since the new covers are more modern, they probably worked well to draw in young readers like me. 

Overall, we can see that the cover of a book actually has a huge effect on whether it ends up taking off or staying on the shelf. There are hundreds of conscious choices that go into book covers, since they’re the first impression of the book that you’re going to get. Although we shouldn’t judge people by their outside appearance, we should not feel guilty for considering the covers of books. 

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/94092-judging-a-book-by-its-cover.html

https://blogs.iu.edu/womenandtech/2023/02/21/judging-a-book-by-its-cover-the-importance-of-a-good-first-impression-with-visual-media/

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'A Man in Full' review: Tom Wolfe Netflix series is barely a glass half empty

Don't judge a book by its cover, but can you judge a TV show by its A-list pedigree ? Don't bet on it.

Netflix's new Atlanta mogul miniseries "A Man in Full" certainly looks like it should be the next big thing to take over our binge-watching hours. Created by David E. Kelley and directed partly by Regina King , "Man" has all the makings of prestige television: Movie stars as the lead characters. A literary tome (Tom Wolfe's 1998 novel) as its source material. Topical storytelling. Lots of profanity.

But looks can be deceiving. "Man" (now streaming; ★ ½ out of four) is that rare disappointment that adds up to less than the sum of its parts. The series is half-formed, a rough draft for something better down the line. And all the fake Southern accents from the likes of Jeff Daniels, Diane Lane and Lucy Liu can't magically create deeper characters, better scripts, or a fuller world to immerse yourself in. It's the fast fashion of television: Trendy, pretty, but very easily falls apart.

Interview: Jeff Daniels loads up for loathing in 'A Man in Full' with big bluster, Georgia accent

Charlie Croker (Daniels) is the favorite son of Atlanta. A Georgia Tech football hero turned real estate mogul, he has everything a man of distinction could want: Money, power, a beautiful young second wife (Sarah Jones) and the adoration of high society. Except one of those things is only a facade: Croker's companies are nearly a billion dollars in debt, and the bank has come calling. That charge is led by mousy Raymond Peepgrass (Tom Pelphrey), a middle manager whose hatred of Charlie goes beyond professional rivalry, and Harry Zale (Bill Camp), an alpha male wannabe out to beat Charlie in the financial arena.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

In chaos and about to lose everything, Charlie turns to his chief counsel, Roger White (Aml Ameen), a man with a strongly ingrained sense of justice, who tries to keep his hands clean amid the dirty dealings in Atlanta. Roger is currently being hounded by his old fraternity brother and incumbent mayor Wes Jordan (William Jackson Harper, "The Good Place") for help digging up dirt on his conservative opponent. And Roger is trying to help Conrad (Jon Michael Hill), a Black man who has been arrested after a racially fraught run-in with law enforcement.

Rounding out the already unwieldy story is Martha Croker (Lane), Charlie's ex-wife with plenty of hate for her former spouse, and her best friend Joyce Newman (Liu), who is trying to keep part of her past a secret amid the politicking in the city's elite.

It's a lot, and Kelley and the writers are never clear about who the star of this story really is. Is it Charlie, an Ozymandias-type king doomed to fail under his own hubris? Is it Raymond, the Iago channeling his insecurities into war with a stronger opponent? Is it Roger, a Black man torn up on the inside, a Don Quixote unsure about the realities of the world?

I'm using a lot of high-minded literary references because "Man" fancies itself a high-minded work of art, all metaphor, allegory and foils, the language of Wolfe's novel. But these devices are so weak they blow away in the wind.

The series misses the building blocks of good storytelling in pursuit of the cherries on top of the sundae. The characters aren't nearly deep enough, and it's impossible to discern most of their motivations. That's especially true of Harry, who hates Charlie for no good reason, and Martha, who has no personality that isn't related to her ex-husband. Joyce is a plot device dressed in fashionable high heels, and Charlie's wife Serena marks a criminal underuse of Jones, who proved herself deeply skilled in "For All Mankind."

Atlanta is the setting but it's meant to be more than that. It's meant to be the context of every scene and sentence of dialogue. It should be as deeply drawn as a fictional world like Westeros or Middle Earth. But other than Daniels' accent and the racist judge that Conrad faces, "Man" could be set in any major city in America. And that's not good enough.

Speaking of that accent, Daniels slathers it on his performance like too much gravy on biscuits. He seems to ooze rather than act. He's a cartoon character, which would work if the series was purely a soap opera. But it's trying. (and failing) to be more important than a soap. In one moment you see two horses mating and in another, a Black man is being swallowed whole by a legal system designed to ruin his life. The two halves don't mesh together.

There's a sense that Netflix was attempting to cash in on the lifestyles of the rich and famous schadenfreude from HBO's hit "Succession," which ended last year. But "Man" fails to achieve the scope or satire that made "Succession" so successful. There's a watchable quality you can find in any of Kelley's series. But the sheen wears off quickly. It's not addictive or delicious, no "Big Little Lies" or "Ally McBeal" drama to keep you wanting more.

Charlie can wax poetic about loyalty and goodness and masculinity all he wants, but at a certain point, "Man" becomes too easy to tune out.

And at that point, you might as well turn it off, too.

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