If you’re an author who wants to do something a little different with your book cover, I’ve got you covered (pun fully intended). Too often, authors can have rigid ideas about what a book cover should look like. What it should and shouldn’t include. The truth, though, is that custom book covers with all kinds of embellishments and design styles are out there, just waiting for you to discover.
In this article, I’ll be covering a number of options for customizing your book’s cover design in ways that many self-published authors might overlook. While some of these options will increase the price of your book (like foil embossing or die-cut covers), there are others that are essentially free to implement (other than the cost of hiring a custom book cover designer).
Here’s what you need to know about techniques for custom book covers that might be suitable for your book:
Foil Custom Book Covers
Metallic foil is one of the most common embellishments seen on many book covers. Not every book printer offers this option, though. Amazon’s KDP service, for instance, doesn’t allow for foil embossing. And even among printers who do offer it, it’s often significantly more expensive than standard printing.
The good news is that there are ways to mimic this look without actually using metallic foil. Creative use of shading and highlighting can make parts of your cover look like it has metallic embossing without actually including it.
The cover images below showcase how foil techniques can be simulated by a creative book cover designer.
Embroidered Custom Book Covers
Covers that are actually embroidered are few and far between (primarily because each cover would have to be embroidered individually, and even if done with an embroidery machine, that would be prohibitively expensive!), but covers that are created from an image of embroidery are more common.
Embroidered covers obviously won’t work for every genre (I don’t think I’ve ever seen a horror novel with an embroidered cover, though I’m sure there are stories where it would make sense). But for historical fiction, cozy mysteries, women’s fiction, or similar genres, embroidered designs can really make a book stand out.
Check out the book covers below for some intricate embroidered designs that can serve as inspiration. One thing to note: many commercially available embroidery patterns are covered by copyright law, which means you may have to create your own custom pattern to use for your book cover (or pay a licensing fee).
Embossed and Debossed Custom Book Covers
Embossing is creating raised portions on your book cover, most commonly done with the type or specific flourishes within the cover. Debossing is the opposite: parts of the cover are depressed within the overall design. Both techniques were popular in past decades, but are less commonly seen now with the popularity of print-on-demand services.
Like foil covers, not every printer can handle embossing or debossing covers, and it’s generally more expensive than standard printing. A talented designer can often mimic an embossed effect through clever use of shading.
Check out the book covers below to see how embossed and debossed book covers can add a level of sophistication to your cover that flat printing techniques can’t quite match.
3D Custom Book Cover Effects
3D effects on custom book covers are one of the easiest elements to implement. They don’t require any custom printing, so virtually any book printer can produce them. 3D effects are created via careful use of shading and highlighting, as well as perspective.
Some covers keep the 3D effects subtle, such as making the background appear to interweave with the typography. Others do things like making a book look like it has tape on the cover or that the cover is torn.
These 3D book covers showcase both subtle and more direct ways of incorporating 3D elements into your cover’s design.
Custom Series Book Jackets
If you’re writing a series of books, take into account the way you want the series to appear together on a bookshelf. While many book series have covers that coordinate with one another, some book designers go above and beyond and create scenes when the books are placed in order.
A little bit of forethought when planning your series book covers can go a long way toward ensuring that your books’ spines look amazing together on a reader’s bookshelf. Once you have an image figured out, it’s just a matter of properly aligning that image on each book’s spine during the design process.
The custom series book jackets featured below showcase how a little bit of forethought can reap big rewards on your readers’ bookshelves.
Die-Cut Book Covers
Die-cut book covers have cutouts in them that show the page below the cover. They’re most commonly seen in children’s board books, but authors from all genres have started utilizing the technique. Is there a shape on your book cover that could logically be cut out (a door or a keyhole, for example)? Consider using a die-cut technique to expose the page underneath (and then consider how that page should be designed to make the most of the cutout).
The downside to die-cut covers is similar to that of many other custom book cover design ideas: not all printers are capable of reproducing them, and they’re more expensive than standard printing. They can be an excellent option for a special edition, though.
The die-cut book covers below make creative use of cutouts, adding character and visual interest to their designs.
Monochromatic Custom Book Covers
Authors often think that book covers need to be colorful in order to stand out on the shelf. But sometimes, a monochromatic color scheme can be even more striking when done right. Another option is to use a mostly monochromatic palette with a single part that stands out in another color.
Check out the examples below to see how monochrome custom book cover designs can work well for a variety of genres. Some use subtle pops of additional color to highlight parts of the design or to make the type legible, but overall, the impression is of a single hue.
Brightly Colored Custom Book Covers
If you really want your book to stand out on the shelves, then a brightly colored book cover can be just the trick. Bright colors stand out immediately. In some genres, they’re more common—such as chick lit or children’s books. But in other genres, they’re less often seen, and that’s where a self-published author’s book can really set itself apart.
Check out the examples of brightly colored book covers below for some inspiration. Consider using colors that aren’t seen as often, too, like purple or orange.
Final Thoughts
As you can see from the examples above, there are numerous ways to make your book’s cover design stand out from others on the shelf with custom techniques like embossing, foil stamping, die-cutting, and unique materials. While some of these embellishments do come at a higher price point, they can pay dividends in helping your book grab potential readers’ attention.
Your book’s cover is one of the most important marketing tools you have for enticing readers to pick it up off the shelf or click on it online. With a little creativity and an eye for distinctive design elements, you can give your book maximum shelf appeal and visibility. Even small touches like embossed title text or a unique color scheme can add dimensions of depth or a luxury feel.
Whether you’re looking to create an understated, monochromatic cover or go all-out with metallic foils and intricate die-cut shapes, don’t be afraid to try something different when it comes to your cover design. With the right designer and maybe a little judicious splurging in the right areas, you can produce a book with an artistic cover that helps it get noticed. And for self-published authors, having your work noticed in the first place is half the battle.
