Several of my fellow writers are busy writing their nonfiction books. Since I've published a number of books, they've asked me to take a look at their book covers.
Too often, the cover does not do the book or the author justice. The title is too small, the author's name is way too small, and the image is often an illustration instead of an image, a stock photo.
While we all know the book cover matters, their book covers do not make a great first impression. Worse, it almost makes a terrible first impression because those covers look amateurish.
People Do Judge a Book by Its Cover
As of this writing (July 2025), Amazon accounts for approximately half of the books sold worldwide. Think about what that means:
- Your title, subtitle, and author name are part of what people search for.
- You can't hold the book before you buy it.
- You see the cover in thumbnail first, before you can read the details on the book page.
That thumbnail cover is what makes the first impression on a possible reader/buyer.
Now, think about an app you use every day. What made you decide to buy that app? We rarely buy apps because of their logo. Instead, we buy and use software because it solves specific problems at a price we are willing to pay.
Books are exactly the same way. But it's even easier with books because the cover can tell the reader exactly what they will get. Even in thumbnail.
Both fiction and nonfiction covers imply a specific genre. That's why nonfiction books rarely, if ever, use an illustration on the cover. Illustrations imply some sort of fantasy. Readers expect nonfiction books to be firmly grounded in reality.
That's why the illustration jars the potential buyer. Is this a fantastical story? Or a reality-based nonfiction book?
I am sure there is always some exception to any rule. However, as a guideline, use a stock photo or all text on a nonfiction book. That's because the potential reader needs to be able to read the entire cover in thumbnail.
Readers See the Thumbnail First
Nonfiction books solve problems, offer information, and, with any luck, entertain the readers. However, I am sure that you, as I, have read non-entertaining nonfiction books. Instead, we slogged through them for the information we needed. I bought and read those books because I had problems or needed that information.
Your book cover—especially in thumbnail—needs to do exactly the same thing. The thumbnail tells the potential reader that this book offers that specific information.
If you're working on a cover, ask yourself:
- How does the title convey the problem and possible solution(s) for the reader?
- Can the reader read that title and subtitle in thumbnail?
- If you're already somewhat known, can the reader see your name?
Some nonfiction readers will buy all of a particular writer's books, regardless of that book's specific relevance right now. For example, based on buying several of Jerry Weinberg's books, I later bought one of his new books as soon as he published it. I am sure I have all of Jerry's books now.
If you are relatively famous, readers will seek out your books.
And if you're not famous yet, your book might help you become (more) famous.
So the title, subtitle, and author name all need to be large enough to read that text in thumbnail.
Because readers see the thumbnail first, readers need to see that your book solves their problem(s). That's what the title, subtitle, image, and author name do. All of that, and in a small image.
Covers Use the Rule of Thirds
All the photographers out there already know about the Rule of Thirds. (Hopefully, all the rest of us figured this out during the pandemic so we would look good on video.) Effective book covers also use the Rule of Thids.
Take the image you're considering. Start by using thirds horizontally. That means the title and subtitle are at the top third, the image is in the middle third, and the author names are in the lower third.
Now, my dear self-publishing nonfiction book writers: see how large those titles and names are? That's what you want. Make all that text smaller at your peril. The smaller the text, the more difficult it is to read the thumbnail. That creates friction for the potential reader. Avoid that.
Make the book title, subtitle, and author text easy to read. (Note, some of my book covers are not well designed. Sigh. I remain an avid student of how to create great book covers.
Now, you can do very interesting things with the image, especially if you divide the image in thirds vertically. Do you want the image directly in the center? How about weighted to one side or the other? That depends on how much text you have for the title, subtitle, and author name.
That's how you can make a great first impression with your nonfiction book cover. (The rules are somewhat different for fiction, but the Rule of Thirds still rules. Yes, I did mean to pun there.)
Look at Comp Books
If you're writing a book of any sort, make sure you look at the comp (comparable) books in your category. I recommend you first review those comps so you write your book, not what's already out there. But when it's time to make a cover, review your comps again, this time to make sure possible readers will recognize where your book fits.
If you're writing a book about leadership, go to the online bookstore of your choice and type in “leadership books.” Now see the various covers that pop up, all in thumbnail. What do they have in common? Is there anything unique about any of those books?
The best-selling books in a given category tend to look like each other. It does not matter which category—each category's best-selling books often look similar to each other. (Even if the publisher brands their books to the publisher, not the author.)
There is one big exception: If you wrote many books and you've branded your author name and cover “look,” readers will not care if your book covers look like anyone else's covers. (I'm looking at you, Michael W Lucas.)
Readers Expect the Same But Different
If your book cover looks something like the other book covers in your comps, the readers will be interested. You're giving them the “same” but different. That makes it easy for readers to buy your book. The reader knows what to expect.
Your book cover matters because that's their first impression of your book.
Make a great first impression for your nonfiction book by using stock photography, not illustrations for the cover. Use the Rule of Thirds. Make your title and subtitle as large as you can stand it. Use that size font to make your name (first and last) as large as the title.
(This is part of the Publish Your Nonfiction Book intermittent series of posts.)