MYSTERY BOOK COVER DESIGN
Mystery novels are all about telling a compelling story with style and finesse. But, the way you carry your reader through the suspenseful ebbs and flow of your book starts far before they dive into the plotline.
First, your reader has to buy your mystery novel. And getting them to carry your book to checkout heavily depends on the quality of your book cover design and your ability to hook their attention.
Being a naturally adventurous and curious bunch, your book cover has to appeal to the mystery novel audience and set the tone for your story all in a quick glance. Readers are usually browsing through hundreds of books, which gives you a few seconds to catch their attention.
Thankfully, the mystery genre leaves plenty of room to get creative with your book cover design. While some genres demand a more subdued tone or literal depictions, mystery is all about suspense and intrigue, giving you the freedom to experiment with edgy and unconventional design elements.
Experiment with bold and dramatic imagery
By their very nature, mystery novels are dramatic and intense. They drag us in, irresistibly pulling us closer until we’re betraying our sleep schedule for ‘just a couple more pages.’
It’s the bold and dramatic literary elements that keep us glued to every page, and this same style can be used for mystery book cover design.
“Bold” design elements can take on many forms depending on the subgenre, so it’s important to appeal to your audience by using visuals that speak directly to their interests.
Take ‘cozy mystery’ covers, for example. They typically include rich and saturated imagery, while murder mystery book covers tends to take on a darker and more sinister tone.
These seemingly-small design details act as a north star for your ideal reader. They usually know their preferred subgenre, and including imagery to guide them can help your mystery novel jump out immediately.
Don’t give away too much in the design
Your book cover design for your mystery novel should only tell so much of the story. You want to tell enough to make your audience interested, but you don’t want to give away the storyline on the front cover.
Since mystery novels are all about the allure of suspense, you want to keep the element of surprise on the table. A great mystery book cover leaves subtle clues that connect full-circle after the reader has finished the book without giving the plotline away ahead of time.
Your mystery book cover should set expectations for what’s inside
A word of advice: don’t lose the message in the name of creativity.
While it’s great to experiment and immerse yourself in the creative process, you don’t want to forget the main goal of your book cover design (aside from sales): to set the tone and expectation for your book.
If your imagery isn’t representative of your mystery book, then it could attract the wrong audience and lead to disappointed readers. So, even as you get creative, always remember to appeal to your audience and lean into the design elements associated with your subgenre.
Even if your subgenre has notoriously overdone particular design elements, try thinking outside of the box and representing them in a new and creative way.
Design with your target audience in mind
Similar to the history book genre, mystery book cover design differs across subgenres and their varying audiences. It’s important to know your subgenre, but even more important to know your readers.
Your audience should always be at the forefront of your mind during the design process. So, do your homework and know exactly who you are writing to and for.
By knowing your audience well, you can use imagery and design elements that appeal to them directly, which will help you drive more book sales and popularity among your readers.
Our simple 3 stage design process
Getting the right custom design for your mystery book cover is simple and stress-free with the help of our three step design process. You don’t need any prior experience or knowledge; our professional and experienced book cover artists are here to help you every step of the way.
Step 1: Pre-design process
Select a service or a package, then fill in our design brief to help our team understand your book and design preferences.
Step 2: Design process
About 10 working days after we’ve received your design brief, we’ll present three different concepts with images and art direction, then request feedback.
Note: expect a 5-10 day turn-around time between revision requests. Two to three revisions is standard, however, we will keep revising until you’re happy with the design.
Step 3: Production process
We’ll present the final design and you’ll sign-off on your book cover. Next stop: publishing!
After delivering the files, our team will be available to assist you and answer any questions you may have during the production process.