You spent a lot of time and work writing your book, but now comes the hard part. Picking a cover. People often do judge books by their covers, unfortunately, so you want to make sure you have the right one – a face, an object, a landscape, a representation of your work, the right font, and more. There’s so much to think about, so to help you out, here are some great suggestions.

1. Brainstorm ideas

Every major project needs to start with a brainstorm. Think about the first impression you want your book to make. It’s hard to sum up the concept of your book in just one page, but this is where you think about whether you want words only, images, headshots, or more. According to Nancy McKenney, a book blogger at Assignment Service and Ox Essays, “your choices are mostly between gripping – something visually interesting that will grab people – or explanatory, which will tell people what the book is about. If you can combine both, that’s perfect.”

2. The details

At this point, you need to think about the steps that will make it look like a book. What shape, size and font will you use? Where will the title, subtitle, and author’s name be on the cover? This is also the step where you think about the colors you want. This will involve a lot of back and forth with editors and publishers.

3. Refine the draft

If you’re doing a headshot, you’ll need a photographer and set up the look. You might end up going back on the details like colors if you see that the image or face you chose doesn’t work as well with the initial colors as you thought it would. If you’re taking a self-portrait for the cover of the book, think about the clothes you’re wearing because the best option is a solid, dark color. It makes it a lot easier to place the author’s name in legible color.

4. Social proof helps

Once you’ve come up with the mock-up, you want to get external feedback from people who haven’t been staring at the same cover for a while. Send it to some trusted people, friends and colleagues, and ask for honest, frank opinions. Ask if it’s a book they’d pick out, or if the content makes sense, and strange things you might not have though of.

5. Don’t be afraid to change it

Don’t be afraid to change the image based on the feedback you get. That’s the whole point of getting feedback. It’s also normal that people within the team will disagree and have their own favorites. At this point, you can do a data check and survey different options (it helps if the publisher is willing to back this option).

Janet Frasier, a writer at Academized and Boomessays, suggests that you “ask readers what kind of books they’re into and what kind of covers speak to them more, their demographics, and more. The results you get might surprise you, but they’ll definitely be very helpful, and a cover that looks great may not be the most appealing.”

6. Go with your gut

You also want to follow your instincts if you feel like something is wrong with the current cover or you’re not convinced with the most popular option. That’s why if it doesn’t resonate with you, you shouldn’t go with it. It’s important that the cover is important to you as well, even if your brain is telling you to go with it.

By following these tips, it should make it a bit easier for you to choose the perfect cover for your book.

Aimee Laurence, a tutor with UK Writing Services and StateOfWriting, gives advice to her readers about different writing, editing, and publishing tips. She is passionate about helping people self-publish their works. She also works as a freelance editor for the company NSW Writing Services.