THRILLER BOOK COVERS
Thriller novel readers are anticipating suspense and surprise in between the pages of your book and on the cover.
Adrenaline junkies of the literary world, thriller book readers are looking for an edge—for that je ne sais quoi calling to them from the shelf. Because of this audience’s adventurous nature, it’s important to meet their expectations and use attention-grabbing imagery that appeals to their interests.
It’s standard for thriller authors to opt for a generic, pre-made cover but it’s a common mistake. Since your book cover design serves as your first impression with your reader and your first opportunity to land a sale, standing out with a creative book cover design is crucial to your marketing strategy.
By incorporating the design elements below into your thriller book cover—or, by working with our team of professional book cover artists—you can help your book stand out on the shelf and find a home in the hands of your reader.
Typography is often the star of the show
Before we get into the details, we need to be honest. Your book is stacked up next to hundreds if not thousands of other thriller books on the shelf. It’s nothing to get overwhelmed about, but it is something to consider.
So, how can you make your thriller book cover more eye-catching than all the others?
Typography is an effective way to grab your reader’s attention, especially if you don’t want to reveal too much about your story.
By using visually compelling typography, you can direct the foreground focus to your title and still leave plenty of mystery around your story. This strategy can help spark intrigue from your reader and tug at their curiosity.
Incorporate dark and dramatic styling
The thriller genre style is often described as suspenseful and eerie, so using dark and dramatic imagery can appeal directly to what your reader is expecting and looking for on the shelf.
Common design elements include stormy clouds, dim lighting, and ominous silhouettes. When these types of images make up the background of your book cover design, they arouse an air of suspense and ignite excitement from your audience.
Since dark and dramatic imagery are basically staples in the thriller genre, incorporating these elements into your book cover design is notoriously effective in attracting the right audience.
Use the right imagery to set the scene
There are a variety of subgenres in the thriller umbrella, each encompassing their own design preferences and nuances.
To attract the attention of the right audience, it’s important to use imagery on your book cover that hints to what the reader can expect from your story. You can express this either literally or metaphorically. It’s all up to you and your own creative interpretation.
To put this into perspective, let’s look at subtle design elements that carry strong influence. For example, using eerie blood-splattering effects sets a different tone than a hooded figure holding a crucifix. The first sets a murderous scene while the latter gives a cultish or religious impression that you might expect in a psychological thriller..
Or, on the other hand, straying away from stereotypical imagery and elevating a minimalist design with dramatic color can make your reader wonder more about the story behind the cover. Both typography and graphic illustration offer a unique visual approach for a creative thriller cover, compared to the more common photographic imagery.
We can see these two elements combined in our design for “Viajo Sola” and “El Niño En La Nieve” which take this bold, unique angle.
Our simple 3 stage design process
Getting the right custom design for your thriller book cover is simple with the help of our professional design team and three step design process. You don’t need any prior experience or knowledge; our 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 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.