How often have you been drawn to a book based on its cover? Odds are youve done it quite often. Thats because the cover is an important marketing tool, and it must appeal to potential readers. Does your e-book cover meet this requirement? It doesnt matter if youre designing it yourself, or hiring a professional, the success of your cover depends on you.

Here are some e-book cover tips to get you started.

1. Be Different Set your e-book cover apart by making it unique. A unique cover design guarantees no other e-book will look like yours. There are plenty of free graphics available on the web, and its tempting to go that route. However, if you use free graphics, other people may also be using the same design. One solution is to edit free graphics so they appear original.

If your e-book cover looks exactly like someone elses, potential readers will be turned away. Consider this: if you saw two identical e-book covers, but authored by two different people, what would you think? Youd think one of those authors stole the e-book cover idea. Dont give readers a chance to think that about you.

2. Convey a Message The cover of your e-book should successfully convey the topic. The potential reader should be able to view your cover and know what to expect. If youve written a cookbook, your cover shouldnt feature kittens and puppies. Stick to the topic. Also, make sure images on your cover are clear.

A clear image goes a long way in conveying a clear message. If potential readers have to guess at your cover, theyll move on to something else. For best results, your cover should be a high-quality .gif or .jpg file. Everything on the cover should be crisp, clear, and appealing.

Overly large text and graphics can make your e-book look amateurish. Sometimes larger is better, but thats not often the case with e-book covers. However, dont get carried away and make everything too small. Just go to your bookshelf and look at some covers. That will give you an idea about how big or small your e-book cover components should be.

3. Use Appropriate Colors Its a proven fact that colors evoke various emotions. You can use this to your advantage. Choose colors for your e-book cover that convey what you want potential readers to feel. If you do a little research, youll find that most colors have emotional equivalents.

Green reminds most people of money. If your e-book is about finances, then green would be a great color choice. Red is a color of passion and action. Topics dealing with love, romance, or sex often do well with red covers. Have you ever wondered why blue is so prevalent in the corporate world? Its because blue represents confidence and calmness.

As you can see, the cover of your e-book is very important. The content is more important, but without an attention grabbing cover, no one will ever see whats inside.