Before we get started, let me just say this: "NEVER USE BOOK TEMPLATES ON CANVA".

(uhm but Alina I saw your awards book and I'm pretty sure I saw that template before--)

Let me rephrase that: "NEVER USE BOOK COVER TEMPLATES ON CANVA IF YOU WANT TO GET MORE READERS."

The only reason I used a template for my awards book was because I knew it won't matter (and of course I was lazy af). It's a damn awards book. No one gives a shit about your cover, and even if they did it's their loss for losing the opportunity to participate. Get what I'm saying?

I mean, if you're going to use Canva's template (or any other cover making app) then at least change the damn photo. I've seen so many books here with the same format and it's getting annoying. Please let me slap some sense into you.

It's a turn off. I repeat, it's a damn turn off.

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Now that we got that out of the way, let's start with the real thing. If you haven't done it yet, I want you to take a peek of the photo I've inserted above this chapter.

I don't know about you but that cover makes me wanna gouge my eyes out (very visual, I know). And before you go hating on me in the comments, know that I'M the one who made that cover. And yes, it was intentional, so shoo.

1. Font Color

Of course, it's common sense that the text you place on your cover should be ENTIRELY VISIBLE. If not then what's the point? If the background is dark make sure your font is light for it to stand out (and vise versa), avoid colors that look horrible together, and always always consider the overall aesthetic of the cover.

I honestly don't even know what to explain here because it's freaking easy to understand yet so many still make the same mistake.

2. Text Placement

In case you didn't know, there is a so-called 'unwritten rule' that exists here. Either you follow it or your cover won't look the best. The art of being balanced amirite? Just, don't let the text touch the edge, that's it. Unless that's your style I suppose but that'll be hard to pull off.

Don't go to the dark side. Stay where you are. Somewhere around the middle.

After you finish placing your text on the cover, ask yourself: 'does my cover look neat, organized, and balanced? are the words easy to read? if not, what made me do that in the first place?'

3. Choice of Photo

This is really important, because you're a goner the moment you choose the wrong photo. Unless you're a pro at editing then I guess this doesn't apply to you. And NO, I'm not talking about filters.

Pick the one that feels right; the one that fits your story idea perfectly and one YOU KNOW will look good as a cover. We're not making a magazine cover here alright? Or a poster, or whatever shit so get it together.

4. Text Alignment (no idea why I included this but let's go)

Long story short, be consistent with your style. But of course, this is still subjective and this topic is a bit broad especially if you're going with a creative idea... I'll just give you guys some brilliant covers I've stumbled upon.

One thing I've noticed is how underrated typography covers are here on Wattpad. I wanna see more covers that actually emphasizes the letters— I'm sick of seeing covers that feature a couple making out / a shirtless guy / whatever

You won't be able to achieve this on Canva alone, that's for sure. I recommend using the mobile app 'Phonto' for placing text on photos, 'Picsart', and 'IbisPaintx' extra editing, then 'VSCO' for filters (I rarely use it tho).

You're welcome, but it's a secret between us so don't tell the others yeah? I wouldn't want everyone having beautiful covers cause if that happens then we won't be able to differentiate the good ones from bad ones anymore.

I'm kidding! But yeah seriously I was actually contemplating whether I was going to share that information lol ;-; Either way, just because you have the resources doesn't mean you'll actually get a good result.

Try browsing through covers online to get more inspiration and also try making graphics just for the heck of it! There are also a lot of cover tutorials here on Wattpad (they helped me a lot) so make sure to check them out if you wanna get better!

5. Choice of Font

Fancy fonts like cursive are hard to pull off so you gotta be more cautious when using them.

Your font choices are pretty limited on Canva but again, with Phonto, you can downloaded fonts online and there's a hell lot of them. Just don't ask me for a downloading tutorial.

Pretty sure it's self-explanatory but don't settle with the fonts Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Helvetica, and the like. Please.

6. Font Size

Your. Readers. Should. Be. Able. To. Read. All. The. Texts. Without. Difficulty.

Too small or too big is not good for your cover. Go for average, but always make sure to emphasise your title and author's name. If you have a subtitle then make sure you use a smaller font size, got it?

Here's a for a few more things that you should take note of while making your cover:

- It SHOULD be relevant to your story
- Is it eye-catching? Is the idea original?
- Imagine yourself in this situation: 'If you saw a book with a cover identical to yours, would you grab it off the shelf?'
- Ask the opinion of others! You shouldn't only rely on your own.

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I hope you guys learned something from this chapter! Let me know if there's any more topics that you want me to tackle in the future.

Q: What do you think is the most important aspect of a book cover?

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BEFORE (Canva is life):

*I had a thing for you's apparently :p

NOW: