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75 Stunning Designs for Fiction Book Cover Design Inspiration

Are you looking for book cover design inspiration for your upcoming self-published book? Here is a collection of some of the best book covers I have seen online as I’m always on a lookout for some gorgeous book covers that are very original, or well made, have an incredible concept or manage to get your attention while being surrounded by other covers.

This article also includes short comments on why they work. Here are 75 awesome covers selected from GoodReads.com, Pinterest, Behance or Jacket Museum, and other online sources.

penguin book covers

1. Penguin Classic Book Covers

Love the original and detailed illustrations. Simplistic with few colors used, but it attracts attention with great illustrations and ‘hand-made’ feel.

Wonderful World book cover

2. Wonderful World by Javier Calvo

Great colors, great background and simple text that uses 2 fonts and colors (some contrast that matches well between fonts).

the catastrophist large book cover

3. The Catastrophist by Lawrence Douglas

Absolutely brilliant. Funny, conveys the message and uses a minimal amount of stuff. One of my favorites of the bunch!

Seduced: A Hannah Smith Novel, by Randy Wayne White (2016). “[Florida’s orange] trees are dying at the root, weakened by infestation and genetic manipulation, and the only solution might be somehow, somewhere, to find samples of the original root stock. No one is better equipped to traverse the swamps and murky backcountry of Florida than Hannah, but once word leaks out of her quest, the trouble begins.” (Website)

4. Seduced by Randy Wayne White

Amazing colors (evocative), author’s name is big so it’s easy to read in the small thumbnail (if the author sells books ‘on the name’ alone that matters). The plane is small but still is placed so well too that it’s easy to see and tell what the book is featuring.

 der kreide mann book cover

5. Der Kreide Mann by C.J. Tudor

Awesome cover. Typography is main effect and visual supports it well. Love the color scheme. The image is a bit blurry here but that’s because it’s a picture from online and not an original cover (so it’s not a blurry one originally).

pinterest holmes

6. Sherlock Holmes by A.C. Doyle

Great illustration and interesting use of sans serif font to go with it (adds modern feel to this). Dig it!

rooms

7. Rooms by James L. Rubart

Great feel here. Well manipulated photos and fitting font choice.

SR georgianaderwent_oxfordblood_web_final

8. The Cavaliers by Georgiana Derwent

Great typography. Another example of how contrasting fonts work even without many effects created on them. Love the red badge here too.

pinterest murakami

9. The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami

Great use of different text placement and lines. Bold.

pinterest 20000 miles

10. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Great colors and great illustration. Ornaments incorporated so well.

ron-wilder-700x295

11. The 100 Watt War by Ron Wilder

Awesome background and typography. Again, quite minimalistic, not too much colors but it works really well.

pinterest manhattan

12. Manhattan by Woody Allen

Not sure if it’s a book cover, probably not, but I just had to include this brilliant use of Woody’s face and skyline of Manhattan. Creative!

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13. One Perfect Day by Rebecca Mead

So original, love how they used the receipt here. Adds that ‘commercialized’ feel that book is talking about.

Joyce_9780679645115_epub_cvi_r1-e1343230239999

14. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

Gorgeous, vibrant colors and simple text integrated into the artwork. Great effect.

meltdown-e1289079193227

15. Meltdown by Chuck Holton

Great effect of movement and action here. Great manipulation.

JM toy collector

16. The Toy Collector

Great simple typography. Lots of text but it’s all balanced well, still readable with all the toy parts too. Great colors!

JM psychopat test

17. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

Love the contrast of it, great colors and font choices. Definitely conveys the idea for the book – the duplicity and prey/predator dynamic.

JM oil on water

18. Oil on Water by Helon Nabila

Love the colors, simple image and how they used typography here.

JM little red riding hood

19. Little Red Riding Hood

Awesome typography. Possible handrawn and then scanned to bring it to computer and trace it there.

JM flame alphabet

20. The Flame Alphabet

Geometric shapes well done, even creates a 3D look.

JM dust to dust

21. Dust to Dust by Benjamin Busch

Great stock photography use. Another simple font used. It almost shouldn’t work with such simple design but even this overly simplistic approach doesn’t kill the cover.

Not a Sound: A Thriller Park Row book cover

22. Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf

A really great atmosphere for cover and well-done text.

Too Close to Breathe: A heart-stopping thriller, new for ... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072W4583B/ref=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_U_x_zYuFAbXPDEXSY

23. Too Close to Breathe by Olivia Kiernan

I love the color scheme and even tho text is simple, it still works well. The cover is quite ambiguous but still gives the Thriller vibe well.

GR the wind up bird chronicle

24. The Wind-Up Bird by Haruki Murakami

Unreadable text in a small thumbnail but the picture is so original that it’s no problem. Concept wins over the readability, it just looks so ‘weird’ that it can become its advantage.

GR tragedy paper

25. The Tragedy Paper

Love typography here. The effect is good and not often used in fear of illegibility. Great use of two colors only.

gone world

26. The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch

A risky design for Sci-Fi cover. It can be hard to pull off inverted colors on covers but this one is done well.

GR sisters and brothers

27. The Sisters and Brothers by Patrick DeWitt

Love how the circle and those two characters are used to create skull effect when watching from further away or as a small thumbnail.

GR snow child

28. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Gorgeous illustration, cleverly hidden child gives it that childish feeling and colors are stunning.

GR silhouette

29. Silhouette by Dave Swavely

Managed to manipulate multiple pictures well and not have any rough edges to it.

GR other peoples baggage

30. Other People’s Baggage

It looked more like a non-fiction cover when I saw it and that’s why it attracted attention. Good colors and nice concept.

GR Lazarus machine

31. The Lazarus Machine by Paul Crilley

Well manipulated pictures and Photoshop effects. It has a ton of elements which can cram up the design too much but even with lots of words on cover it still works. Very well done in that regard.

GR lifeboat

32. The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

Totally loving it. Great colors, great, dramatic sky and good use of one main element in design (boat). The text is really good too.

GR inexplicables

33. The Inexplicables by Cherie Pries

Great illustration, use of textures and nice text. Red hair stands out too and attracts attention among other covers.

GR indigo awakening

34. Indigo Awakening by Jordan Dane

Not sure about the font choice but effects and illustration are great.

GR Gods grammar

35. God’s Grammar by Mick Mooney

Awesome sky just grabbed me. Sands match it well, and it has the feel it needs to convey. Might be the only cover here designed by the author himself (who is a graphic designer himself so he had an unfair advantage here). Great contrast, colors, and concept.

GR finding camplann

36. Finding Camlann by Sean Pidgeon

Great manipulation, great colors and bird. Love the feel of it.

Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty Universe Book 1) by Rosamund H...

37. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Stunning cover. Superb… love the colors, love the running woman which adds drama.. and the rose is blended in so well. Really cool, original idea. Fantastic cover.

GR desert spear

38. The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett

Great Photoshop work and good typography.

GR elemental

39. Elemental by Anthony John

Great manipulation of elements and pictures.

GR death of bees

40. The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell

Love the colors, love the illustration. That shovel adds something to it, some edge and danger, maybe to match the ”Death” in the title?

GR and then there were none41. And then there were none by Agatha Christie

Simple. There is a fine line between simple/genius and simple/not-done-yet. This one looks great.

GR clockwork princess

42. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Not liking the font choice as it is missing something, maybe the effect doesn’t match it too but the stock photo of girl and effect with the book is awesome.

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43. Empire Rising by Thomas Kelly

Love the perspective of the text. Great picture too (that’s where my love for skyscrapers show haha)

behance sherlock holmes

44. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

Another Holmes cover and another beauty. Love how simple it is yet it still conveys main thing about the character.

behance romeo and juliet45. Romeo and Juliet

Just wow… the illustration and colors are great. You wouldn’t expect skulls on a cover really.. except a Horror one.. but this is superb.

behance lost prince

46. The Lost Prince

Great photomanipulation and colors.

BCA resistance

47. Resistance by Barry Lopez

Love the idea and concept of it. It’s not the most beautiful cover in the world but it is original!

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48. Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

One of the best covers of last year. Great colors, great use of the lighthouse. Typography isn’t original but works nonetheless.

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49. Through the Eyes of Joanna by Edith Ivie

Great colors, simple text and use of texture.

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50. Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand

Great text, colors really suit the title. Not your typical placement of elements too.

Magicians Impossible: A Novel by Brad Abraham https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250083524/ref=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_U_x_8sKwAb7PSTF9Q

51. Magicians Impossible by Brad Abraham

A cliche dark silhouette cover that is done well. Cliches do become for a reason, they work. And this cover is a good example why. The cool smoke effect adds nice differentiation and untraditional title adds a nice flavor too (the wave effect of it).

#CoverReveal Priest of Bones (War for the Rose Throne, #1) by Peter McLean

52. Priest of Bones by Peter McLean 

Awesome example of how rightly picked fonts tell the genre and look cool. No need for more effects on them. Great cover.

The Past Is Rising 09 Book Cover Sample

53. The Past is Rising by Kathryn Bywaters

Really good cover. At first, she captures the eyes, then text, then the guy. A good example of how design can ‘drive’ the eye on a well-structured cover.

The Long Drop by Denise Mina, Scottish Noir about serial killer Peter Manuel against the background of grubby, violent Glasgow and the Gorbals before slum clearance. The personality of the city is felt as dark and as claustrophobic as the alternating court room scenes.

54. The Long Drop by Denise Mina

Wowser… great effect and design work for visual.

#CoverReveal Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore

55. Swan Lake by Anna-Marie McLemore

Beautiful cover. Very elegant, great colors (blue goes to white then red).

a totally awesome shop from jakepatt. ***option française*** … #random Random #amreading #books #wattpad

56. Don’t Cry Murder by Jake Patterson

Awesome colors. Very current with design trends of 2018 and bold choice.

The Thought Cathedral designed by Damonza.com | JF: This thriller cover uses focus not once, but twice to steer us right where the designer wants us to look: at the face revealed in the rectangle, then on the eye at the center of the focusing target. Although other elements are present, they are suppressed to allow the main element to predominate. ★

57. The Thought Cathedral by Nathan Williams

Love the movie poster feel. This cover has a great way of integrating multiple different visuals without cramming it.

The Old You by Louise Voss https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B078GZQH56/ref=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_U_x_6gFwAb0F2VT1P

58. The Old You by Lousie Voss

Fantastic. One of the best visuals on a book cover I’ve ever seen and it’s so simple yet so so powerful. That hand reaching out. What a way to create mood!!! Can’t rave enough about this cover…

December
59. The Cliff House by Amanda Jennings

So simple, yet so good. A perfect example of how an image can be paired with simple text.

Curtain Call: Magnolia Steele Mystery #4 - Kindle edition by Denise Grover Swank. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

60. Curtain Call by Denise Grover Swank

Awesome way to create depth with the broken glass and title behind it. Top job with Photoshop manipulation.

Serial Killer Z : Infection (Serial Killer Z Book 0)

61. Serial Killer Z: Infection by Philip Harris

This whole series has amazing designs. Awesome Photoshop skills manipulated visuals together so well. The people ‘in’ the ‘Z’ letter (and water) look so cool.

The Fifth Gospel: An unputdownable conspiracy thriller - http://www.darrenblogs.com/2017/03/the-fifth-gospel-an-unputdownable-conspiracy-thriller/

62. The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell

A great example of how texture use spices up the cover without overloading it and making it too gritty.

Double or Nothing (Daniel Faust Book 7) by Craig Schaefer

63. Double or Nothing by Craig Shaefer

Fantastic Photoshop skills. Love the title treatment and slanted placement. The whole series, again, is worth looking at as it’s brilliantly designed.

64. Point of Control by Drake Green

Another example of how typography can be a focal point.

Billions died and rose again, hungry for human flesh. When the nightmare reached Sheriff Danielle Adelman's small mountain community of Forest Peak, California, it was too late for warnings...forcing her to lead a small group of survivors out of hell, all the while seeking her estranged runaway sister at any cost.

65. Rise Again Below Zero by Ben Tripp

Nice example of how un-standard text placing and perspective can work.

Examples of book cover designs for general and literary fiction made by Bookfly's designer.

66. Monstrous Lies by Shina James

Another great Photoshop composition and typography.

Juniper Unraveling by Keri Lake; cover design by Okay Creations.

67. Juniper Unraveling by Keri Lake

Amazing Photoshop and the atmosphere it creates. Superb!

Secret Hunger (The Harper Sisters) by Satin Russell

68. Secret Hunger by Satin Russell

An absolute trend in 2017/2018 with person/silhouette and a visual blended into it. Great cover, great colors.

e-Book Cover Design Award Winner for August 2015 in Fiction | If Angels Fall designed by James T. Egan of Bookfly Design. | JF: Compare the design mastery here with the many “get-a-photo-and-slap-some-type-on-it” covers submitted this month. Dramatic, with great intimations of the story to be found within, the purposeful focus that leads us to the action in the background, and a title treatment that integrates completely with the art. I feel like I’m floating into a city on fire...

69. If Angels Fall by Rick Mofina

Awesome, awesome, awesome typography and colors. Evocative cover.

Book Cover Design for Insanity. If you would like to commission us for your book cover, please visit our website #bookcover #bookcoverdesign #bookcoverart #ebookcovers #ebookcover #bookcoverartwork #ebookdesign #bookcoverdesigner #selfpublish #ebookart #ebookcoverdesign #amwriting #ebookcoverdesigner #author #indiepub #bookporn #selfpub #selfpublishing #writer #writers #communityofwriters #bookcovers #bookcoverartist #ebookdesign #lifeofawriter #indieauthor #amwriting

70. Insanity by Andre Gonzalez

Very simple, but very well done. Interesting. Intriguing.

Cause of Death: A Gripping Medical Murder Thriller (Detective Damien Drake Book 2) by Patrick Logan, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B072KJ2C74/ref=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_x_cxKEzbMGN3K44

71. Cause of Death by Patrick Logan

Simple visual but says all it needs. Great colors too.

72. 37 Hours by J.F. Kirwan

Big bold typography with small visuals (plant and diver) supporting it well to create a great cover.

End Game (Jack Noble) - Kindle edition by L.T. Ryan. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

73. End Game by L.T. Ryan

Another cover that is a perfect example of current trends in thriller covers. A modern update on the silhouette cliche.

Book Cover Design for Twisted. If you would like to commission us for your book cover, please visit our website: www.ebooklaunch.c... #bookcover #bookcoverdesign #bookcovers #bookcoverart #books #bookaholic #bookporn #ebookcover #ebookcovers #bookcoverartwork #bookcoverartist #bookcoverdesigner #ebookcoverdesign #ebookcoverdesigner #ebookcoverart #author #authorslife #authors #amwriting #amdesigning #selfpublish #selfpub #indiepub #lifeofawriter

74. Twisted by Sarah Reeves

Monochromatic covers (one color) can be too boring but this one works well, with great typography too. It’s not just red color overlayed over images combined so it’s more interesting and contrasting.

#Cover Reveal York (The Shadow Cipher, #1) by Laura Ruby

75. York by Laura Ruby

Fantastic work with 3D elements for the title and other parts of it. Looks very realistic and cool.

More Useful Resources

For some more inspiration you should visit Kindlepreneur’s article – Book Cover Ideas Every Author Can Learn From

Hope you enjoyed this collection of book covers and short thoughts on why they work. Hope this gave you some insights into book cover design too and helped you learn more. If you’d like me to add more covers and update this post in the future, let me know in the comments below!

17 thoughts on “75 Stunning Designs for Fiction Book Cover Design Inspiration”

  1. 50 Beautiful Fiction Book Cover Designs | Rocking Book Covers
    This is awesome!

  2. Mary Ryan

    This is a fantastic, instructive article. Your comments pointed out some items I would never have noticed, for instance, the guy with red hair. I love that you showed what you didn’t think worked as well as showing what did. A lot if informational articles forget to tell us what is wrong as well as what is right.

  3. I know you posted this a long time ago, but just saw that you included my design for Aghorst Aoman. Thanks so much!

    1. Adrijus G.

      You’re welcome Scarlett! You deserve it! I’m a fan! 🙂

  4. J Robbins

    Silhouette looks like one of your covers!

    1. Adrijus G.

      Haha a little bit but mine would have a bit more texture probably! But it is a good cover for sure!

  5. I have taken note of a few designs that I found might be useful for my manuscript.

    Book has taken a while in the writing of, so will bookmark this page and check back again.

    Ciao

    1. Adrijus G.

      Sounds good Judith! Glad you found the article useful and definitely keep coming back to it as you need!

      Enjoy writing! 😉

      Adrijus

  6. Do you know who published the Romeo and Juliet? I cannot find it.

    1. Adrijus G.

      Nope, sadly. There are many of those too so it’s hard to find…

  7. This is a SUPERB article, Adrijus. Thank you. Now, I’m hunting you down for my next cover!

    1. Adrijus G.

      Hi! Great to hear! Glad you love it and I hope we get to collaborate on a cover in future for sure. 😉

      Best,
      Adrijus

  8. Hi Adrijus,

    Thanks for including 3 Ebook Launch cover designs in your post 🙂 (The Thought Cathedral, Insanity and Twisted)

    Take care

    1. Adrijus G.

      No problems! Well deserved. Keep up the good work!

      Adrijus

  9. Adrijus, you’ve written an excellent article. Thank you so much. Now I’m looking for your next cover!

Comments are closed.