Custom Dust Jackets: Adding a Professional Touch to Your Hardcover Book

By BookBaby author BookBaby

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Looking for a way to make your hardcover book stand out? A custom dust jacket could be the answer! Much more than just a protective layer for your book, a custom dust jacket offers you the opportunity to promote your book and reach new customers.

Although they say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, people absolutely do, and your custom dust jacket may be the perfect way to get your book noticed. In this resource guide, we’ll take a closer look at what dust jackets are, why you’ll want to have one, and how to get started with a uniquely designed custom dust jacket of your own.

What is a custom dust jacket?

A custom dust jacket adds professional appeal to a hardcover book. Readers, fans of the genre, and collectors alike all love a dust jacket, as they’re fantastic ways to get your hardcover book into the hands of more readers. Besides adding a protective layer to keep your book shielded from dust and scratches, a custom dust jacket also showcases artwork and additional details about your book.

Why use a custom dust jacket?

Beyond protecting your hardback book from wear and tear, a custom dust jacket gives you multiple ways to promote yourself as an author, and your book to would-be readers. Here are a few of the many benefits of choosing a custom dust jacket:

Stand out on a crowded shelf

Put a professionally designed dust jacket on a plain hardcover book, and it’s like a complete metamorphosis has taken place. Suddenly, that plain old hardback has a new, creative style that gets attention and helps your book stand out on a crowded shelf.

Better marketability

A custom dust jacket is your opportunity to market yourself! Include endorsements, reviews, summaries, your website, author bio, and much more. It’s your marketing canvas, but it’s up to you to make the most of it.

Unique branding

Your dust jacket is a great branding opportunity. You can boost your author brand and create a cohesive look for a series of hardback books, or brand yourself as a recognized authority in your field. Dust jacket designs can all be aligned to fit the same look and style so that over time, people will come to recognize your books by their unique look and feel.

Additional content

While you can’t directly include information into the hardback book itself, the custom dust jacket is another story. Include exclusive content, additional graphics or insights, a link to your website, and much more. All of this added information could be the reason a prospective reader chooses your book over others, so make it count!

What makes up a custom dust jacket?

A dust jacket gives you ample opportunities to align your creative vision with the contents of your book. Just like a regular book cover, a dust jacket is made up of several different parts.

Front cover

This part usually includes the title and subtitle (if any). You might also include a unique illustration or photo that captures the theme of your book and hints at what’s inside.

Back cover

The back cover often has a brief overview of the book, some critical reviews, and a small photo of the author.

Spine

The spine is just large enough to include the book title and author name so that it can be read from a fully stacked bookshelf.

Inside flaps

This is where the magic happens. The inside flaps are wide open for you to add anything you like, such as an author bio, a synopsis, or even a call-to-action to join your website, Facebook group, or other program.

Printing options for a custom dust jacket

Custom dust jackets have a variety of printing options at their disposal. For example, they can be printed in many different types of paper, including glossy and matte finishes. You can also add additional options like embossing, spot UV, and foil stamping to give your book a luxurious and classy look. First-edition collectors often look for these enhanced features when adding a book to their collection!

Is a custom dust jacket right for you?

Custom dust jackets are great for first editions, limited print runs, or special releases of your book. They’re also ideal if you want to re-release an existing title without changing the interior layout, but still want to refresh the look of your book.

If your book is being displayed at an event or bookstore, a custom dust jacket is a great way to make it stand out and create a positive first impression with your potential readers.

How to get a custom dust jacket for your hardcover book

Ready to get started with your own custom hardback book cover? There’s no better way to get started than through BookBaby. Our diligent custom dust jacket design process is made to help you bring your creativity to life. You’re in complete control of every aspect of your dust jacket’s design, from choosing the perfect font to zeroing in on the right image that perfectly showcases what you want to share.

Our team of experienced graphic designers are dedicated to working with you every step of the way to deliver a polished and perfectly printed cover. The best part is, dust jacket design is just the beginning! We also offer a range of book cover design services to help make publishing your book easier than ever.

Even if you’ve already published your hardcover book, our book marketing services can help get your book into the hands of more readers through social media promotion, online marketing, your own custom author page, and much more. Whether you’re looking to release a new edition or you want to try something that sets you apart from your competition, a dust jacket could be just what you need.

We invite you to learn more and browse our custom dust jacket design services as well as our book marketing and self-publishing options. We welcome any questions you may have and look forward to working with you to create a unique design that exceeds your expectations!

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