How Do You Design a Book Cover That Really Stands Out?

I’ve been working on a manuscript and realized that the cover can completely change how readers perceive a book before even opening it. I keep wondering what the best approach is to design a book cover that feels both professional and genre-appropriate without being too complicated. For authors and designers here, what steps do you usually follow when trying to design a book cover, and what mistakes should beginners avoid?

• This topic was modified 1 day, 18 hours ago by benbaker.
• This topic was modified 1 day, 18 hours ago by benbaker.