Before a reader flips a single page or clicks “Look Inside,” your book cover is already speaking for you. This cover is the handshake extended across the digital aisle, the silent signal of whether your work deserves attention, trust, and investment.

In 2025, this first impression has never mattered more. Online platforms shrink your masterpiece into a thumbnail the size of a postage stamp (or smaller). Algorithms surface or suppress titles based on how clickable they appear. And human readers (...