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The Best Book Covers of 2022

In a year brimming with beautiful jacket art, these books stood out.

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By Matt Dorfman

Matt Dorfman is a designer, illustrator and the art director of the Book Review.

• Dec. 9, 2022

If an outsize premium is placed upon maximizing personal brands, book cover designers are at a significant disadvantage. Most often, any personal stylistic expressions in their work are swallowed up in service to the multiple masters — editors, marketing directors, sales teams — who sign off on a book’s cover. There is also the matter of adhering to any one publisher’s dos and don’ts, which can inform mandates about typography, color palettes and production flourishes like embossing or metallic inks. For people employed in a theoretically creative pursuit, designers’ talents are often defined by how effortlessly they can make themselves disappear to serve the book.

This required disappearing act also grants designers an unlikely role in the wider world as cultural sounding boards. In crafting visuals that need to find their places amid phones, tablets and all manner of other flashing lights that distract us daily, the success of books and their covers is quantified by the curiosity they sustain. And that curiosity is best harnessed and represented by designers who are most adept at listening and absorbing — often while the world around them is shouting and self-promoting. Though design should never be mistaken for genuine human empathy, it remains yet one other way to engage deeply with someone else’s experience. Incidentally, reading is also described in this way.

“Shit Cassandra Saw,” by Gwen E. Kirby Designed and illustrated by Lydia Ortiz

How often does a book cover require a seatbelt? The title’s maximalist implications are taken to heart in the execution of this jacket; the fun that was presumably had in making it shows.

“Putin,” by Philip Short Designed by Christopher Sergio

Forgoing a cover photo of its infamous subject is what sets this book apart from most others about Vladimir Putin. The bold red square speaks loudly to the author’s mastery of his subject with a bluntness that even the Russian president might be inclined to recognize.

“Kiki Man Ray,” by Mark Braude Designed by Jaya Miceli Photograph by Fernand Léger

This book considers a notoriously unsung artist long relegated to the margins of history, and its cover is a tribute that manages to hit notes of bawdiness and reclamation while at the same time using color (or a lack of it) to convey a mournful tone for what she was denied. (And, admittedly, the photo is a stunner.)

“The Great Experiment,” by Yascha Mounk Designed by Ben Denzer

Typically, covers circling this topic often skew (rightfully) dark tonally or (rightfully) alarmist aesthetically. Sometimes they’re capable of synthesizing both qualities at once. This one remains definitively alarmist but swerves away from darkness with a counterintuitive playfulness that promises an accessible reading experience.

“The Passenger” and “Stella Maris,” by Cormac McCarthy Designed by Chip Kidd

Creating cover art that conveys the passage of time is not easy. This box set, containing two interlinked novels, lays out its story beats like a film’s cold open. On the “front” of the box is a context-free seascape; upon turning to the twin spines, we discover a body underwater; on the opposite side, there’s a mushroom cloud. Not only does the designer illustrate the story’s major and minor themes while spoiling nothing, he also anticipates all the ways people might hold this in their hands.

“I Want to Keep Smashing Myself Until I Am Whole,” by Elias Canetti Designed by Alex Merto Illustration by Ian Woods

“two nurses, smoking,” by david means designed by alex merto.

The same designer produced both of these covers. Looking at them side by side, they demonstrate a stylistic pluralism that speaks to the attention paid to each book’s mission. It is difficult to be this artful in such different ways.

“Constructing a Nervous System,” by Margo Jefferson Designed by Kelly Blair

“easy beauty,” by chloé cooper jones designed by alison forner.

The covers of these two very different memoirs, written by two very different authors, use visuals to spur readers to consider multiple meanings of their titles. This is also not as easy to pull off as it looks.

“Dilla Time,” by Dan Charnas Designed by Rodrigo Corral Illustration by Matt Buck

What could have been a lazy visual appeal to the subject’s vanity is instead an image that signals the zones of his many talents while nodding to the relationship between that talent and work ethic (and beats). Also the author was selfless enough to leave his name off the front.

“My Pinup,” by Hilton Als Designed by Joan Wong

It’s not a book about Prince. It’s a book about the author’s personal and cultural relationship to Prince. The designer notes that distinction almost exclusively with typography without forgetting to dance.

“Pure Colour,” by Sheila Heti Designed by Na Kim Painting by Ellsworth Kelly

A fair argument can be made that using an Ellsworth Kelly artist proof as the key image for one’s cover provides an unfair advantage. But the choice to do so is less about formal boldness than it is an act of curation. For a cosmological novel about creation and the concept of God as an artist, the cover’s twin grace notes are so slight as to be easily missed: “A.P.” (for “artist’s proof”) is scribbled in light pencil just below the author’s first name, followed by the artist’s signature on the heels of her surname. It’s the last thing you notice before opening the book and starting the trip.

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How to Write a Book Review: The Complete Guide

by Sue Weems | 23 comments

If you've ever loved (or hated) a book, you may have been tempted to review it. Here's a complete guide to how to write a book review, so you can share your literary adventures with other readers more often! 

You finally reach the last page of a book that kept you up all night and close it with the afterglow of satisfaction and a tinge of regret that it’s over. If you enjoyed the book enough to stay up reading it way past your bedtime, consider writing a review. It is one of the best gifts you can give an author.

Regardless of how much you know about how to write a book review, the author will appreciate hearing how their words touched you.

But as you face the five shaded stars and empty box, a blank mind strikes. What do I say? I mean, is this a book really deserving of five stars? How did it compare to Dostoevsky or Angelou or Dickens?

Maybe there’s an easier way to write a book review.

Want to learn how to write a book from start to finish? Check out How to Write a Book: The Complete Guide .

The Fallacy of Book Reviews

Once you’ve decided to give a review, you are faced with the task of deciding how many stars to give a book.

When I first started writing book reviews, I made the mistake of trying to compare a book to ALL BOOKS OF ALL TIME. (Sorry for the all caps, but that’s how it felt, like a James Earl Jones voice was asking me where to put this book in the queue of all books.)

Other readers find themselves comparing new titles to their favorite books. It's a natural comparison. But is it fair?

This is honestly why I didn’t give reviews of books for a long time. How can I compare a modern romance or historical fiction war novel with Dostoevsky? I can’t, and I shouldn’t.

I realized my mistake one day as I was watching (of all things) a dog show. In the final round, they trotted out dogs of all shapes, colors, and sizes. I thought, “How can a Yorkshire Terrier compete with a Basset Hound?” As if he'd read my mind, the announcer explained that each is judged by the standards for its breed.

This was my “Aha!” moment. I have to take a book on its own terms. The question is not, “How does this book compare to all books I’ve read?” but “How well did this book deliver what it promised for the intended audience?”

A review is going to reflect my personal experience with the book, but I can help potential readers by taking a minute to consider what the author intended. Let me explain what I mean. 

How to Write a Book Review: Consider a Book’s Promise

A book makes a promise with its cover, blurb, and first pages. It begins to set expectations the minute a reader views the thumbnail or cover. Those things indicate the genre, tone, and likely the major themes.

If a book cover includes a lip-locked couple in flowing linen on a beach, and I open to the first page to read about a pimpled vampire in a trench coat speaking like Mr. Knightly about his plan for revenge on the entire human race, there’s been a breach of contract before I even get to page two. These are the books we put down immediately (unless a mixed-message beachy cover combined with an Austen vampire story is your thing).

But what if the cover, blurb, and first pages are cohesive and perk our interest enough to keep reading? Then we have to think about what the book has promised us, which revolves around one key idea: What is the core story question and how well is it resolved?

Sometimes genre expectations help us answer this question: a romance will end with a couple who finds their way, a murder mystery ends with a solved case, a thriller’s protagonist beats the clock and saves the country or planet.

The stories we love most do those expected things in a fresh or surprising way with characters we root for from the first page. Even (and especially!) when a book doesn’t fit neatly in a genre category, we need to consider what the book promises on those first pages and decide how well it succeeds on the terms it sets for itself.

When I Don’t Know What to Write

About a month ago, I realized I was overthinking how to write a book review. Here at the Write Practice we have a longstanding tradition of giving critiques using the Oreo method : point out something that was a strength, then something we wondered about or that confused us, followed by another positive.

We can use this same structure to write a simple review when we finish books. Consider this book review format: 

[Book Title] by [book author] is about ___[plot summary in a sentence—no spoilers!]___. I chose this book based on ________. I really enjoyed ________. I wondered how ___________. Anyone who likes ____ will love this book.

Following this basic template can help you write an honest review about most any book, and it will give the author or publisher good information about what worked (and possibly what didn’t). You might write about the characters, the conflict, the setting, or anything else that captured you and kept you reading.

As an added bonus, you will be a stronger reader when you are able to express why you enjoyed parts of a book (just like when you critique!). After you complete a few, you’ll find it gets easier, and you won’t need the template anymore.

What if I Didn’t Like It?

Like professional book reviewers, you will have to make the call about when to leave a negative review. If I can’t give a book at least three stars, I usually don’t review it. Why? If I don’t like a book after a couple chapters, I put it down. I don’t review anything that I haven’t read the entire book.

Also, it may be that I’m not the target audience. The book might be well-written and well-reviewed with a great cover, and it just doesn’t capture me. Or maybe it's a book that just isn't hitting me right now for reasons that have nothing to do with the book and everything to do with my own reading life and needs. Every book is not meant for every reader.

If a book kept me reading all the way to the end and I didn’t like the ending? I would probably still review it, since there had to be enough good things going on to keep me reading to the end. I might mention in my review that the ending was less satisfying than I hoped, but I would still end with a positive.

How to Write a Book Review: Your Turn

As writers, we know how difficult it is to put down the words day after day. We are typically voracious readers. Let’s send some love back out to our fellow writers this week and review the most recent title we enjoyed.

What was the last book you read or reviewed? Do you ever find it hard to review a book? Share in the comments .

Now it's your turn. Think of the last book you read. Then, take fifteen minutes to write a review of it based on the template above. When you're done, share your review in the Pro Practice Workshop . For bonus points, post it on the book's page on Amazon and Goodreads, too!

Don't forget to leave feedback for your fellow writers! What new reads will you discover in the comments?

Sue Weems is a writer, teacher, and traveler with an advanced degree in (mostly fictional) revenge. When she’s not rationalizing her love for parentheses (and dramatic asides), she follows a sailor around the globe with their four children, two dogs, and an impossibly tall stack of books to read. You can read more of her writing tips on her website .

23 Comments

The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin is about a girl that shows no emotion befriending a ice dragon.

I chose this book based on the cover that had a little girl riding a ice dragon, and wondered what is about.

I really enjoyed the interaction the little girl had with the dragon.

I wondered how how the girl’s bond with the dragon.

Anyone who likes a coming of age story set in a fantasy will love this book.

Thanks for sharing your practice, Azure!

You’re welcome.

A interesting, at times perplexing, subject! And one on my mind lately,as I’ve agreed to do a few. I do enjoy giving reviews and am delighted when I can say, “This was a great book!” Or even, “I enjoyed this book.” It gets perplexing when I agree to review a book — and simply don’t like it. Then what to say? I hate to disappoint the writer but I’ve promised to give my honest opinion.

I’ve found some books mediocre and yet I see a dozen other reviewers saying “A great story!” Tastes do vary. But when there are obvious flaws I tend to skip all the best-friend-and-cousin reviewers and find the first person who says, “This writer has a problem with…” Usually there’ll be a number of reviewers who spot the same problems I do.

I like upbeat main characters, but not aggressive, belligerent, and/or self-centered ones. I like to meet in a story the kind of people I’d like to meet in real life— not people I’d avoid if possible. I recently read a book where the main character came across as insipid and the story only mildly interesting. Other reviewers said it was great and I know for this specific audience — readers who want a certain slant to a story — it was quite suitable. So I tried to cut the book some slack. Everyone has their limit as to how much blood and gore, smooching and snuggling, they are willing to read about.

Once I agreed to review a book and would have tossed it after the first chapter — for several reasons. A lot of “writer inserting facts for reader’s benefit”; teach/preach paragraphs; excess of description; attitudes of MCs. Once it’s live on seller’s sites like Amazon, what can you say? The one thing good it had going for it was the story line or theme. With a pro editor’s help it could have been a great story.

As for a review, one book I read lately was “A Clue for the Puzzle Lady” by Parnell Hall. It’s one of those “Stayed up half the night to finish it” books; I think anyone who likes a compelling cozy mystery would probably like it. Downside: I didn’t care for the “Puzzle Lady.” She’s a lush, hangs out at the bar getting sloshed. The upside: her sensible niece has a starring role —trying to keep her aunt on the straight-and-narrow and the mystery keeps you guessing until the end.

Christine, Thanks for sharing your insight! It sounds like you are approached often to review new books. It does make it tricky if it’s a request, especially outside your own preferences. Thanks for chiming in about your process, as I’m sure others will appreciate the perspective too. I’ll have to take a look at the Puzzle Lady– I do enjoy cozy mysteries. Sue

Here’s another cozy mystery book review in case you’re interested. I’m not approached by writers that often, but there are the Story Cartel, Book Bub and Goodreads, all sites where authors ask for review volunteers.

Reel Estate Ripoff by Renee Pawlish

The detective Reed Ferguson is a fan of Humphry Bogart, movie memorabilia of that era, and fancies himself a bit of a Sam Slade. Though not your super-sleuth, rather inept at times, he’s a likeable character. Told in first person, the story has a Philip Marlowe tone to it, but much tamer. Dialogue and story line are well done, the story well plotted and believable. I’d gladly read more stories about this particular gumshoe.

If you like cozy mystery books, I’ll send you a list later, Sue. Love them too and I’ve met many authors who write in this genre. Back on topic– you inspire me again to add some reviews to my Blog. I have been reading and writing many middle grade mysteries for a project! My latest favorite: “The World’s Greatest Detective” by Caroline Carson (who I hope to meet tomorrow in Arlington, VA!) My 12 year old grandson borrowed it and finished it before I could. “It’s the best mystery I ever read, Grandma! You’ ll never guess the ending with unpredictable twists!” What better review could we read. The target audience and I both highly recommend this 2017 mystery.

Adding it to my stack, Beth. Thanks!

Not wanting to sound life an idiot, but willing to risk it here among friends: What exactly is a cozy mystery?

Glad you asked! It’s a subgenre of mystery. The best examples of cozy mysteries are those by Agatha Christie. They usually avoid profanity, excessive gore/ violence, and sex. They focus more on the puzzle, sleuth, and their smaller world. Hope that helps!

Thanks, Sue.

Wonderful article. The first I have read by you. It especially gets those of us who don’t feel we have the formula down for review writing to be introduced to a form we can build upon with experience. You’ve kept it simple but you have given us the main ingredients needed for a good review. I printed this one off to look at the next few times I write reviews. Thank you.

Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for reading and commenting!

I haven’t gone into all this. It’s a matter of time, Joe. I gad about all over the place, not knowing where I am or where I’m going. Within weeks, I’ll be 87. I’ve books of my own that I’d like to see reviewed. Even sorting them out, however, even finding where any of them are, would be a time burden. You see the fix?

Hi Dave, You aren’t alone in feeling the press of time for getting your stories out into the world. May I gently offer this: start with finding and sorting one. If you can’t find it, write it anew. You’ve probably grown in time and perspective since you wrote the first draft, which will make for a stronger story. Good luck. I’m cheering you on!

This is an article for me, because I am happy to receive a rating. I haven’t sold many books. But, at least some thinks that it was worth the time to read. That was refreshing. And, I think I wrote two reviews, so far. It was on Amazon.com. Thank you.

You’re welcome!

Hi, Sue. Thanks for the helpful advice. I did a review on Amazon for the first of a 7-part thriller titled ‘Mosh Pit (The Rose Garden Incident)’ by Michael Hiebert. [Here it is.]

“5.0 out of 5 stars Advance copy review. By A fellow author on September 18, 2016 Format: Kindle Edition I Recommend This Book Strongly

I enjoyed reading this first part of the thriller. The author’s opening chapter/prologue was fast paced, and set me in the middle of the inciting incident along with two of the main characters. After that thrilling opening, I felt the ensuing chapters moved at a more leisurely pace, and was about to grade them as less praiseworthy when I watched a lecture by Brandon Sanderson on YouTube about building three dimensional characters and realised Michael Hiebert had done exactly that by introducing the reader to the minutiae of other characters who had parts to play in the development of the story. So, instead of cardboard cutouts of bland stock characters, the author shows us real people with real concerns that the reader can relate to.and actually care about. I look forward to reading the rest of this intriguing thriller, and highly recommend it to all lovers of well-written, and well-crafted thrillers.”

I also reviewed Part 2 of the series, but that review is too long to post here.

Footnote: The author, Michael Hiebert, was so pleased with my reviews, he recently asked me to beta-read a short story collection he plans to publish in November.

Great review, John! I like how you shared a bit of your process as a reader too, in recognizing what the writer was doing with their characterization. Thanks!

Thank you, Sue.

Five out of five stars When I picked up a copy of “The Girl with All the Gifts,” by M R Carey, at the used book store, I somehow had it in my head that it was a YA dystopian novel along the lines of “Divergent” or “The Hunger Games.” While I would definitely say that I was not right about that, I wouldn’t say that I was completely wrong. I was, however, completely unprepared for a zombie novel–which is a good thing, cause I wouldn’t have read it, and I’m glad I did. Think “The Walking Dead” meets (why do I want to say ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night”?) “Peter Pan.” I really enjoyed seeing things from, the main character, Melanie’s point of view. Her limited knowledge of her own situation was intriguing, to say the least (and probably why I thought of “The Curious Incident”). I was a bit disappointed when the POV changed to another character’s, but, as the novel progressed, I found myself sympathizing with nearly all the characters–with one exception, and I’ll leave that for you to ponder when you read it. I wondered how much of the science was real, but not enough for me to research it myself. Although, based on other reviews, I guess most of the science about the fungus is real. I also wondered about the fate of the remaining ‘lost boys’ of the cities. If you liked…. well, I don’t know. I’m not typically a fan of things zombie, so I don’t have a comparison, but the book was somewhat similar to “Divergent” and “The Hunger Games” in that the main character goes through a hellluva time and comes out the other side with a plan for her future.

“Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom is a true story about how one man found meaning in life when his doctors gave him a death sentence. Morrie was a college professor who passed on his new found wisdom in the last year of his life to a favorite student, the author, who chronicled his professor’s perspectives on death and dying.

I chose this book because of its philosophical topic, and because it is so well written that the words just jump off the page.

Knowing we are all mortal beings, I especially liked the insights, the tidbits of wisdom imparted by the dying man. Death is a subject that few, if any of us, ever talk about seriously with friends and family. The subject of death is verboten. We deny its existence. And, if we are religious, we pretend we will not really die, but we deceive ourselves and think we will live on in some afterlife existence for all eternity. But the professor, Morrie, learns some valuable life lessons from his impending death, and Mitch Albom was gracious enough to capture them in this short but eminently readable book.

I really liked the book because it is timeless. This true story will impart serious life lessons for all future generations, and will help us gain perspectives on our lives and the relationships with those we love the most.

R. Allan Worrell

Sue, I’ve been meaning to come back since this was first posted to tell you thanks for a great article. I seldom review books for alllllll the reasons you listed. This is a perfect tool and I’ll surely use it. Cathy

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The 101 Best Book Covers of 2021

As chosen by our favorite book cover designers.

Well, friends, it’s been another tough year. But as we wind down 2021, it is useful to remember the good parts, the pleasures small and large that got us through. And yes, a beautifully designed book can be one of those pleasures—especially when we’re still spending more time at home than perhaps we would like.

So you know the drill. For the sixth year in a row, I asked a few of my favorite professional book cover designers (34 of my favorites, in fact) to choose their favorite covers of the last twelve months. They came back with a grand total of 101 glorious covers, representing work by 67 different designers for 54 different imprints. All of their picks, along with what they had to say about them, are below.

But as you may know if you’re a frequent Literary Hub reader, I also like stats, and therefore I have tallied the best of the best for you here. Feel free to skip that part if you’d just like to look at some pretty book art. Either way, I think you’ll enjoy:

The best of the best book covers:

First Place (tie, with 8 mentions each):

Anna North, Outlawed ; cover design by Rachel Willey (Bloomsbury, January) Pola Oloixarac, tr. Adam Morris,  Mona ; cover design by Thomas Colligan (FSG, March)

Second Place (6 mentions):

Kristen Arnett, With Teeth ; cover design by Lauren Peters-Collaer (Riverhead, June)

Third Place (5-way tie, with 5 mentions each):

Jonas Eika, After the Sun ; cover design by Lauren Peters-Collaer (Riverhead, August) Chang-Rae Lee, My Year Abroad ; cover design by Grace Han (Riverhead, February) Wole Soyinka, Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth ; cover design by Linda Huang (Pantheon, September) Joy Williams, Harrow ; cover design by Kelly Blair (Knopf, September) Richard Zenith, Pessoa: A Biography ; cover design by Yang Kim (Liveright, July)

Honorable Mentions (3-way tie, with 4 mentions each):

Melissa Broder, Milk Fed ; cover design by Jaya Miceli (Scribner, February) Tamara Shopsin, LaserWriter II ; cover design by Tamara Shopsin (MCD, October) Rebecca Solnit,  Orwell’s Roses ; cover design by Gray318 (Viking, October)

The presses with the most covers on the list:

First Place (12 mentions): Knopf

Second Place (8 mentions): Riverhead

Third Place (6 mentions): FSG

The designers with the most different covers on the list:

First Place (6 covers): Janet Hansen

Second Place (tie; 5 covers each): Lauren Peters-Collaer, Na Kim

Third Place (4 covers): Tom Etherington

The best month for book covers:

First Place (13 covers): September

Second Place (four-way tie; 10 covers each): February, March, July, August

Third Place (tie; 9 covers each): June, October

The full list:

This pop art collage style is definitely having a moment of popularity, and there’s no shortage of excellent designs to choose from. Rachel’s stands out to me because of the playfulness and surreal quality. The cover instantly drew me to this book and portrays the story perfectly.

– Lauren Harms

Love the collagey mash of Western and Magritte. Everything about this cover is so fun.

– June Park

This book stopped me in my tracks every time I passed it this year. The design is doing so much, so well, using surrealism, collage and color to deconstruct genre and gender archetypes.

– David Litman

The colors! The fonts! The texture! I am always drawn right to this cover whenever I see it in a bookstore. I want this as a poster. This says “Western” but also “not your grandpa’s Western.”

– Sarah Brody

Such a fresh and stylish take on the traditional western genre. Love the color palette and the surreal, almost dream-like effect of the collage.

Do I ever get past one of these lists without including Rachel Willey? Impossible.

I love how this cover plays with Western tropes—a cowboy hat, handkerchief, and slab serif typography—but then subverts them with a healthy dash of campiness and fun that you rarely see in the genre.

– Erik Carter

I feel like R.O Kwon’s quote applies to the cover design as well. So cool how Rachel takes elements that are familiar to us and makes it feel fresh.

– Grace Han

Mona is the best cover of the year. It is so iconic that they better hang this at the Hall of Fame.

There’s something so awesomely weird and psychedelic about this, it almost reminds me of a 70’s Polish movie poster. Beautiful, beautiful type and I love how the letter forms mirror the organic shapes of the illustration.

A colorful mess, I can’t stop staring.

– Tyler Comrie

Gorgeous! Fun! Fresh!

– Janet Hansen

Immediately eye-catching! The illustration and type here is so fun and striking.

This cover is so stunning. Every time I look at the face, I find something new in the art. The collage and lettering are both so strong they could exist as separate entities.

– Emily Mahon

Type and illustration working in perfect harmony.

– Luke Bird

Without question the best cover of the year.

This is so simple and clever! I love how the letters in the title make up the teeth!

– Laywan Kwan

Clever, oddball fun, with a biting edge (pun unavoidable).

– Allison Saltzman

Lauren did such a great job with this cover. The design is so whimsical and graphically eye-catching I can’t help but want to pick it up and give it a read.

– Jared Oriel

Effortlessly fun and bold.

It’s wonderful when the art and title work together as perfectly as they do on this cover.

– Colleen Reinhart

This jacket grabs my attention every time I see it. Such simplicity, and yet so much emotion in the shape of that mouth full of type.

– Kelly Blair

I’d rather not admit how many books I have purchased because of Lauren’s cover designs. Her work is always fresh and expertly crafted. I’m especially drawn to her use of color, and this title is no exception. It’s electric in person – a design that could easily turn muddy is crisp and legible. I want to know her pre-press secrets!

Vibrant colors and large type are every publishers’ favorite look but after a while it can be difficult to do it in a fresh and intriguing way—the beautiful rendering of the type on this cover combined with the intense contrasting colors makes this so effective.

Beautiful type, color palette, the whole package!

The colors remind be both of a psychedelic sunset and an oil-slick rainbow. The way the type seems to emerge and shine on its own immediately gives it dimension. I could spend forever looking at this cover.

I don’t know how Lauren came to be a designer, but she always seems to approach a book cover in a slightly unusual way—never reverting to a nice typeface on a nice picture. I love how this looks like 3D type poking through a sheet of tin foil that’s reflecting an amazing sunset.

– Jamie Keenan

I’m a sucker for perspective type and dimensional design; this is probably my favorite. Love the shapes, the texture and the off-register colors. This feels big in such a fun, funky way.

A particularly pleasing composition of shapes, colors, texture, and typography.

So many layers to get lost in, but what stands out is Grace’s type choice: the round characters match the five circular shapes. My eyes jump around in the best way

– Stephen Brayda

This cover is so playful, evocative, and incredibly beautifully crafted. The ultimate eye candy!

– Lauren Peters-Collaer

I love the way this cover conveys a subtle narrative through its teetering forms and type moving in all directions.

– Stephanie Ross

This is such a bright and dynamic design. Love the rich pink and chartreuse green, the zany arrangement of type and artwork, and the wonderful illustration. This title has a lot of text and Linda Huang did such a great job with it! Such a unique and sharp cover.

– Kelly Winton

You have to see it in real life! The colors are so vibrant. The way the elements are arranged is fun and playful, yet everything is clear and readable.

A really appealing, memorable color palette, and the long title is handled so well within the space.

OMG this is the longest title ever and I’m so inspired by how the type is really playful yet clearly legible among the spots of artwork. The masterful layout and simple color palette combine to give this cover so much wonderful, crazy energy.

The deft touch in the dance between type and image on this jacket pulls you in and along for the ride. This is such an energetic and elegant solution for a jacket with a long title.

I am totally captivated by this bizarre and beautiful image. The horse, the droplets, the strange physics at work—what is happening?? I love it.

The horse trapped in that black pool is such a sublime and devastating image. I also love how the choice of serif, with its bulbous terminals, complements the shape of the black blobs.

– Linda Huang

The combination of the lush green background and the surreal floating horse is incredible.

– Jenny Carrow

A classical layout and type treatment juxtaposed with a surreal & haunting image…and that green! Totally captivating.

– Sarahmay Wilkinson

Simple, elegant, smart. I’m intrigued.

A great modernist design and an original way to play with a portrait on a cover. Loved the title font treatment, the soft colors, and particularly enjoy how the subtitle looks like a stamp—such a perfect detail. Has a lovely depth and charm to it while also encompassing the subject’s enigmatic life.

Such a refreshing biography design.

The more you examine this cover, the more moments of intrigue draw you in. Yang really designed this ‘repeat pattern’ in a fun and fresh way with a truly vibrant color palette.

Love how the layers bring focus to Pessoa.

One of my favorite covers of the year. A gorgeous and super fresh take on a genre that we all know often leads to the overdone & everseen: “photo of a guy” + type. Each element is so carefully composed and clearly considered here—I can feel it! Yang Kim knocked this one out of the park.

Let us not forget about this early in the year cover with a brilliant, minimal, eye catching illustration that not only makes you want to read the book but also inspired you to frame it and place it up on your wall. Beautiful palette, bold design, iconic image.

– Nicole Caputo

Smart, funny, subversive, eye-catching—this cover is such a fantastic distillation.

Another instantly iconic cover, The retro type and the cheeky illustration make this a conversation starter for sure.

SO GOOD. What a perfect combination of image and colors and font.

I can’t stop looking at this. That horrible condensed Garamond, everything just a tiny bit lo-res and all the elements looking like they’re stuck on with no thought. I bet it took ages. It’s a brilliant cover.

So fun and approachable even with a limited palette.

Made me smile. Such a fresh take on a very specific visual language from the past.

Looks like someone had way too much fun here. Gotta love the commitment to form and technology.

Reminds me of an old box of chocolates, both simple & delicious. Gray318 never ceases to amaze and delight!

Incredibly beautiful marriage of typography and image. Simple but arresting.

Such a beauty! The woven flowers with the elegant san serif type is so pleasing to the eye. Love the rich but muted colors and the thorns on the stems. A timeless design.

A beautifully striking design that is almost just one color.

– Jaya Miceli

So clean and smart, I want to hold this but I’m afraid I’d tear the perfect paper folds.

I am a sucker for all-type, cut paper, Jamie Keenan covers.

– Ploy Siripant

A haunting cover, at once elegant and disturbing. I think it has so much power because it’s so succinct in its depiction of violence and trauma.

Whoa…that contemplative face and the deep tones of the art are beautiful. The way Sara introduced the element of surprise with the textured type and illustration makes it feel so fresh.

Perfect layout/cropping, stunning use of photography, illustration, and handlettering. This one is a real gut punch. There’s a silent scream here you can’t turn away from. What has this child seen??

– Alison Forner

The simplicity of this cover is deceiving—the scale and tension of the entirely hand-drawn elements create a beautifully compelling representation of its subject.

This achieves such a mood with such economy. The three Os used to convey the three different viewpoints is thrilling.

A minimalist master, Janet Hansen’s restraint knows no bounds!

The curling of the O to reveal a colorful woman—such a simple and effective way of communicating that there’s a story behind the story.

This has everything I like to see on a book cover: a bit of trompe l’oeil, something annoying like the O not being stuck down perfectly, something hidden to add a bit of intrigue, some ripped paper to give a hint of danger and some really small type to make the big type seem even bigger (and vice versa)—BINGO!

This cover is so clever. I love the subtle type treatment and the simplicity of the artwork and how it plays with the title perfectly. The artwork looks like a ship or could also be rocks which is such a smart way to get one’s attention. A cover that requires a closer look always wins me over.

Nice textures in an unexpected layout.

Always on board with a roaring tiger pattern.

What’s better than one tiger on a book cover? TWELVE TIGERS ON A BOOK COVER!

This cover is masterful in its avoidance of the obvious; It somehow evokes the experience of sharing food, crying, and graphic representation of the H Mart logo with barely any literal representation.

Na is so good at capturing the core of a text in the simplest yet most memorable way possible. Crying in H Mart is just another example of that and, I’m sure all my Asian fellows agree, deeply felt.

Such a brilliant composition and smart use of the image as part of the typography. Also comforting to see this particular image with the title.

A beautiful cover that lets us know that something is not quite right by how the image and the type seem to be flowing like an oil slick.

The way the oil slick (or soap bubble?) plays with the type makes this cover so intriguing and ominous while the bright colors invite the reader in and place is squarely in LA.

Excellent use of a three-dimensional object within a design, graceful combination of illustration and photography, and spot-on funny: we all peacock with our words.

I love the contradictions of this cover art: smart, but goofy; serious, but humorous; academic, but…not. It prompted me to see what it was about. Mountweazels! Who knew!? The two-dimensional peacock strutting under the weight of the three-dimensional book…taking on a little too much weight. Defiantly taunting the reader to question the authenticity of its cargo! Brilliant.

– Gretchen Mergenthaler

Only a few elements needed to elevate this. The empty space makes this design feel whole.

A beautiful 2021 update of Man Ray’s “Tears” photograph. Logically so wrong—tears are never this perfect—but aesthetically so right.

I spent a while staring at this cover and being impressed about the three eyes lining up perfectly. I feel like this one is deceptively simple and the cut out section reveals an inner truth only found in the book itself. Na Kim’s separate covers for each part of the trilogy are also fascinating, with different iterations of the same image.

This is just so good. The clean white type somehow manages to be serious and quirky at the same time and pairs beautifully with the manipulated image. I love how simple yet superbly effective the displacement/swap/tiling of the eyes is.

– Jamie Stafford-Hill

Double Trio: Love a Baldessarian blob. Each cover in this series has wonderful art.

Bold, courageous, clever and very original.

A super commercial book cover, but that doesn’t stop it looking great. About as vertical as you can get and I love how the image sits somewhere between photographic and illustrative for that blockbuster movie poster feel.

Another beautiful color palette! I think it can be hard for commercial thrillers to look new and different, and still invoke the category. David’s design expertly bridges both. It’s fresh, but iconic with a classic feel. Full of suspense, but warm and eye-catching.

Just mystifying! Na has given us a perfect jewel box to puzzle over, made tactile with touches of spot gloss.

– Ann Kirchner

I just want to touch it.

So beautiful. The weathered golden rays and textured painting with more modern type really hits that right balance of evoking a story from the past with a contemporary feel.

I’m obsessed with this typeface as well as the heavenly gold rays that make the cover seem to glow.

Like all of John’s work: bold, timeless, and brilliant.

Striking in its simplicity, brilliant in its execution. A welcome nod to classic fiction designs of the 1960s and 70s.

I’ve seen this I don’t know how many times this year and each time I love it again. The font, image and title all work perfectly together, and the black and pink on white really stands out on the shelf. Simple, bold, and clever.

So funny and clever. The pairing of the fonts and pacifier really make the cover pop.

Such a beautiful example of less being more. I almost hold my breath when I look at this jacket. The power of the figure looking out at the world through that O is memoir perfection.

Just so minimal and beautiful with clear consideration over every detail. Gorgeous, evocative palette and the little slice of face feels intriguing and emotional.

I love the mood Laywan creates here, pairing the Instagram feed with the serene photograph and topped with layered rain drops. It feels alluring and inviting, yet with an eeriness under it all.

A perfect expression of an instagram post rendered as book cover, and I love the addition of the water droplets that give it that extra dimension.

I really admire the overall effect of this art and particularly love how wonderful and idiosyncratic the type is.

This cover tickles every part of my brain, from the unique mark-making to the unusual palette. And that weird lettering—a script-stencil hybrid—shouldn’t work, but of course, Thomas pulls it off and the result is this strange, poetic work of art.

The color caught my eye right away; everything is so vivid that the cover almost vibrates.

I have no words.

The sky and dimensional illusion feels so cohesive. It’s so fun to look at!

Big book energy. Perfect.

I love how at once fresh and classical this is; the unexpected POV angle, the beautiful type, and the splash of red in the “a.” All the elements come together like a Hitchcockian, paranoid fantasy. I hear a suspenseful violin crescendo when I look at this jacket.

Damn. I love Dave Drummond’s concepts. Would the art work without the title? It would still be intriguing, and oddly beautiful. Clean, and messy. Clearly more than just a scribble…the right amount of shape and color variation to make the art “readable”…. so, yeah, maybe even without the title.

I love the juxtaposition between the rigid clinical type treatment and the fluidity of the image. The handwritten author name in purple seems like a small moment, until you realize the entire thing actually hinges on it. The design is mysterious and cerebral—exactly what I imagine a “field study” of humanity would look like.

A wholly unique cover, this one really caught my eye in store. There’s a great tension here: flat vs. dimensional, muted vs. bold…it’s all a touch awkward and, as a result, most intriguing.

Reptilian and human at the same time, a composition that controls your eye and an image that leaves you with so many questions. Brilliant.

I always love a book on a book cover, and there are so many here. It feels like you could get lost in the endless repetition.

Thoughtful, timely, stylish, duotone beauties. The slipcase with the spines “in formation” is worth seeking out. These already feel like a contemporary classic of series design.

I love Tom’s use of shapes and color blocking here. The cover feels so serene, and the muted palette is a nice touch.

Janet wins with this brilliant use of blind deboss for braille. The tactile quality matched with the optically distorting rays of purples makes for a simple but impactful cover.

Stunning use of typography.

In a market that is saturated with illustrated covers, this illustrated cover feels totally fresh with its minimal color palette and fun interweaving of type and image.

The book itself is physically small, light in your hand; with Lauren’s design, it becomes monumental.

I just keep trying to look over this…obstruction…(is it in my eye?)…to see who that man is. Talk about the viewer being put in the author’s head! Right-on cover imagery for this memoir.

I am usually ambivalent about bright, happy covers and see them as an industry necessity, but this cover just makes me smile. What makes it especially good is the rigor of the cut-paper aesthetic and the way the type is rendered with the same hand.

I don’t even know what to say, everything about this is perfect.

In an age when big type dominates, I love seeing a design that begs you to look closer and examine it. Instead of broadcasting to the reader, this design makes you do the work. The delicate imagery and imperfect type work together beautifully—each element is a clue left for the reader to explore and ponder why it’s there.

I love the handmade quality of the illustration and type, it makes the cover feel very intimate, which is perfect for the material.

This looks like an exquisite ransom note. The ornaments appear as if they were drawn by a feeble, bed-ridden hand, but Felix Koeberlin, the 10-year-old son of a type designer, provided the calligraphic inspiration.

Such a clean use of imagery, type and space. I love the confidence of this cover. It has a tension that makes me stop and read the title. A bit of quiet amongst the hundreds of books shouting at you from the shelves.

– Coralie Bickford-Smith

It’s hard not to stare back at this cover, and it’s the subtle adjustment in the pupils that really drive this design home.

Mesmerizing, with so many great little details.

Can you imagine receiving this in the mail? This (faux-fur) slipcase designed by Gabriele Wilson, for Elvira Navarro’s Rabbit Island , was meant to celebrate Two Lines Press’ first published book of 2021.

It’s red with big, white sans serif type and the handwritten dash of “a novel”—all things we’ve seen over and over. But you have never seen a cover like this before. It’s hard to believe a design could out-shock a title like Nightbitch , and Emily nailed it.

Every element is so precise, but still human, warm, with ephemera beautifully evocative of a time and place.

I am always a sucker for a title on an object and this design really engages me. It takes me back to being a child with my first carton of juice. Fits the tone of the book perfectly.

I feel like Joanne is the queen of picking stylish fonts! I also love the retro feel with the colors/pattern/texture, and the immediately recognizable stereotypical flying saucer.

This was my favorite book I read this year and I also loved the cover. It has such a sweeping feel that matches the novel’s epic tale. Love the romantic colors, smart type treatment, and grainy texture. Looks and feels like a classic.

I love all that empty black space and how the rigid lines turn a bit fiddly when they get chopped. A fitting book to start your freelance career with?

Love how the type works with the draping in the background.

Who doesn’t love some ripe tomatoes?

What can I say about this, except that I want to reach out and touch it! I haven’t seen the book in person, but I sincerely hope some cash was spent to emboss and spot gloss those sweat drops. Between the blocky black type that interacts with the sweat, the orange gradient, and the small scientific element that punctuates the subtitle, the design decisions here are incredibly complex, but the result is effortless.

The typography and colors are gorgeous. Everything just works out very nicely here.

Atmospheric and very arts and crafts—right up my street (yep, cover design is so subjective). I love the illustration and the depth. The type sings out. There’s quite a lot going on but the balance is great.

Beautiful and intriguing. Great use of metallic effects; the iridescent colors, but most of all that dense, dark, black hole, just sucks you in. That “A Novel” isn’t printed but only embossed on the final jacket is a small but nice touch that complements the overall simplicity of the design.

A book with 32 DIFFERENT COVERS. Good lord. This project makes me so happy I could cry.

Pure madness.

Every element in the collage is lovely, and it’s intriguing for what it leaves out. Beautiful use of color, and the idiosyncratic calligraphy is at once antique and new.

The dripping clouds are so intriguing. And beautifully paired with hand lettering that’s been delicately splattered with water.

Katya distills a complex topic so elegantly; I was deeply moved by the typographic transition from girlhood to selfhood.

It’s not an easy task to put copy over a painting that doesn’t distract or disappoint. The drippy lettering is full of character without compromising the art it sits on. I love it.

Flipping epic, full of energy perfect for the text. Feels so fresh.

One of the most playful covers I’ve ever seen, so full of life and wit. The placement of all those elements was probably heavily labored over, but it feels so incredibly effortless.

The illustrations by Manshen Lo are beautiful, but the way Jon has integrated them into the cover is what makes it such a success. The way that rounded font mirrors the smooth edges of the illustrative elements is particularly pleasing. Never an easy job to package the follow-up to a huge international bestseller. Feels really fresh.

The big type, the peachy color theme, and the floating suit and hat make this cover instantly iconic.

A refreshing and modern take on a historical biography.

Every time I come across this cover, I have the urge to touch it, to see if the Cray-Pa art would smudge onto my fingertips . . . the school-art-class feel of scratching off words in thick pastel, working through an adolescent tragedy. A perfect combination of hand lettering and art—abstract, but not—for this particular memoir.

Really loved this cover. The graphic simplicity had me from the start and it’s perfect for the story. When a cover is so beautifully thought through it makes me very happy.

This cover is so creepy yet beautiful! The inky-ness creates that ghostly atmosphere, while the trees remind us of a familiarly dark place…

Super simple, super moving. The black and gold are striking alone, but the use of negative space carries so much weight.

This cover just blows me away. The stunning illustration with the handwritten title and the understated author name makes this cover feel like a true work of art.

Unwrap the jacket for a full shelf of spine design that delights in every genre! It’s a book lover’s playground!

Simple, clean, classic . . . vintage yet modern. Fruit held up by the steady “Y” trunk? Am I reading too much into it? Does it matter? I want this cover art framed, poster-sized, hanging in my apartment . . . to make me feel like a hip, well-read lover of poetry.

More and more, I feel myself drawn to super bold designs. This design by Tristan has been an exception. Every time I see this cover I want to pick it up. I love the beautiful sky, elegant type and the little dots of sparkle on the print edition. It’s quietly powerful.

Love the playful illustration and use of neon ink.

The amount of feeling conveyed by the delicate composition of the painting and type here is remarkable. At first glance it feels serene, and then the sharp spikes and the air around the type vibrate with a palpable edge.

What IS this? I’m not totally sure but it looks fantastic in real life. The metallic effects and tactile finish are just brilliant.

This cover evokes such strong feelings of creativity through its use of organic shapes, sense of space, and typography, that makes this cover feel all the more three-dimensional.

Stunning use of negative space and a trompe l’oeil effect. Topped with the book’s inquisitive title, the cover is irresistibly charming.

Both the US and the UK versions of this cover are fantastic, but I adore the missing woman’s head, the scrawled sideways title, and the combination of danger and whimsy in this version.

I love the colors, illustration style, and gradient background. I think it’s a sophisticated twist on the illustrated romance covers.

I love how the art and type were kept monochromatic which highlight the interplay of the gorgeous colors on this piece.

Love the minimalist approach and the tiny peaks through the curtains.

I love the dimensionality, minimalism and the perceived motion of that phone left swinging off the hook.

Another great illustrated cover! The characters’ expressions are perfect, as is the stacked title.

The slow reveal of the snake gets me every time I look at this jacket. There’s such a perfect balance of tension between the exuberant color palette and that lurking snake.

Everything about this cover is brilliant, the pink, the creepily cropped photograph and the slight overlap of the white dots and the type.

Emily Temple

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How to Write a Book Review: A Comprehensive Tutorial With Examples

You don’t need to be a literary expert to craft captivating book reviews. With one in every three readers selecting books based on insightful reviews, your opinions can guide fellow bibliophiles toward their next literary adventure.

Learning how to write a book review will not only help you excel at your assigned tasks, but you’ll also contribute valuable insights to the book-loving community and turn your passion into a professional pursuit.

In this comprehensive guide,  PaperPerk  will walk you through a few simple steps to master the art of writing book reviews so you can confidently embark on this rewarding journey.

What is a Book Review?

A book review is a critical evaluation of a book, offering insights into its content, quality, and impact. It helps readers make informed decisions about whether to read the book.

Writing a book review as an assignment benefits students in multiple ways. Firstly, it teaches them how to write a book review by developing their analytical skills as they evaluate the content, themes, and writing style .

Secondly, it enhances their ability to express opinions and provide constructive criticism. Additionally, book review assignments expose students to various publications and genres, broadening their knowledge.

Furthermore, these tasks foster essential skills for academic success, like critical thinking and the ability to synthesize information. By now, we’re sure you want to learn how to write a book review, so let’s look at the book review template first.

Table of Contents

Book Review Template

How to write a book review- a step by step guide.

Check out these 5 straightforward steps for composing the best book review.

Step 1: Planning Your Book Review – The Art of Getting Started

You’ve decided to take the plunge and share your thoughts on a book that has captivated (or perhaps disappointed) you. Before you start book reviewing, let’s take a step back and plan your approach. Since knowing how to write a book review that’s both informative and engaging is an art in itself.

Choosing Your Literature

First things first, pick the book you want to review. This might seem like a no-brainer, but selecting a book that genuinely interests you will make the review process more enjoyable and your insights more authentic.

Crafting the Master Plan

Next, create an  outline  that covers all the essential points you want to discuss in your review. This will serve as the roadmap for your writing journey.

The Devil is in the Details

As you read, note any information that stands out, whether it overwhelms, underwhelms, or simply intrigues you. Pay attention to:

• The characters and their development
• The plot and its intricacies
• Any themes, symbols, or motifs you find noteworthy

Remember to reserve a body paragraph for each point you want to discuss.

The Key Questions to Ponder

When planning your book review, consider the following questions:

• What’s the plot (if any)? Understanding the driving force behind the book will help you craft a more effective review.
• Is the plot interesting? Did the book hold your attention and keep you turning the pages?
• Are the writing techniques effective? Does the author’s style captivate you, making you want to read (or reread) the text?
• Are the characters or the information believable? Do the characters/plot/information feel real, and can you relate to them?
• Would you recommend the book to anyone? Consider if the book is worthy of being recommended, whether to impress someone or to support a point in a literature class.
• What could improve? Always keep an eye out for areas that could be improved. Providing constructive criticism can enhance the quality of literature.

Step 2 – Crafting the Perfect Introduction to Write a Book Review

In this second step of “how to write a book review,” we’re focusing on the art of creating a powerful opening that will hook your audience and set the stage for your analysis.

Identify Your Book and Author

Begin by mentioning the book you’ve chosen, including its  title  and the author’s name. This informs your readers and establishes the subject of your review.

Ponder the Title

Next, discuss the mental images or emotions the book’s title evokes in your mind . This helps your readers understand your initial feelings and expectations before diving into the book.

Judge the Book by Its Cover (Just a Little)

Take a moment to talk about the book’s cover. Did it intrigue you? Did it hint at what to expect from the story or the author’s writing style? Sharing your thoughts on the cover can offer a unique perspective on how the book presents itself to potential readers.

Present Your Thesis

Now it’s time to introduce your thesis. This statement should be a concise and insightful summary of your opinion of the book. For example:

“Normal People” by Sally Rooney is a captivating portrayal of the complexities of human relationships, exploring themes of love, class, and self-discovery with exceptional depth and authenticity.

Ensure that your thesis is relevant to the points or quotes you plan to discuss throughout your review.

Incorporating these elements into your introduction will create a strong foundation for your book review. Your readers will be eager to learn more about your thoughts and insights on the book, setting the stage for a compelling and thought-provoking analysis.

How to Write a Book Review: Step 3 – Building Brilliant Body Paragraphs

You’ve planned your review and written an attention-grabbing introduction. Now it’s time for the main event: crafting the body paragraphs of your book review. In this step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the art of constructing engaging and insightful body paragraphs that will keep your readers hooked.

Summarize Without Spoilers

Begin by summarizing a specific section of the book, not revealing any major plot twists or spoilers. Your goal is to give your readers a taste of the story without ruining surprises.

Support Your Viewpoint with Quotes

Next, choose three quotes from the book that support your viewpoint or opinion. These quotes should be relevant to the section you’re summarizing and help illustrate your thoughts on the book.

Analyze the Quotes

Write a summary of each quote in your own words, explaining how it made you feel or what it led you to think about the book or the author’s writing. This analysis should provide insight into your perspective and demonstrate your understanding of the text.

Structure Your Body Paragraphs

Dedicate one body paragraph to each quote, ensuring your writing is well-connected, coherent, and easy to understand.

For example:

• In  Jane Eyre , Charlotte Brontë writes, “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me.” This powerful statement highlights Jane’s fierce independence and refusal to be trapped by societal expectations.
• In  Normal People , Sally Rooney explores the complexities of love and friendship when she writes, “It was culture as class performance, literature fetishized for its ability to take educated people on false emotional journeys.” This quote reveals the author’s astute observations on the role of culture and class in shaping personal relationships.
• In  Wuthering Heights , Emily Brontë captures the tumultuous nature of love with the quote, “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” This poignant line emphasizes the deep, unbreakable bond between the story’s central characters.

By following these guidelines, you’ll create body paragraphs that are both captivating and insightful, enhancing your book review and providing your readers with a deeper understanding of the literary work. 

How to Write a Book Review: Step 4 – Crafting a Captivating Conclusion

You’ve navigated through planning, introductions, and body paragraphs with finesse. Now it’s time to wrap up your book review with a  conclusion that leaves a lasting impression . In this final step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the art of writing a memorable and persuasive conclusion.

Summarize Your Analysis

Begin by summarizing the key points you’ve presented in the body paragraphs. This helps to remind your readers of the insights and arguments you’ve shared throughout your review.

Offer Your Final Conclusion

Next, provide a conclusion that reflects your overall feelings about the book. This is your chance to leave a lasting impression and persuade your readers to consider your perspective.

Address the Book’s Appeal

Now, answer the question: Is this book worth reading? Be clear about who would enjoy the book and who might not. Discuss the taste preferences and circumstances that make the book more appealing to some readers than others.

For example:  The Alchemist is a book that can enchant a young teen, but those who are already well-versed in classic literature might find it less engaging.

Be Subtle and Balanced

Avoid simply stating whether you “liked” or “disliked” the book. Instead, use nuanced language to convey your message. Highlight the pros and cons of reading the type of literature you’ve reviewed, offering a balanced perspective.

Bringing It All Together

By following these guidelines, you’ll craft a conclusion that leaves your readers with a clear understanding of your thoughts and opinions on the book. Your review will be a valuable resource for those considering whether to pick up the book, and your witty and insightful analysis will make your review a pleasure to read. So conquer the world of book reviews, one captivating conclusion at a time!

How to Write a Book Review: Step 5 – Rating the Book (Optional)

You’ve masterfully crafted your book review, from the introduction to the conclusion. But wait, there’s one more step you might consider before calling it a day: rating the book. In this optional step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the benefits and methods of assigning a rating to the book you’ve reviewed.

Why Rate the Book?

Sometimes, when writing a professional book review, it may not be appropriate to state whether you liked or disliked the book. In such cases, assigning a rating can be an effective way to get your message across without explicitly sharing your personal opinion.

How to Rate the Book

There are various rating systems you can use to evaluate the book, such as:

• A star rating (e.g., 1 to 5 stars)
• A numerical score (e.g., 1 to 10)
• A letter grade (e.g., A+ to F)

Choose a rating system that best suits your style and the format of your review. Be consistent in your rating criteria, considering writing quality, character development, plot, and overall enjoyment.

Tips for Rating the Book

Here are some tips for rating the book effectively:

• Be honest: Your rating should reflect your true feelings about the book. Don’t inflate or deflate your rating based on external factors, such as the book’s popularity or the author’s reputation.
• Be fair:Consider the book’s merits and shortcomings when rating. Even if you didn’t enjoy the book, recognize its strengths and acknowledge them in your rating.
• Be clear: Explain the rationale behind your rating so your readers understand the factors that influenced your evaluation.

Wrapping Up

By including a rating in your book review, you provide your readers with an additional insight into your thoughts on the book. While this step is optional, it can be a valuable tool for conveying your message subtly yet effectively. So, rate those books confidently, adding a touch of wit and wisdom to your book reviews.

Additional Tips on How to Write a Book Review: A Guide

In this segment, we’ll explore additional tips on how to write a book review. Get ready to captivate your readers and make your review a memorable one!

Hook ’em with an Intriguing Introduction

Keep your introduction precise and to the point. Readers have the attention span of a goldfish these days, so don’t let them swim away in boredom. Start with a bang and keep them hooked!

Embrace the World of Fiction

When learning how to write a book review, remember that reviewing fiction is often more engaging and effective. If your professor hasn’t assigned you a specific book, dive into the realm of fiction and select a novel that piques your interest.

Opinionated with Gusto

Don’t shy away from adding your own opinion to your review. A good book review always features the writer’s viewpoint and constructive criticism. After all, your readers want to know what  you  think!

Express Your Love (or Lack Thereof)

If you adored the book, let your readers know! Use phrases like “I’ll definitely return to this book again” to convey your enthusiasm. Conversely, be honest but respectful even if the book wasn’t your cup of tea.

Templates and Examples and Expert Help: Your Trusty Sidekicks

Feeling lost? You can always get help from formats, book review examples or online  college paper writing service  platforms. These trusty sidekicks will help you navigate the world of book reviews with ease. 

Be a Champion for New Writers and Literature

Remember to uplift new writers and pieces of literature. If you want to suggest improvements, do so kindly and constructively. There’s no need to be mean about anyone’s books – we’re all in this literary adventure together!

Criticize with Clarity, Not Cruelty

When adding criticism to your review, be clear but not mean. Remember, there’s a fine line between constructive criticism and cruelty. Tread lightly and keep your reader’s feelings in mind.

Avoid the Comparison Trap

Resist the urge to compare one writer’s book with another. Every book holds its worth, and comparing them will only confuse your reader. Stick to discussing the book at hand, and let it shine in its own light.

Top 7 Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Writing a book review can be a delightful and rewarding experience, especially when you balance analysis, wit, and personal insights. However, some common mistakes can kill the brilliance of your review. 

In this section of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the top 7 blunders writers commit and how to steer clear of them, with a dash of  modernist literature  examples and tips for students writing book reviews as assignments.

Succumbing to the Lure of Plot Summaries

Mistake: Diving headfirst into a plot summary instead of dissecting the book’s themes, characters, and writing style.

Example: “The Bell Jar chronicles the life of a young woman who experiences a mental breakdown.”

How to Avoid: Delve into the book’s deeper aspects, such as its portrayal of mental health, societal expectations, and the author’s distinctive narrative voice. Offer thoughtful insights and reflections, making your review a treasure trove of analysis.

Unleashing the Spoiler Kraken

Mistake: Spilling major plot twists or the ending without providing a spoiler warning, effectively ruining the reading experience for potential readers.

Example: “In Metamorphosis, the protagonist’s transformation into a monstrous insect leads to…”

How to Avoid: Tread carefully when discussing significant plot developments, and consider using spoiler warnings. Focus on the impact of these plot points on the overall narrative, character growth, or thematic resonance.

Riding the Personal Bias Express

Mistake: Allowing personal bias to hijack the review without providing sufficient evidence or reasoning to support opinions.

Example: “I detest books about existential crises, so The Sun Also Rises was a snoozefest.”

How to Avoid: While personal opinions are valid, it’s crucial to back them up with specific examples from the book. Discuss aspects like writing style, character development, or pacing to support your evaluation and provide a more balanced perspective.

Wielding the Vague Language Saber

Mistake: Resorting to generic, vague language that fails to capture the nuances of the book and can come across as clichéd.

Example: “This book was mind-blowing. It’s a must-read for everyone.”

How to Avoid: Use precise and descriptive language to express your thoughts. Employ specific examples and quotations to highlight memorable scenes, the author’s unique writing style, or the impact of the book’s themes on readers.

Ignoring the Contextualization Compass

Mistake: Neglecting to provide context about the author, genre, or cultural relevance of the book, leaving readers without a proper frame of reference.

Example: “This book is dull and unoriginal.”

How to Avoid: Offer readers a broader understanding by discussing the author’s background, the genre conventions the book adheres to or subverts, and any societal or historical contexts that inform the narrative. This helps readers appreciate the book’s uniqueness and relevance.

Overindulging in Personal Preferences

Mistake: Letting personal preferences overshadow an objective assessment of the book’s merits.

Example: “I don’t like stream-of-consciousness writing, so this book is automatically bad.”

How to Avoid: Acknowledge personal preferences but strive to evaluate the book objectively. Focus on the book’s strengths and weaknesses, considering how well it achieves its goals within its genre or intended audience.

Forgetting the Target Audience Telescope

Mistake: Failing to mention the book’s target audience or who might enjoy it, leading to confusion for potential readers.

Example: “This book is great for everyone.”

How to Avoid: Contemplate the book’s intended audience, genre, and themes. Mention who might particularly enjoy the book based on these factors, whether it’s fans of a specific genre, readers interested in character-driven stories, or those seeking thought-provoking narratives.

By dodging these common pitfalls, writers can craft insightful, balanced, and engaging book reviews that help readers make informed decisions about their reading choices.

These tips are particularly beneficial for students writing book reviews as assignments, as they ensure a well-rounded and thoughtful analysis.!

Many students requested us to cover how to write a book review. This thorough guide is sure to help you. At Paperperk, professionals are dedicated to helping students find their balance. We understand the importance of good grades, so we offer the finest writing service , ensuring students stay ahead of the curve. So seek expert help because only Paperperk is your perfect solution!

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25+ Book Review Templates and Ideas to Organize Your Thoughts

Danika Ellis

Danika spends most of her time talking about queer women books at the Lesbrary. Blog: The Lesbrary Twitter: @DanikaEllis

View All posts by Danika Ellis

When I was a kid I loved reading, but I hated book reports. It felt impossible to boil a book down to a few lines or even a page of writing. Besides, by the time I had to write the report, I had already forgotten a lot. It never ceases to be painful to try to pull my thoughts and opinions out of my head and put them on the page, especially in a coherent way.

As an adult, I continue to usually find writing book reviews painful . And yet, I maintain a book blog with reviews of all the (bi and lesbian) books I read. Why? For one thing, I want to raise the visibility of these books — or, in the case of a book I loathed, warn other readers of what to expect. It helps me to build community with other book lovers. It’s also a great way to force myself pay attention to how I’m feeling while I’m reading a book and what my thoughts are afterwards. I have learned to take notes as I go, so I have something to refer to by the time I write a review, and it has me notice what a book is doing well (and what it isn’t). The review at the end helps me to organize my thoughts. I also find that I remember more once I’ve written a review.

Once you’ve decided it’s worthwhile to write a review, though, how do you get started? It can be a daunting task. The good news is, book reviews can adapt to whatever you want them to be. A book review can be a tweet with a thumbs up or thumbs down emoji, maybe with a sentence or two of your thoughts; it can also be an in-depth essay on the themes of the book and its influence on literature. Most are going to fall somewhere between those two! Let go of the idea of trying to create the One True Book Review. Everyone is looking for something different, and there is space for GIF-filled squee fests about a book and thoughtful, meditative explorations of a work.

This post offers a variety of book reviews elements that you can mix and match to create a book review template that works for you. Before you get started, though, there are some questions worth addressing.

Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Book Review Template

Where will you be posting your book reviews.

An Instagram book review will likely look different from a blog book review. Consider which platform you will be using for your book review. You can adapt it for different platforms, or link to your original review, but it’s a good starting point. Instagram reviews tend to be a lot shorter than blog reviews, for instance.

Will you be using the same template every time?

Some book reviewers have a go-to book review template. Others have a different one for each genre, while another group doesn’t use a template at all and just reacts to whatever each book brings up.

Heading or no headings?

When choosing which book review elements to mix and match, you can also decide whether to include a header for each section (like Plot, Characterization, Writing, etc). Headers make reviews easier to browse, but they may not have the professional, essay-style look that you’re going for.

Why are you writing a review?

When selecting which elements to include in your review, consider what the purpose is. Do you want to better remember the plot by writing about it? You probably want to include a plot summary, then. Do you want to help readers decide whether they should read this book? A pros and cons list might be helpful. Are you trying to track something about your reading, like an attempt to read more books in translation or more books by authors of color? Are you trying to buy fewer books and read off your TBR shelf instead? These are all things you can note in a review, usually in a point-form basic information block at the beginning.

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Book Review Templates and Formats

Essay-style.

This is a multi-paragraph review, usually with no headers. It’s the same format most newspapers and academics use for book reviews. Many essay-style reviews use informal categories in their writing, often discussing setting, writing, characters, and plot in their own paragraphs. They usually also discuss the big themes/messages of a story. Here are some questions to consider when writing an essay-style review:

What is the author trying to do? Don’t evaluate a romance novel based on a mystery novel’s criteria. First try to think about what the book was attempting to do, then try to evaluate if they achieved it. You can still note if you didn’t like it, but it’s good to know what it was aiming for first.

What are some of the themes of the story? What big message should the reader take away? Did you agree with what the book seemed to be saying? Why or why not?

How is this story relevant to the world? What is it saying about the time it was written in? About human nature? About society or current issues? Depending on the book, there may be more or less to dig into here.

What did this book make you think about? It may be that the themes in the book were just a launching off point. How did they inspire your own thinking? How did this book change you?

A Classic Book Review

This is probably the most common kind of book review template. It uses a few criteria, usually including Setting, Writing, Characters, and Plot (for a novel). The review then goes into some detail about each element, describing what the book did well, and where it fell short.

The advantage of this format is that it’s very straightforward and applies to almost any fiction read. It can also be adapted–you will likely have more to say about the plot in a mystery/thriller than a character study of a novel. A drawback, though, is that it can feel limiting. You might have thoughts that don’t neatly fit into these categories, or you could feel like you don’t have enough to say about some of the categories.

Pros and Cons

A common format for a Goodreads review is some variation of pros and cons. This might be “What I Liked/What I Didn’t Like” or “Reasons to Bump This Up Your TBR/Reasons to Bump This Down On Your TBR.” This is a very flexible system that can accommodate anything from a few bullet points each to paragraphs each. It gives a good at-a-glance impression of your thoughts (more cons than pros is a pretty good indication you didn’t like it). It also is broad enough that almost all your thoughts can likely be organized into those headings.

This is also a format that is easily mix and matched with the elements listed below. A brief review might give the title, author, genre, some brief selling points of the novel, and then a pros and cons list. Some reviews also include a “verdict” at the end. An example of this format:

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

🌟 Fantasy All-Ages Comic 💫 Adorable pet dragons ✨ A diverse cast

Pros: This book has beautiful artwork. It is a soothing read, and all the character are supportive of each other. This is a story about friendship and kindness.

Cons: Don’t expect a fast-moving plot or a lot of conflict. This is a very gentle read.

Another approach to the review is not, strictly speaking, a book review template at all. Instead, it’s something like “5 Reasons to Read TITLE by Author” or “The # Most Shocking Plot Twists in X Series.” An advantage of this format is that it can be very to-the-point: if you want to convince people to read a book, it makes sense to just write a list of reasons they should read the book. It may also be more likely to get clicked on–traditional book reviews often get less views than more general posts.

On the other hand, listicles can come off as gimmicky or click-bait. You’ll have to decide for yourself if the book matches this format, and whether you are writing this out of genuine enthusiasm or are just trying to bend a review to be more clickable.

Your Own Original Rating System

Lots of reviewers decide to make their own review format based on what matters to them. This is often accompanied by a ratings system. For instance, the BookTube channel Book Roast uses the CAWPILE system:

CAWPILE is an acronym for the criteria she rates: Characters, Atmosphere, Writing, Plot, Intrigue, Logic, Enjoyment. Each of those are rated 1–10, and the average given is the overall rating. By making your own ratings/review system, you can prioritize what matters to you.

My favorite rating system is Njeri’s from Onyx Pages , because it shows exactly what she’s looking for from books, and it helps her to think about and speak about the things she values:

A “Live Tweet” or Chronological Review

Another format possibility is live tweeting (or updating as you go on Goodreads, or whatever your platform of choice is). This has you document your initial thoughts as you read, and it’s usually informal and often silly. You can add what you’re loving, what you’re hating, and what questions you have as you go.

This is a fun format for when you’re reading a popular book for the first time. That way, other people can cackle at how unprepared you are as you read it. This requires you to remember to always have your phone on you as you read, to get your authentic thoughts as they happen, but it saves on having to write a more in-depth review. Alternately, some people include both a “first impressions” section and a more in-depth analysis section in their final review.

Get Creative

There are plenty of book review templates to choose from and elements to mix-and-match, but you can also respond in a completely original way. You could create a work of art in response to the book! Here are some options:

• Writing a song , a short story, or a poem
• Writing a letter to the author or the main character (you don’t have to send it to the author!)
• Writing an “interview” of a character from the book, talk show style
• Making a visual response, like a collage or painting
• Making a book diorama, like your elementary school days!

Mix-and-Match Elements of a Book Review

Most book reviews are made up of a few different parts, which can be combined in lots of different ways. Here is a selection to choose from! These might also give you ideas for your own elements. Don’t take on too much, though! It can easily become an overwhelming amount of information for readers.

Information

Usually a book review starts with some basic information about the book. What you consider basic information, though, is up for interpretation! Consider what you and your audience will think is important. Here are some ideas:

• The title and author (pretty important)
• The book’s cover
• Format (audiobook, comic, poetry, etc)
• Genre (this can be broad, like SFF, or narrow, like Silkpunk or Dark Academia)
• Content warnings
• Source (where did you get the book? Was is borrowed from the library, bought, or were you sent an ARC?)
• Synopsis/plot summary (your own or the publisher’s)
• What kind of representation there is in the novel (including race, disability, LGBTQ characters, etc)
• Anything you’re tracking in your reading, including: authors of color, authors’ country, if a book is in translation, etc

Review Elements

Once you’ve established your basic information, you’re into the review itself! Some of these are small additions to a review, while others are a little more time-intensive.

Bullet point elements:

• Rating (star rating, thumbs up/down, recommend/wouldn’t recommend, or your own scale)
• Who would like it/Who wouldn’t like it
• Read-alikes (or movies and TV shows like the book)
• Describe the book using an emoji or emojis
• Describe the book using a gif or gifs
• Favorite line(s) from the book
• New vocabulary/the most beautiful words in the novel
• How it made you feel (in a sentence or two)
• One word or one sentence review
• Bullet points listing the selling points of a book
• BooksandLala’s Scary, Unsettling, and Intrigue ratings, for horror
• World-building, for fantasy and science fiction titles
• Art, for comics
• Narration, for audiobooks
• Romance, for…romance
• Heat level, for erotica

Visual elements:

• Design a graphic (usually incorporating the cover, your star rating, and some other basic info)
• Take a selfie of yourself holding the book, with your expression as the review
• Make a mood board
• Design your own book cover
• Make fan art

Elements to incorporate into a review:

• Quick/initial thoughts (often while reading or immediately after reading), then a more in-depth review (common on Goodreads)
• A list of facts about the book or a character from the book
• Book club questions about the book
• Spoiler/non-spoiler sections
• Research: look up interviews with the author and critique of the book, incorporate it (cited!) into your review
• Links to other resources, such as interviews or other reviews — especially #OwnVoices reviews
• A story of your own, whether it’s your experience reading the book, or something it reminded you of

This is not a complete list! There are so many ways to write a book review, and it should reflect your own relationship with books, as well as your audience. If you’re looking for more ways to keep track of your reading, you’ll also like 50+ Beautiful Bujo Spread Ideas to Track Your Reading .

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How to Write a Book Review: Awesome Guide

A book review allows students to illustrate the author's intentions of writing the piece, as well as create a criticism of the book — as a whole. In other words, form an opinion of the author's presented ideas. Check out this guide from EssayPro — book review writing service to learn how to write a book review successfully.

What Is a Book Review?

You may prosper, “what is a book review?”. Book reviews are commonly assigned students to allow them to show a clear understanding of the novel. And to check if the students have actually read the book. The essay format is highly important for your consideration, take a look at the book review format below.

Book reviews are assigned to allow students to present their own opinion regarding the author’s ideas included in the book or passage. They are a form of literary criticism that analyzes the author’s ideas, writing techniques, and quality. A book analysis is entirely opinion-based, in relevance to the book. They are good practice for those who wish to become editors, due to the fact, editing requires a lot of criticism.

Book Review Template

The book review format includes an introduction, body, and conclusion.

• Introduction
• Describe the book cover and title.
• Include any subtitles at this stage.
• Include the Author’s Name.
• Write a brief description of the novel.
• Briefly introduce the main points of the body in your book review.
• Avoid mentioning any opinions at this time.
• Use about 3 quotations from the author’s novel.
• Summarize the quotations in your own words.
• Mention your own point-of-view of the quotation.
• Remember to keep every point included in its own paragraph.
• In brief, summarize the quotations.
• In brief, summarize the explanations.
• Finish with a concluding sentence.
• This can include your final opinion of the book.
• Star-Rating (Optional).

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How to Write a Book Review: Step-By-Step

Writing a book review is something that can be done with every novel. Book reviews can apply to all novels, no matter the genre. Some genres may be harder than others. On the other hand, the book review format remains the same. Take a look at these step-by-step instructions from our professional writers to learn how to write a book review in-depth.

Step 1: Planning

Create an essay outline which includes all of the main points you wish to summarise in your book analysis. Include information about the characters, details of the plot, and some other important parts of your chosen novel. Reserve a body paragraph for each point you wish to talk about.

Consider these points before writing:

• What is the plot of the book? Understanding the plot enables you to write an effective review.
• Is the plot gripping? Does the plot make you want to continue reading the novel? Did you enjoy the plot? Does it manage to grab a reader’s attention?
• Are the writing techniques used by the author effective? Does the writer imply factors in-between the lines? What are they?
• Are the characters believable? Are the characters logical? Does the book make the characters are real while reading?
• Would you recommend the book to anyone? The most important thing: would you tell others to read this book? Is it good enough? Is it bad?
• What could be better? Keep in mind the quotes that could have been presented better. Criticize the writer.

Step 2: Introduction

Presumably, you have chosen your book. To begin, mention the book title and author’s name. Talk about the cover of the book. Write a thesis statement regarding the fictitious story or non-fictional novel. Which briefly describes the quoted material in the book review.

Step 3: Body

Choose a specific chapter or scenario to summarise. Include about 3 quotes in the body. Create summaries of each quote in your own words. It is also encouraged to include your own point-of-view and the way you interpret the quote. It is highly important to have one quote per paragraph.

Step 4: Conclusion

Write a summary of the summarised quotations and explanations, included in the body paragraphs. After doing so, finish book analysis with a concluding sentence to show the bigger picture of the book. Think to yourself, “Is it worth reading?”, and answer the question in black and white. However, write in-between the lines. Avoid stating “I like/dislike this book.”

Step 5: Rate the Book (Optional)

After writing a book review, you may want to include a rating. Including a star-rating provides further insight into the quality of the book, to your readers. Book reviews with star-ratings can be more effective, compared to those which don’t. Though, this is entirely optional.

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Dive into literary analysis with EssayPro . Our experts can help you craft insightful book reviews that delve deep into the themes, characters, and narratives of your chosen books. Enhance your understanding and appreciation of literature with us.

Writing Tips

Here is the list of tips for the book review:

• A long introduction can certainly lower one’s grade: keep the beginning short. Readers don’t like to read the long introduction for any essay style.
• It is advisable to write book reviews about fiction: it is not a must. Though, reviewing fiction can be far more effective than writing about a piece of nonfiction
• Avoid Comparing: avoid comparing your chosen novel with other books you have previously read. Doing so can be confusing for the reader.
• Opinion Matters: including your own point-of-view is something that is often encouraged when writing book reviews.
• Refer to Templates: a book review template can help a student get a clearer understanding of the required writing style.
• Don’t be Afraid to Criticize: usually, your own opinion isn’t required for academic papers below Ph.D. level. On the other hand, for book reviews, there’s an exception.
• Use Positivity: include a fair amount of positive comments and criticism.
• Review The Chosen Novel: avoid making things up. Review only what is presented in the chosen book.
• Enjoyed the book? If you loved reading the book, state it. Doing so makes your book analysis more personalized.

Writing a book review is something worth thinking about. Professors commonly assign this form of an assignment to students to enable them to express a grasp of a novel. Following the book review format is highly useful for beginners, as well as reading step-by-step instructions. Writing tips is also useful for people who are new to this essay type. If you need a book review or essay, ask our book report writing services ' write paper for me ' and we'll give you a hand asap!

We also recommend that everyone read the article about essay topics . It will help broaden your horizons in writing a book review as well as other papers.

Book Review Examples

Referring to a book review example is highly useful to those who wish to get a clearer understanding of how to review a book. Take a look at our examples written by our professional writers. Click on the button to open the book review examples and feel free to use them as a reference.

Book review

Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’

Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’ is a novel aimed at youngsters. The plot, itself, is not American humor, but that of Great Britain. In terms of sarcasm, and British-related jokes. The novel illustrates a fair mix of the relationships between the human-like animals, and wildlife. The narrative acts as an important milestone in post-Victorian children’s literature.

Book Review

Dr. John’s ‘Pollution’

Dr. John’s ‘Pollution’ consists of 3 major parts. The first part is all about the polluted ocean. The second being about the pollution of the sky. The third part is an in-depth study of how humans can resolve these issues. The book is a piece of non-fiction that focuses on modern-day pollution ordeals faced by both animals and humans on Planet Earth. It also focuses on climate change, being the result of the global pollution ordeal.

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How To Write A Book Review?

What to include in a book review, what is a book review, related articles.

How to Write a Great Book Review: 6 Templates and Ideas

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Whether you’ve loved or hated your recent reads, writing book reviews can be a fun and satisfying process. It’s a great way to unpack messages and information from a story, and it also helps you remember key elements of a book for much longer than you usually would. Plus, book reviews open up some interesting and exciting debates between readers with different opinions, and they also help others decide which books to read next .

Table of Contents

Where Can You Post Book Reviews?

Back in the old days, book reviews were reserved for leading publications and journals, but now, anyone can create their own book reviews, and they’re popping up almost everywhere.

Social Media

Bookworms have taken over social media, with hashtags like # bookstagram drawing in millions of readers from around the internet to share thoughts, ideas, inspiration, and of course, reviews.

Book blogs are also blowing up right now, and plenty of avid readers are making a solid income by writing and sharing their book reviews this way. You can either create your own from scratch or write guest posts and reviews for already established blogs.

Goodreads is the undisputed online home of books. It’s a great place to find inspiration for your next reads, browse other people’s book reviews, and of course, add your own reviews, too.

If you post a review of a popular book on Goodreads, it’s bound to be seen by a huge audience. Plus, it’s a great way to advertise your blog if you have one, as the Goodreads guidelines allow you to insert a link within the body of your review.

The world’s largest bookstore gets an incredible amount of traffic, so it’s one of the best places to get your reviews seen by the masses. But bear in mind that there are more rules and regulations for Amazon book reviews than on some of the other platforms listed here. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the guidelines first, or your submission could be rejected.

Booktube is a Youtube community dedicated to reviewing, discussing, and recommending books. If you’re comfortable in front of a camera, vlogging your book reviews on Booktube is an excellent alternative to the more traditional written book reviews above. It’s also a great way to get noticed by viewers around the world.

Some Booktube reviewers make their entire income from their channel, so if you’re passionate about reviewing and want to turn it into a living, this is a great avenue to explore.

Get Paid for Your Book Reviews

Some of the platforms I’ve listed above, like Booktube, Instagram, and blogging , allow you to get paid for your book reviews if you generate enough traffic, but getting to that level takes a lot of dedication, time, and patience.

Thankfully, there are plenty of websites that pay reviewers on a freelance basis. Here are three of the most popular:

Remember, each site has strict submission guidelines and requirements that you’ll need to check carefully before writing and submitting a review.

Kirkus Reviews

The Kirkus Reviews magazine, founded in 1933, is one of America’s oldest, most respected book reviewing companies.

They accept reviews around 350 words in length, and once you’re assigned the gig, you have a two-week submission deadline.

Kirkus is always on the lookout for new book reviewers, but you’ll need to prove you have experience and talent before they’ll accept your submissions. The best way to do this is to create a professional-looking portfolio that showcases your previous reviews, both paid and unpaid.

Booklist is a subgroup of the American Library Association. They feature all kinds of book reviews, both fiction and non-fiction, and publish them online and in print.

They pay their reviewers on a freelance, book-by-book basis. Their rates aren’t going to make you rich (around $12- $15 per review), but it’s a great way to gain some professional experience and build your book review portfolio without having to work for free.

Booklist has various publication outlets, such as their quarterly in-print magazine, a reader’s blog, and top book lists. Plus, they also accept pitches for book-related news and author interviews.

Online Book Club

This free-to-access community of bibliophiles has been going for over ten years, with a million active members and counting.

To join their professional freelance team, you’ll first have to submit an unpaid review to help them to determine if you’re worth hiring. If your review makes the cut, then your next submission is paid at a rate varying between $5 and $60, depending on the book’s length, the quality of the review, etc.

One of the major stipulations of Online Book Club is that your reviews are in-depth and honest. If you don’t like the book, never put a positive spin on it for the sake of it. ( The same goes for any book review platform you post on. )

It’s also worth noting that with Online Book Club, you’ll never pay for the books you review. So even if they reject your submission, you’ll still get a free book out of it.

How to Write a Book Review?

Book reviews can range from a simple tweet to a full-length essay or long-form blog post and anything in between.

As I mentioned above, some book review sites and platforms have strict guidelines and parameters to follow. But if you’re writing a book review for social media, your own blog, or any other purpose that lets you take the reins, then the following ideas will give you some help and inspiration to get started.

But before we dive in, let’s take a look at four key elements that a comprehensive book review should contain.

1. Information about the author and the name of the book

You might want to include any accolades that the author has received in the past and mention some of their previous notable works.

Also, consider the publication date; is the book a brand-new release, a few years old, or a classic from another century?

2. A summary of the plot

Writing about the plot takes skill and consideration; if your description is too thorough, you risk ruining the book for your audience with spoilers. But on the other hand, if you’re too vague on the details, your review can lack depth.

Consider your audience carefully, and if you feel like your book review contains even the slightest hint of spoilers, always add a warning at the beginning so people can decide for themselves whether to read on.

3. Your evaluation

This is the part where you get to describe what you feel about the book as a whole and give your opinion on the different elements within it. But, again, don’t be tempted to fall into the trap of positively evaluating books you didn’t actually like; no one wants to read a false review, so if you didn’t like it, explain why.

4. Your reader recommendation

Who might the book appeal to? Is it suitable for all audiences? In your opinion, is it a universal must-read, or should people avoid it?

Keep in mind that the purpose of most book reviews is to help the reader decide whether or not they would like to read it themselves. What works for you might not work for others, so consider this when writing your recommendations.

6 Book Review Templates and Ideas

1. the traditional approach.

Most traditional fiction reviews, like the ones found in newspapers and other popular publications, are based on the following format…

Introduction

The introduction is a paragraph or two which includes:

• Key information that the reader needs to know. For example, the book’s title, the author’s name, the publication date, and any relevant background information about the author and their work.
• A brief one-sentence summary of the plot. This sets the general scene of what the book is about.
• Your overall opinion of the book. Again, keep it brief. (you can delve deeper into what you liked and disliked later in the review).

This is the main body of your book review, where you break down and analyze the work. Some of the key elements you might want to examine are listed below. Approach each element one at a time to help your analysis flow.

• The characters
• The setting
• The structure of the story
• The quality of the writing

What did you notice about each one, what did you enjoy, and what did you dislike? Why?

The conclusion is usually the shortest part of a traditional book review, which usually contains:

• A summary of your thoughts about the book as a whole
• Your reader recommendation

Remember that unless you’re writing a book review for a pre-existing publication, there are no rules that you need to follow. This traditional format can be adapted to suit your own style, the book you are reviewing, and your audience.

Also Read : BEST FICTION BOOK REVIEWS

2. Social Media Book Reviews

Book reviews posted on social media tend to have a more relaxed tone than a traditional book review. Again, there are no set rules, but here are a few guidelines and suggestions for posting reviews on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

• Include an eye-catching image

This is essential on Instagram, but whatever social media platform you’re posting on, including a great photo will draw people in to read your review.

In the Instagram world, photos of books taken directly from above are called ‘flat lays.’ You can keep it simple and just snap the front cover, or you can get creative and shoot your book flat lay against an interesting backdrop or include items related to the story.

• Break up your review into short, bite-sized paragraphs

This rule applies to most web content, but it’s even more important on social media, where everyone competes for your reader’s attention.

Big blocks of text are much harder to follow and a sure-fire way to lose your reader’s attention before they even get started. Instead, stick to short paragraphs of one, two, or three sentences, and include spaces between each one.

• Know your character limit

At just 280 characters, Twitter is by far the stingiest of the major social media platforms when it comes to the length of posts. That’s why most people choose platforms like Instagram or Facebook for book reviews. That being said, you can still use Twitter as a way of linking to them once they go live.

Instagram is considerably more generous with its 2,200-character limit, but if you have a lot to say about the book you’re reviewing, it can still be limiting.

If you want to post a more comprehensive review on social media, Facebook is your best bet; they have an upper limit of 63,206 characters.

Whichever platform you post on, remember to factor any hashtags into your character limit too.

• Keep it succinct

Book reviews on social media perform better when sentences are concise. This helps to combat the character limit issue I mentioned above and gets your point across quickly, without the fluff.

Readers on platforms like Instagram and Facebook flit from post to post, so if you don’t say what you mean in as few words as possible, you’ll risk losing your audience altogether.

• Don’t be afraid of emojis.

Love them or hate them, emojis convey mood and emotion where words can sometimes fail us. They also add an extra visual element to a post, help to break up blocks of text and keep the tone informal.

Of course, there’s no rule that you have to include emojis in your social media book reviews, but if you’re already comfortable using them elsewhere, consider incorporating them here too.

• Add a star rating

Star ratings instantly tell your audience whether you loved the book or not before they read a single word of your post. It’s also another visual element to help draw your audience in to find out more.

• Avoid spoilers

I’ve already touched on spoilers above, but it’s essential to avoid them on social media book reviews. That’s because unsuspecting users are scrolling from post to post on these platforms with no way of knowing what’s coming next. As a result, it’s very easy to read something you can’t unread.

• Consider tagging the author and publisher.

But ONLY do this if you enjoyed the book and your review is favorable. It’s not good online etiquette to tag in the creators if you’re posting a scathing critique; it’s mean-spirited, and it could lead to a social media squabble, which the internet has enough of already.

3. Goodreads and Amazon Book Reviews

Both Goodreads and Amazon allow anyone to upload a review of any book, so they’re great places to get started if you’re new to the reviewing world. Plus, you can post more in-depth and lengthy reviews than you can on social media platforms.

There are endless ways to write reviews for sites like these, but if you’re looking for a bit of inspiration, here’s a good template that will help you to flesh out your ideas.

• Star Rating

Sites like Goodreads and Amazon usually ask for a 1-5 star rating before writing your review. 3 is your baseline which translates to “pretty good.” It can be tempting to rush straight in for a 5 star if you loved a book, but where possible, try to reserve this rating for books that really blow you away.

• A Brief Synopsis

Reviews on these sites appear directly under the book listing, so generally, there’s no need to mention the author, title, or publishing details. Instead, you can dive straight into a quick overview of the plot, using the official publisher’s summary to help you if needed.

Avoid revealing any significant details or spoilers, but include enough to outline the story and give context to the rest of your review.

Talking about how the book made you feel is a good place to start. Did you learn something you didn’t know before? Was it a page-turner or a hard slog? Were there any twists you did or didn’t see coming? Mentioning the existence of a plot twist is usually deemed ok, as long as you don’t reveal what it is.

Next, examine the book’s various elements, including the characters, setting, and plot, using examples. You might even want to include some direct quotes from the book, as long as they don’t give too much away.

Just like the traditional book review format, conclude it with a summary. Are you glad you read it? Who might enjoy this book, and who should avoid it?

4. Listicle Book Reviews

Listicles are articles and blog posts structured like a numbered list. An example from the book review world is “10 reasons why you need to read X by X”.

These types of reviews are particularly well suited to blog posts, as they’re an excellent way to encourage people to click on your link compared with a less attention-grabbing traditional format.

That being said, listicle book reviews tend only to work if your feedback is positive. Using this format to review a book you hated risks alienating your audience and coming across as harsh and judgemental. Less favorable reviews are better presented in a more traditional format that explores a book’s different aspects one by one.

5. An Essay Style Analysis

An essay-style review isn’t technically a review, as it delves much deeper into the work and examines it from multiple angles.

If you’re not limited to a word count and want to dissect an author’s work, then an in-depth essay-style analysis can be a great addition to your blog. Plus, they’re generally written for people who have already read the book, so there’s no need to worry about spoilers.

But when you’re writing more than 500 words about a book, it can be easy to ramble or go off on a tangent. Here’s an example format to keep you on track:

• Include the author’s name, the title of the book, and the date of publication.
• Is the book a standalone novel or part of a series?
• What made you choose this book in the first place? Have you read any of the author’s previous work?
• Describe the cover. Does it draw you in? Is it an appropriate representation of the book as a whole?

Set the Scene

• Include an overview of the plot.
• Did you have any expectations or preconceived ideas about the book before you read it?

Your Review

Discuss the following elements one at a time. Use quotes or direct examples when talking about each one.

• Describe the geographical location, the period in time, and the environment.
• Is the setting based on reality or imagination?
• How does the setting help to add mood and tone to the story?
• Give an overview of the main characters and their backgrounds.
• Discuss the significant plot points in the story in chronological order.
• What are the conflicts, the climaxes, and the resolutions?
• How does the author use literary devices to bring meaning and life to book?
• For example, discuss any elements of foreshadowing, metaphors, symbolism, irony, or imagery.
• What are the overall themes and big ideas in the story? For example, love, death, friendship , war, and coming of age.
• What, if any, are the morals within the story?
• Are there any underlying or less prominent themes that the author is trying to portray?

Your Opinion

• Which elements were successful, and which weren’t?
• Were the characters believable? Did you want them to succeed?
• In the case of plot twists, did you see them coming?
• Are there any memorable scenes or quotes that particularly stood out to you? If so, why?
• How did the book make you feel? Did it evoke any strong emotions?
• Did the book meet your preconceived expectations?
• Were you satisfied by the ending, or did you find it frustrating?
• Summarise the plot and theme in a couple of sentences.
• Give your overall opinion. Was the book a success, a failure, or something in between?
• Include a reader recommendation, for example, “this book is a must-read for anyone with a love of dystopian science fiction.”
• Include a star rating if you wish.

6. Create Your Own Book Review Template

If you plan on becoming a regular book reviewer, it’s a good idea to create your own unique template that you can use for every book you review, whether you’re posting on a blog, website, or social media account.

You can mix and match the various elements of the review styles above to suit your preferences and the types of books you’ll be reviewing.

Creating a template unique to you helps build your authority as an independent reviewer and makes writing future reviews a lot easier.

Writing book reviews is a great way to get even more out of your reading journey. Whether you loved or hated a title, reviewing it will help you remember and process the story, and you’ll also be helping others to decide whether or not it’s worth their time, too.

And who knows, you might fall in love with writing book reviews and decide to pursue it as an additional source of income or even a new career!

Whatever your book reviewing plans and goals are, I hope the templates, tips, and ideas above will help you get started.

Do you have any advice for writing a great book review? Let me know in the comments below!

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Guides • Book Design

Last updated on Sep 27, 2023

The 6 Best Book Cover Templates, Reviewed

If you feel your manuscript is nearing publication, you might want to give it a front cover that will make your target readers look twice.

While most successful authors (both self- and traditionally published) avoid putting out a book without a professionally-made design , this may not be an option for first-timers on a really tight budget. In these cases, ready-made book cover templates offer a practical and inexpensive solution. 

With the help of cover templates, you can create nice-looking results without the need to master complex book cover design software — so long as you don’t mind your cover looking a little generic and similar to other titles on the market.

In this post, we’ll share the 6 best templates you can find online. 

Which book cover design software option is right for you?

Takes 30 seconds!

1. Adobe Express

Cost: Free or $9.99/mo

A free online tool that helps you create different types of graphics, Adobe Express’s pre-made templates can be used for a wide range of content, from flyers to social media banners to posters. Type in “book cover” in the Templates section to browse and edit the available templates, and make sure to specify your genre to get more specific results (e.g. “memoir book cover”.)

You can pick a template you like and start editing each aspect of it, from the photography to the font type and so on. The interface is intuitive and fun to play with, though as with any of these tools, it’s easy to mess up the layout once you start to move things around. 

💡To make your cover more original and connected to your story, check out professionally designed covers for inspiration, noting any elements or features you'd like to include in your own cover.

FREE RESOURCE

Book Cover Concept Worksheet

Use our step-by-step template to create a strong cover concept.

One downside: in terms of file export, Adobe Express provides a default size of 1410 x 2250 pixels, which is not what most retailers recommend. You can modify this size, but only if you get the Premium subscription, which some users can find frustrating.

Keep in mind that book cover templates are primarily designed for the front cover of ebooks. To create a full cover for a paperback or hardback book without the help of a pro, you’ll need to learn more about book cover elements , including the spine, back cover, and flaps, and book cover dimensions , such as trim size, spine width, bleeds, and more.

Overall, considering Adobe's status in the design industry, the selection of templates and export options are quite limited, but hopefully they’ll expand them in future releases.

Cost: Free or $14.99/mo

Perhaps the most popular online tool for creating book covers, Canva offers an extensive library of stock photos, illustrations, and fonts, and, more importantly, almost 5,000 fully customizable templates across various literary genres . Some templates are made in collaboration with talented creatives, which is reflected by fresh and modern designs. For some of them, you’ll even have the option to create and edit the back cover . 

Although Canva's templates are a great place to start, once you start moving things around, it can be difficult to achieve a balance between the title, author name, tagline, and testimonials. Remember to think in terms of visual hierarchy, and how your cover will look as a thumbnail. 

Cover Design Checklist

Make sure your book cover ticks all the boxes with our handy guide.

One of the best things about Canva is that they offer a range of cover template sizes in portrait, landscape, and square formats. From these, you can choose the one that best suits your particular genre, like memoir , photography, or children’s books . 

👦 Want to work with seasoned children's book designers? On Reedsy, you’ll find professionals who have worked with clients like Disney, Scholastic, and Warner Bros, among others. 

MEET COVER DESIGNERS

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Let readers judge your book by its (professionally-designed) cover.

3. KDP Cover Creator

Cost : Free

Amazon KDP has its very own cover creator. It’s by far the worst of the bunch, but since you’ll likely encounter it when you self-publish your book on Amazon , let’s take a look at it.  

You’ll find Amazon’s templates in the Bookshelf of your KDP account. In the Kindle eBook Content section, you’ll be asked to either provide a cover or create one, which is how you can access the cover editor. 

As you’ll soon realize, not only does KDP offer a very limited range of designs, but they all seem to have arrived through a time portal from the 1980s. 

This tool has disappointed many users, especially those who remember Amazon’s defunct (and apparently superior) cover creation tool. As one commenter on KDP’s forum put it: “Words cannot express the drop in quality from the Createspace Cover Creator to the KDP cover creator (but I'll certainly try). 

“It's like they rounded up a bunch of second semester undergrad graphic designers, got them tripping on mushrooms and told them they needed to create a cover design platform in six hours.”

So while KDP’s cover creator is a free option available to you, common sense suggests you’ll be better off investigating some other solutions. 

🎨 Learn more about how to develop a unique cover , from start to finish, in 6 steps. 

4. PosterMyWall

Cost: Free or $9.95/mo

PosterMyWall offers a vast collection of Kindle ebook cover templates, nicely categorized by genre. But while you can stumble upon a few good options, most of the templates are poorly designed. In terms of user-friendliness, their interface shares similarities with Adobe Express and Canva, but we found it less intuitive and straightforward to navigate.

The app is unique in that it's connected to Getty Images and Storyblocks, unlike other services that primarily use royalty-free stock image sites like Pixabay, Pexels, and Unsplash. This allows for more creative flexibility if you're planning a photography-based cover. Just make sure to check the terms and conditions of using the licensed assets. For example, you can only use Getty images for commercial purposes up to 10,000 units.

One positive thing is that PosterMyWall exports the cover in the standard Kindle size of 2560 x 1600px, which is what most authors using these types of services are looking for. Free downloads are available, but in a lower resolution with watermarks. For a one-off high-quality version, you can pay $3-8, which might make a monthly subscription a better choice since you’ll get unlimited high-res image downloads.

Cost : Pay per design or $9.99/mo

Placeit is primarily a tool for creating mockups and logos , although they do provide a modest assortment of book cover templates, with a focus on cookbooks, fantasy, and horror genres. 

Unfortunately, the designs tend to be overcrowded and hard to “read at a glance,” and the cover editor is not the most user-friendly. Also, you won’t be able to customize the dimensions of the cover, though they offer several formats that you can export all at once. Overall, you’ll be better off creating the cover with other tools and use Placeit to generate book mockups for promotional purposes instead.

Cost: Starts at $12.25/mo

Another all-in-one platform , Visme helps people create presentations, social media content, and, among other things, book covers. However, publishing is not the main focus of the platform 一 at the time of writing, there are only 25 templates available to edit, most of which are somewhat basic. 

Visme’s platform feels modern and intuitive, though less practical than other tools (e.g. Canva.) They have integrated artificial intelligence in their editor, which allows you to generate either images or text for your cover. But the results are rather bleak, so it’s better to stick to the regular stock photos and design elements.

One perk is that you can download your cover file as a PDF with bleed marks that show the area that will be trimmed. But to download any type of file (with or without marks) you need to have either the Starter or Premium subscription. 

This concludes our mini guide on how to use free (or inexpensive) templates to give your book’s interior and exterior a professional look. Though these templates are a great place to start, remember that when it comes to cover design, paying for unique artwork that communicates your book's content and genre in an original manner usually results in more clicks and sales . Regardless, we wish you the best in your self-publishing journey!

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Writing a Book Review

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

This resource discusses book reviews and how to write them.

Book reviews typically evaluate recently-written works. They offer a brief description of the text’s key points and often provide a short appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the work.

Readers sometimes confuse book reviews with book reports, but the two are not identical. Book reports commonly describe what happens in a work; their focus is primarily on giving an account of the major plot, characters, and/or main idea of the work. Most often, book reports are a K-12 assignment and range from 250 to 500 words. If you are looking to write a book report, please see the OWL resource, Writing a Book Report.

By contrast, book reviews are most often a college assignment, but they also appear in many professional works: magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. They typically range from 500-750 words, but may be longer or shorter. A book review gives readers a sneak peek at what a book is like, whether or not the reviewer enjoyed it, and details on purchasing the book.

Before You Read

Before you begin to read, consider the elements you will need to included in your review. The following items may help:

• Author: Who is the author? What else has s/he written? Has this author won any awards? What is the author’s typical style?
• Genre: What type of book is this: fiction, nonfiction, romance, poetry, youth fiction, etc.? Who is the intended audience for this work? What is the purpose of the work?
• Title: Where does the title fit in? How is it applied in the work? Does it adequately encapsulate the message of the text? Is it interesting? Uninteresting?
• Preface/Introduction/Table of Contents: Does the author provide any revealing information about the text in the preface/introduction? Does a “guest author” provide the introduction? What judgments or preconceptions do the author and/or “guest author” provide? How is the book arranged: sections, chapters?
• Book Jacket/Cover/Printing: Book jackets are like mini-reviews. Does the book jacket provide any interesting details or spark your interest in some way? Are there pictures, maps, or graphs? Do the binding, page cut, or typescript contribute or take away from the work?

As You Read

As you read, determine how you will structure the summary portion or background structure of your review. Be ready to take notes on the book’s key points, characters, and/or themes.

• Characters: Are there characters in the work? Who are the principal characters? How do they affect the story? Do you empathize with them?
• Themes/Motifs/Style: What themes or motifs stand out? How do they contribute to the work? Are they effective or not? How would you describe this author’s particular style? Is it accessible to all readers or just some?
• Argument: How is the work’s argument set up? What support does the author give for her/findings? Does the work fulfill its purpose/support its argument?
• Key Ideas: What is the main idea of the work? What makes it good, different, or groundbreaking?
• Quotes: What quotes stand out? How can you demonstrate the author’s talent or the feel of the book through a quote?

When You Are Ready to Write

Begin with a short summary or background of the work, but do not give too much away. Many reviews limit themselves only to the first couple of chapters or lead the reader up to the rising action of the work. Reviewers of nonfiction texts will provide the basic idea of the book’s argument without too much detailed.

The final portion of your review will detail your opinion of the work. When you are ready to begin your review, consider the following:

• Establish a Background, Remember your Audience: Remember that your audience has not read the work; with this in mind, be sure to introduce characters and principles carefully and deliberately. What kind of summary can you provide of the main points or main characters that will help your readers gauge their interest? Does the author’s text adequately reach the intended audience? Will some readers be lost or find the text too easy?
• Minor principles/characters: Deal only with the most pressing issues in the book. You will not be able to cover every character or idea. What principles/characters did you agree or disagree with? What other things might the author have researched or considered?
• Organize: The purpose of the review is to critically evaluate the text, not just inform the readers about it. Leave plenty room for your evaluation by ensuring that your summary is brief. Determine what kind of balance to strike between your summary information and your evaluation. If you are writing your review for a class, ask your instructor. Often the ratio is half and half.
• Your Evaluation: Choose one or a few points to discuss about the book. What worked well for you? How does this work compare with others by the same author or other books in the same genre? What major themes, motifs, or terms does the book introduce, and how effective are they? Did the book appeal to you on an emotional or logical way?
• Publisher/Price: Most book reviews include the publisher and price of the book at the end of the article. Some reviews also include the year published and ISBN.

When making the final touches to your review, carefully verify the following:

• Double-check the spelling of the author name(s), character names, special terms, and publisher.
• Try to read from the vantage point of your audience. Is there too much/enough summary? Does your argument about the text make sense?
• Should you include direct quotes from the reading? Do they help support your arguments? Double-check your quotes for accuracy.

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The Story of O.J. Simpson’s Controversial Book, If I Did It , And Why It Was Canceled And Later Released

Simpson’s hypothetical account of how he would have killed his ex-wife and her friend was published by one of the victim’s family in 2007

Ethan Miller/Getty; Beaufort Books

O.J. Simpson died on April 10 from cancer. He was 76. The contentious figure, who was an actor, broadcaster and Hall of Fame football player, is now arguably best-known for his arrest, trial and acquittal for the 1994 murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Following an hours-long televised police chase — which garnered 95 million viewers — Simpson's trial lasted for months before jurors declared him not guilty of the killings in 1995.  In 2007, Simpson was arrested on non-related felony charges for armed robbery and kidnapping . At that point, he was convicted and sentenced to 33 years in prison following a 2008 trial, and was released in Oct. 2017 after serving nearly nine years.

Simpson’s alleged involvement with Brown and Goldman’s murders was the subject of a highly controversial book. If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer , Simpson’s hypothetical account of how he would have murdered Brown and Goldman, had a rocky road to its eventual 2007 publication. 

Beaufort Books

Prior to If I Did It , Simpson published I Want to Tell You: My Response to Your Letters, Your Messages, Your Questions in 1995, while he waited to appear before the jury for his hearing. Per the book’s description , I Want to Tell You was intended to be “an emotional and factual self-portrait of O. J.'s mind at this critical time,” and included letters that Simpson had received since his incarceration.

In 2006, publisher Judith Regan announced that she would publish a book by O.J. Simpson through ReganBooks, a former imprint of HarperCollins. Regan claimed that Simpson’s legal team contacted her in a 2006 interview, which became public in 2018. “I received a phone call from an attorney who said that O.J. was ready to confess,” Regan said in the interview. “And actually, I thought it was some kind of a scam and didn’t believe him, and I thought, ‘This guy’s a lunatic,’ but I took his number and said I’d call him back.”

Isaac Brekken-Pool/Getty

“The next day, I called him back and he said he was willing to do it, and the only condition that he had was that he didn’t want to call the book I Did It," Regan claimed. “He wanted to put an ‘if’ in front of it, so he would have deniability with his children . He couldn’t face his children and he couldn’t tell them that he had done it. That was the way it was portrayed to me. That was his only condition.” The book sold for a reported $3.5 million and was set to publish on Nov. 30, 2006. However, outrage from both the public and the victims' families led to the book’s publication being canceled. Regan was also fired by HarperCollins on the heels of the controversy.

“I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project,” Rupert Murdoch, then-News Corp. chairman, said in 2006. “We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.”

In the wake of his 1995 acquittal, Simpson was sued by both the Brown and Goldman families in civil court. The court ruled in the families' favor in 1997, and awarded them a $33.5 million liability judgment, though Simpson only paid a fraction of the initial amount.

Following the cancellation of the book, however, a battle for the rights to If I Did It ensued. Lorraine Brooke Associates, a company run by Simpson’s daughter, Arnelle, with the Simpson children as the main shareholders, had negotiated the original book deal with HarperCollins. However, after a California judge ordered the rights sold to benefit the Goldman family, Lorraine Brooke Associates filed for bankruptcy.

In 2007, rights were awarded to the Goldman family, CBS reported at the time , to satisfy a $38 million wrongful death judgment against Simpson. The judge presiding over that case found that Lorraine Brooke Associates was founded in an attempt to hide O.J. Simpson's involvement with the book, which led them to award the rights to the Goldmans, CBS reported.

Jason Bean-Pool/Getty

The Browns, who won a $24 million wrongful death case against Simpson, were awarded a 10% cut of the book’s first gross proceeds. The Goldmans were tasked with bearing the burden of finding the book a publisher, as well as its marketing efforts.

With the rights secured, the Goldman family published a revised edition of If I Did It in 2007. The new book included Simpson’s original text, as well as additional commentary from the Goldman family, the book’s original ghostwriter Pablo Fenjves and journalist Dominick Dunne. The new edition also covered the bankruptcy case and the court proceedings that led to Simpson’s conviction, per the book's description.

"After 13 years of trying to get some justice, today is probably the first time we had any sense of seeing light at the end of the tunnel," Goldman’s father, Fred, said at the hearing after the book rights were awarded. "It's gratifying to see."

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter  to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

According to Amazon , all royalties from the book's sales are currently awarded to the Goldman family.

Related Articles

How to Design and Make a Book Cover

Y ou've probably heard the term “don’t judge a book by its cover”. It's an undoubtedly cliché phrase, but the reason why people use it so often is that many of us do, in fact, judge a book by its cover.

First impressions are incredibly important, especially when it comes to marketing your book. But unfortunately, not everyone can afford to hire a professional. Thankfully, designing your own book cover is entirely possible, and by the end of this guide, you will know exactly how to do it.

Step One: Conceptualize Your Idea

The first step to designing your own book cover is to get a rough idea of what you want your cover to look like. The options are endless, and this could seem like a daunting task, but once you break it down, it should feel less intimidating.

Designing the cover of your book is honestly the easy part. Writing a book in itself requires endless motivation and determination. If you have been struggling to finish your novel, utilize these apps to plan and keep you motivated .

What Genre Is Your Book?

A great way to start is by thinking about what genre your book is. Then you can take a look at what the covers of other popular books in that genre look like. You could even print some of them out and create a mood board to help steer your book cover in the right direction. Gathering inspiration can teach you what your target audience is attracted to.

What Is the Tone of Your Book?

Think about the overall tone of your book and what it says to you. Is it a cookbook? If so, is it composed of summery and light dishes or wintery and hearty meals? Discovering the overall feel of your book is a great way to start developing an idea of what type of color palette and vibe you want your cover to give off.

What Is Your Book About?

A picture can speak one thousand words, and it’s important that your cover tells the same story that your book does. The last thing you want to do is make a cover that is misleading or doesn’t properly represent your book. This can cause distrust between you and your readers and could ultimately hurt your sales if people find the book is completely different from what they expected.

Step Two: Choose Your Design Software

Now that you have a rough idea of what you want your book cover to be like, you are ready to decide how you will bring it to life. There are many different tools that you can use to make your own book cover. Some are free, and others require a subscription.

• Canva : Canva is a wonderful design tool for anyone who wants to design anything. It is incredibly simple to use, and it is also free. Canva has hundreds of built-in design options that you can use to make your book cover look eye-catching and professional.
• Book Brush : Book Brush is similar to Canva in many ways but is more targeted to authors. It is specifically made for writers to create book covers and other marketing material for their books.
• DIY Book Covers : DIY Book Covers allows you to create beautiful and professional book covers and also offers lessons and other information to help you out during the creation process.
• Adobe : Adobe Photoshop or InDesign are both programs you may have already. And if you know your way around them, you have all the makings of a brilliant book cover.

Each of the above programs is great, and choosing whether Adobe InDesign or Canva is better depends entirely on your individual preferences.

Step Three: Make Your Own Book Cover

Now that all the planning is done, you are ready to move on to the fun part and make your book cover. For this tutorial, we will show you how to make a book cover using Canva.

Choose Your Dimensions

It's not just the physical size of your book you have to consider, you also have to consider the size of your digital cover. Ebooks and audiobooks are growing ever more popular as websites like Kindle and Kobo allow you to enjoy your favorite books anywhere .

Each website that your book may be sold on has its preferred file type and size requirements. These are important to know as they can impact your final design. Here are a few of the most popular book-selling websites and their specific requirements:

Once you’ve decided on your preferred dimensions, press Create a Design . Select Custom Size and enter your dimensions.

If you’re not sure yet, and you just want to get the base design created before resizing it, you can also type “book cover” in the search bar and use one of Canva's free templates.

Choose Your Color Palette

Since you’ve already considered the overall tone of your book, you may have a color palette in mind. If it’s a light-hearted book, vibrant colors like yellows and light blues may be a good choice to start with.

If you have written a dark fantasy novel, a more moody and dark color palette like maroon or purple would be a better choice. Once you’ve decided on your color palette, press the color icon just above your design to change the background color.

Choose Your Image

While simple covers are often more eye-catching and effective, your cover will benefit from having some sort of image to help portray what the book is about.

To choose one of Canva’s designs, select Elements on the left and type a prompt into the search bar. Canva has almost endless options, so you could find anything you want, but it’s a good idea to make sure it applies to your book.

If you are looking for a photograph to add to your book cover, but don't have the spare cash to hire a photographer and models, there are plenty of copyright-free websites you can visit. Sites like Pexels and Unsplash provide images that are free to use without the stress of copyright infringement.

Choose Your Font

Now that you have a background and a background image, it’s time to add the name of your book. Select Text from the left and select Add a textbox . Type the title of your book, highlight your text, and open the drop-down menu beside the text size. Now comes the hard part, choosing a font.

There are hundreds of fonts available on Canva, but a great rule of thumb is to pick something readable. That is absolutely key when it comes to making a book cover.

Cursive fonts are beautiful, and they do add a lovely sense of flair to your design, but if people can’t even read the name of your book, they are less likely to purchase it to read what’s inside. A nice balance between stylized and readable text is essential for your book cover.

Make another text box to insert your name on the front cover. This is usually placed along the bottom of the cover somewhere.

Once all of your pieces are in place, select File from the menu at the top. Scroll down to Download and select the type of file you would like. Then press Download , and you have yourself a book cover!

Don’t Forget About Your Back Cover!

Most books utilize the back cover to summarize and explain the contents of the book, without spoilers, of course. Take your time with this step, as it is what will ultimately make people decide if they like the sound of your book or not.

Once you come up with your synopsis, apply it in a text box on your back cover. It doesn’t have to be fancy or embellished, just a basic text box with a classic font like Times New Roman or Garamond.

You also might want to consider adding an endorsement or a photo of yourself, many readers like to put a face to the name of the author, and the back cover is a great place to do so.

Bring Your Book to Life by Making Your Own Book Cover

Writing a book is a deeply personal experience, and no one knows your book better than you do. That means that perhaps the best person for the job of creating its cover is you. Your book’s cover is a very important piece of the literary puzzle, and it could make all the difference in terms of sales.

Just because making your own book cover may seem scary doesn’t mean it’s not worth pursuing. If you have an eye for design and a vision for what you want your book cover to look like, don’t be afraid to take the plunge and use this guide to make it yourself.

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Student Academic Planner 2024-2025: Gamer Cover Paperback – March 14, 2024

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• Print length 159 pages
• Language English
• Publication date March 14, 2024
• Dimensions 8.5 x 0.36 x 11 inches
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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CYBJ318F
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (March 14, 2024)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
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