A book’s cover is the first thing a reader notices, yet they only spend an average of seven seconds looking at the cover, and spend even less time if browsing online. So it’s vital for a book cover to not just “pop,” but also convey the genre, tone, and subject matter. With an average of about eleven thousand books being published daily (yes, daily), book cover designers everywhere must push themselves to discover new ways to catch the eyes of busy readers. Four book cover design trends have emerged in 2026 to do just this.

1. Perhaps as a reaction to AI as well as the ease and proliferation of digital art, many designers are turning to using hand-rendered or textured (e.g., oil paints, charcoal) art. For example, Greenleaf art director Neil Gonzalez used hand-cut construction paper to create this award-winning cover:

2. Pale, bland colors and typefaces are out—“bold” is in for 2026. Even nonfiction genres like business and self-help are using strong colors and eye-popping typography! With more readers buying online and viewing cover thumbnails, designers are making contrast do more heavy lifting. For example, our Sr. Designer Laurie MacQueen’s Know:

3. In another pushback against AI, trending cover designs look intentionally human-crafted, instead of the visual completeness generated by AI. Figures are placed to be symbolic, not literal. One example is from our design supervisor, Cameron Stein:

4. Two other big trends for 2026 include overexaggerated typography to the point of ridiculousness. These oversized, handwritten typefaces offer covers a more personal touch. A focus on the cover’s typography naturally aligns with this trend, as we see in another of Laurie’s covers:

With so many books being published, and busy readers quickly scanning book covers, these trends are perfect to “stop the scroll” and catch the eye!