It sounds terrible, right? We’ve all heard the cliché, “don’t
judge a book by its cover.” But for better or worse, in terms of book sales all
the market research suggests that buyers very much judge the books they buy
based on their covers.
This was another big takeaway for me from the San Francisco
Writer’s Conference, and one that has continued to change a lot in the past few
years. When I first started attending the conference, most editors and agents
said they could recognize a self-published book a mile away, mainly from its
poorly constructed cover art. Today, it’s a whole different ballgame. More and
more self-published authors are employing professionals to produce their cover
art and it’s making a dramatic impact on their book sales. The writing itself
is of course what will ultimately make the reader a fan or not, but enticing
cover art is what hooks them in the first place to pickup a paperback or click
on an ebook.
It’s also a key element when a writer establishes their
brand. Think about it. Even if you couldn’t read, you’ve been to the bookstore
enough times to recognize the cover of a romance novel versus a sci fi book.
You can also tell oftentimes whether a series of books is by a given author
because of how they brand their novels with a specific look. So what are some
really great examples of cover art that you love? Do you have a specific style you like to see on
book covers or any that you can’t stand?
Since I do read the science fiction and fantasy genres, a detailed piece of artwork on the cover draws me in. It needs to be rich and detailed.
ReplyDeleteAnd fortunately, I really like the covers my publisher designed for my own books!
Covers are what a potential reader sees first so I think they are so important.
ReplyDeleteI was travelling when the first Twilight movie made the screen. Airport book racks were stacked high with the series. I had already started the first one and bought its sequel. I sat down to read and noticed several other passengers reading the same. All of S. Meyer's books were in bold black and red, so it was easy to see. I hear the same happened with Harry Potter, but my husband is more of an expert. He read the series twice! And this of course is where e-books fail. In this case, because I read a lot on my Nook, and see this as a problem, FORMATTING and EDITING are so important. I can't emphasize this enough. Okay enough said . . .back to work. Thanks, Mark!
ReplyDeleteAuthor David Farland did an entire series about the importance of cover a year or so ago in his Daily Kick in the Pants. And today, when so much is done with thumbnails, what a cover includes in a tiny format is huge. I download a lot of books for my iPad and sometimes the thumbnails (that let me read the title and the author name) are illegibe. Never good.
ReplyDeleteYou made me think of the Harlequin books...so funny. I totally agree that the cover is very important though I cannot think of ones I hated or liked. In addition, for me, I like to touch the pages and I like the print to be legible. If the pages are rough I cannot read that book. Happy Thursday to you Mark.
ReplyDeleteI SO agree with this post. I think people who self-publish do themselves a great disservice when they skimp on the cover art. I know a lot of people don't have photoshop or the graphic art skills to do a cover themselves, but there are plenty of people out there who do and who aren't charging a ton of money to come up with a cover design. And sites like istock photos provide hundreds of great pictures that would work for book covers for not a lot of money. It's one of those things you have to think of as an investment. You may have to put a little money up front to get something that looks professional, but the result could mean many more book sales.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yeah, Treasure Island cover by Wyeth is one that really captures the imagination.
Well you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover - but we do anyway sometimes. sandie
ReplyDeleteA lot of covers that have been coming out recently are overly complicated. The Eragon series is a great example of simple yet effective cover art. Rather than a cover depicting an entire scene, I live the ones that show single characters. This only works if the character is actually interesting, but that's really up to the author
ReplyDeleteI've seen more and more self-published people using excellent stock photos and I actually enjoy them! Better than some unidentifiable hand drawn mess. Probably the one things I hate most in covers are cover that have way too much going on. Simple and clean lines. We'll have to see what happens if I ever decide to make my own cover for fun :)
ReplyDeleteI hate it when a they plaster a movie still on the front of a book, presumably to sell more of it to the masses who will only buy it if they know it has been made into a movie. Annoying! I prefer art on the cover, not a movie poster.
ReplyDeleteMost people scan a row of books in seconds. If the cover is bland or boring, the book lost its hold on the potential reader.
ReplyDeleteGood art is wonderful. Cliche art is just that. I rarely notice the art on iTunes books. I buy according to author name. Interesting article!
ReplyDeleteCover art is important as that's what readers see first. I like the cover for Hunger Games.
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to look unique. Something that stands out for having a different style. I think that's important for self-published authors as a lot of covers can seem very samey.
ReplyDeleteI try to make my eBook covers better with every pass, but I'm no professional; I'm just doing it for fun (for now). I'm very critical of my own work, and knowing what goes into composing a cover, I'm often disgusted by the poorly made self-pubbed variety on Amazon.
ReplyDeleteOf course people are swayed by covers - I think that goes for most things hence perfume bottles being made to look so beautiful. What we see on the front cover of the book gives us a visual insight to the story and I think it's important to get that right.
ReplyDeleteGreat examples of cover art? I love detailed artwork; Stephan Martiniere is one of my favorite artists, since it's full of detail and color (and most of it is Science Fiction, the main genre I write/read).
ReplyDeleteI like all different kinds of covers, but I'm drawn to simple or mystical. Don't like anything obviously photoshopped OR beefy shirtless guys.
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Yeah, my list of cool book covers would be pretty endless, but I actually sometimes like the really plain hardback types that come out for classic books...the just look so cool and old fashioned...maybe it's just me:)
ReplyDeleteI love the old classics. I have Treasure Island on my Kindle Fire. Love that story! Thanks for participating!
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