It’s All a Cover Up… or is it?

I’m a “Judge a Book by its Cover” girl. I know, we’re not supposed to do that, but I really just mean in the literal sense, as in books. I’m the first to admit that this doesn’t signify it is a good book, although I haven’t previously been too disappointed. My theory behind this previously has been that the only way you get a good cover is through a pretty decent publisher or a costly artist willing to design/sell you a cover. Covers aren’t cheap so a publisher has to be willing to invest in authors that they believe will sell.  And, very few authors going the self-publish route have the money to shell out for a truly high-end cover

Okay, so back to what I wrote above. This was my previous theory. Why previous? Well for one, technology and the infiltration of the self-publishing and e-book worlds have greatly affected the accessibility and affordability of nice covers. It is fact that there are many more poor quality books out there wrapped up in beautiful covers, waiting to tempt unsuspecting readers. Do I believe these writers do it on purpose? Of course not. Many believe they are truly delivering a good product, others don’t really care and they just want to be published.

Still, I will also admit the positive in that I have discovered many a “diamond” by searching out those books that aren’t always a familiar author but have a nice cover and premise. Nice cover really just means quality in my opinion. Even simplistic covers can be elegant and perfect for the right story. Overall, I’d say the access to nicer covers and quality marketing (websites, swags, etc.) has come a long way to make the writing world even more competitive. My hope is that this competition will continue to drive authors to produce their best work all around.

Happy Writing this week!

Filed under: Toni Kelly, Writer's Life