The Book Cover Challenge
Knowing the importance of having a good book cover, I made sure the cover for THE MAN WHO WATCHED THE WORLD END was designed by someone who could give it a professional look. As I begin providing a graphic designer with my thoughts for the cover of my second novel, I’m once again faced with the goal of beating one challenge: if my novel is included on a table full of traditionally published books, can readers pick out which one was self-published and which ones were traditionally published, based purely by their covers? Why is this important? Two reasons.
1. A book’s cover is the first impression you give potential readers, and a cover that looks like a quickly pieced-together photoshop will make people think you aren’t taking your finished product very seriously. It doesn’t matter if the quality of the writing doesn’t match the quality of the cover. Why would anyone invest time in a novel if they think the author didn’t spend much time on it themself? Or they might think that if the writer didn’t invest in a good cover, they also probably didn’t invest in an editor. Either way, a bad cover will likely make potential readers assume the writing isn’t much better. As Pam Stack, host and producer at Authors on the Air, says, “Books are your product. No matter how much you’ve immersed yourself in your craft, if you’ve got an ugly product, it’s not going to sell.” (http://authorsontheair.com/importance...)
2. Even though self-publishing is more popular than ever, and even though some truly incredible writers are publishing their books independently, there are still many readers who choose only to read traditionally published novels. If your cover can't trick these people into thinking your book might be found in a bookstore, they will never even consider your writing. A professionally designed cover is a fraction of the cost of an editor. If you can afford to have someone make sure your writing is flawless, you can afford to have a cover designed that grabs everyone’s interest. As Indie Authors News says, “A good cover will reinforce the customer’s initial attraction.” (http://www.indieauthornews.com/2012/1...) Heck, for readers who pick books based solely on their covers, a good cover can create that initial attraction all by itself.
In a couple weeks I’ll have the finished cover in hand for my second novel, A DIFFERENT ALCHEMY, and I hope when everyone sees it they will think it looks as good, if not better, than the book covers they see in stores. Stay tuned to find out for yourself.
1. A book’s cover is the first impression you give potential readers, and a cover that looks like a quickly pieced-together photoshop will make people think you aren’t taking your finished product very seriously. It doesn’t matter if the quality of the writing doesn’t match the quality of the cover. Why would anyone invest time in a novel if they think the author didn’t spend much time on it themself? Or they might think that if the writer didn’t invest in a good cover, they also probably didn’t invest in an editor. Either way, a bad cover will likely make potential readers assume the writing isn’t much better. As Pam Stack, host and producer at Authors on the Air, says, “Books are your product. No matter how much you’ve immersed yourself in your craft, if you’ve got an ugly product, it’s not going to sell.” (http://authorsontheair.com/importance...)
2. Even though self-publishing is more popular than ever, and even though some truly incredible writers are publishing their books independently, there are still many readers who choose only to read traditionally published novels. If your cover can't trick these people into thinking your book might be found in a bookstore, they will never even consider your writing. A professionally designed cover is a fraction of the cost of an editor. If you can afford to have someone make sure your writing is flawless, you can afford to have a cover designed that grabs everyone’s interest. As Indie Authors News says, “A good cover will reinforce the customer’s initial attraction.” (http://www.indieauthornews.com/2012/1...) Heck, for readers who pick books based solely on their covers, a good cover can create that initial attraction all by itself.
In a couple weeks I’ll have the finished cover in hand for my second novel, A DIFFERENT ALCHEMY, and I hope when everyone sees it they will think it looks as good, if not better, than the book covers they see in stores. Stay tuned to find out for yourself.
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