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Can you judge a book by the cover?
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First, the cover should be relevant to the story you are telling. Too many authors/publishers choose a cover design that will visually attract the eye but has little to do with the story (like putting the picture of a pretty girl on the cover just as eye candy). Second, the title must be highly visible and easy to read (and make sense for the story). The color contrast is also important. I found out that, for some reason, red is hard on the digitalization process from JPEG to PDF, Epub and other ebook formats (if you do ebooks). Third, I found along the years that, as you become better known by the public and your name attracts readers, grow the size of the font used for your name on the cover. If you indeed have a sizeable readership, then your name on the cover may attract the readers' attention before they read the title. However, the contrary applies for newbies or poorly known authors.
Most book purchases today are made online. So a cover that catches the eye against the white background of the marketing platform, and presents itself well also in a small thumbnail image.I would consider the book's audience related to the colors used on the cover, if that makes sense. And then choose the OPPOSITE of that. For example, you would by all sense market a pink pastel cover to an audience of little girls - but in her browsing and scrolling experience, everything is in that color. So maybe try neon green instead, just to stand out and stop the scroll for a second, then make sure the person browsing gets the title and ornaments well and they appeal to her. This is just my wild idea however. I have a degree in IT & marketing but I suck at selling nevertheless. :p
Michel wrote: "First, the cover should be relevant to the story you are telling. Too many authors/publishers choose a cover design that will visually attract the eye but has little to do with the story (like putt..."Thanks Michel, I agree 100% about the cover being relevant to the story, it's one of the reasons I decided to design my own cover. I guess the trick is to accomplish both: attraction and relevance.
Venla wrote: "Most book purchases today are made online. So a cover that catches the eye against the white background of the marketing platform, and presents itself well also in a small thumbnail image.I would ..."
Hi Velna,
I have to agree about 'catching the eye' - an absolute must in a fog of visual marketing. And yes, considering your book's audience is equally important. But, in considering your audience be careful, when you try to stand out, not to lose the plot, so to speak. I know it's just an example but neon green might not be appropriate to the mood of your story.
I am proud of my new cover for Sticks in a Bundle--it catches the eye and reflects the story within as you all say is important. Check it out at http://patspencer.net
Pat wrote: "I am proud of my new cover for Sticks in a Bundle--it catches the eye and reflects the story within as you all say is important. Check it out at http://patspencer.net"Hi Pat, you should be rightly proud. It's quite an emotive cover and I image reflects what will be revealed inside.
Needless to say I gave myself a brief: a number of mandatories I believe are necessary for the cover to be engaging. But without giving too much away I would love to hear from you, and what you think is important about a book cover. And not just mine. Please don't hesitate to be critical. I would love to hear your views.