Judging a Book by Its Cover

“Forever Poi” should be completed in the New Year.  Fingers crossed.  So while I’m writing and rewriting—and huffing and puffing because I want to be there like yesterday—I’ve gotten the cover going.  (Katrina Joyner as an FYI does all my art.  She’s awesome, but that’s another post.)

So that brings me to this week’s Wednesday post: book covers.  What makes for a winning one?  Do you even need to have a good one (which can cost $$ if you’re not artistically inclined or aren’t sure who to hire or where to go)?

Let’s start with the obvious.  Yes, you really do need a dynamic cover—it’s what draws a potential reader (buyer).  A so-so/blah one isn’t going to convince someone your book is worth reading, much less purchasing . . . unless you have a name and following.  A so-so/blah one might also give the impression that the content is, well, equally so.  You don’t want to turn off the “shopper” before he/she even gets to the sample stage.

You’ve heard that expression: don’t judge a book by its cover.  Unfortunately, many do.  Bear that in [serious] mind.  Be professional—not only in your writing, but with the accompanying artwork.

Make sure your cover reflects your content.  If your “product” is a cozy mystery, you probably don’t want sexpots pirouetting with leather whips.  A vibrant appropriate cover will not only appeal to potential purchasers, but to those who might consider doing reviews or passing on recommendations.

Before you commit to making that cover “the” cover, get feedback.  Friends and family are fine, but you might want to ask others in the industry.  Join a supportive writing group like Facebook’s fantastic SPF Community.  I’ve seen many an author post their cover and ask for opinions—and receive valuable feedback.

Lastly, have that cover display a bit of you / your voice.  Think: branding.

Book cover software does have merit, so this weekend’s post will look at some “makers”.  Until then, have an awesome creative rest of the week.

Author: tylerus

I'm primarily a writer of fiction and blog posts, and a sometimes editor and proofreader of books, manuals, and film/television scripts. Fact-checking and researching, organizing and coordinating are skills and joys (I enjoy playing detective and developing structure). My fiction audience: lovers of female-sleuth mysteries. My genres of preference: mysteries (needless to say), women’s fiction, informative and helpful “affirmative” non-fiction. So-o, here I am, staring up a new blog for aspiring and established e-Book writers. The plan: to share the (long) journey of getting to this stage, and share "learnings" and "teachings". There's a lot I hope to accomplish with this blog, but it may be a while before that happens as there's a lot on the ol' plate - taking care of Mom, working full-time, and attempting to get another book in the Triple Threat Investigation Agency series written (never mind blog postings and other writing projects). It's very challenging and it's all good. As I like to say: teeny focused baby steps are just as effective as long forceful strides. It may take a little longer, but we will get there. View all posts by tylerus