You know the saying: "You can't always
judge a book by its cover." To that I say - bollocks.
Whether literally looking at a book, or figuratively looking at a person, what
you see is strongly indicative of what lies beneath.
Publishing is an intricate business, one that
most brand-new authors don't understand. Lured by the ease of self-publishing,
they write what they are certain is the next great American novel, slap
together a cover on their computer, and toss the mess up on Amazon. Then they
are shocked when nothing happens.
There are twelve million books on Amazon. Twelve.
Million. And growing. How can a consumer possibly be savvy in that ocean of
words? Look at the covers. While a beautifully designed cover
does not guarantee that the narrative inside will be wonderful, at least the
reader knows the author cared enough about their product to put its best face
forward.
Conversely, a pixelated or fuzzy photo plus a
standard Word font pretty much guarantees the author has never bothered to do
research in a bookstore. I wouldn't expect they bothered to learn much about good
writing, either.
So what should the reader look for? What makes
a good cover?
1. Does it catch your eye with a clear,
indicative image?
While the book itself is verbal, its cover
lives in a visual environment. The cover image should reflect the genre and
style of the interior. Is the key photo element dominant on the cover? Was it
professionally photographed? If there is a live model, is it one you have seen
on dozens of covers before, or has the author chosen originality?
If there is more than one image, are the photos
blended professionally? Do they make one cohesive collage? Or are they
cut-and-pasted awkwardly from a variety of sources? Do they assault the eye, or
entice it?
If an author chooses to use original artwork (a
very risky choice) has the artwork been done professionally - as opposed to a
friend's amateur acrylic-painted efforts? Or worse, is it magic marker, crayon,
or No. 2 pencil on crumpled paper? Yep. Seen them all.
2. Is the title easily readable?
Is the title font a custom font, not a standard-issue
Word choice? Is it large and well-placed on the cover, as opposed to slanting,
stacking vertically, or obscuring the image? Do the color and style of the text
coordinate with the cover image or compete with it? Does the font reflect the
genre, setting, and target audience?
If there is a subtitle, is it short and in a
different, smaller font so it's noticeably secondary information? And by the
way, if the cover states "A Novel" beneath the title, then you are
probably looking at a pretentious amateur effort.
3. Is the author's name clear?
The author's name should also be in a large easy-to-read
font; using a standard serif font (the ones with pointy parts) is more
acceptable here than it is for the title. But if the cover says "By" Name
O'Author, you are once again looking at an amateur piece of work. Real books by
real authors from real publishers don't say "by."
4. Does the overall design let you know what's
inside?
If you, as a reader, can't discern from the
cover the book's genre, era/setting, and something about the plot or characters,
then the cover has not done its job. And if the cover looks painfully awkward,
steer clear. Spend your hard-earned cash on a product which honors the reader,
not one which insults them.
I subscribe to an equally hilarious and
terrifying site, LousyBookCovers.com.
Several times a day, new covers are posted which make me shudder, cringe, and slap
my forehead in disbelief. Sad to say, I personally know six authors, and one over-exposed
cover model, who have been featured there.
When their covers showed up, I did tell them. After
all, if one of my covers was called "lousy" I'd want to know - and then
I would change it! Only one of them chose to make changes, however. They all shrugged
and said, "Any publicity is good publicity."
Really?
Bollocks.
