Let’s face it: People do judge a book by its cover. Book
browsers will only give a book a few seconds’ glance. A good cover can draw
potential readers in, whereas a poorly designed cover can send them running for
the hills.
This is what drives many people to pay an artist hundreds of
dollars to do a cover for them. I’m not saying that’s wrong. Just please
remember to keep your budget in mind when hiring an artist or purchasing your
artwork.
The cover is the first thing people are going to see when
they look at your book. So it goes without saying that your cover needs to be
an attention-grabber. It needs to stand out among thousands of other books
within its genre.
Your cover should do three things:
Advertise the book
Showcase the author
Set the “feel” of the
book.
If your book catches a reader’s eye, it might get them to
read the back cover (in a store) or product description (for online shopping).
Beyond that, they may take a chance on a sample (online) or decide to buy the
book right there. And that’s exactly what you want.
When picking cover art, you need to use something that fits
within the “norm” for your genre. Look at other books and see what overall
theme or style they use. For example: Urban fantasy. Lately, the trend in urban
fantasy is a kick-ass female on the cover. She’s generally in front of part of
a city view. How about Romance? Generally romance covers have a man and woman
in an intimate setting with a scenic background. Simple enough, right?
These are the standards, and they give you a jumping-off
point for searching out your artwork. You want your readers, who expect a
certain look or feel, to know that your book fits with their standards. That does not mean you should copy someone
else’s cover; it means, rather, that you should use it as a springboard.
*Remember this when thinking of cover design: It’s the most
important visual sales tool you have, and it’s worth spending a little extra
time and a few extra dollars here. Cover art and editing are the two places
where most of your budget will be spent (marketing being the remainder).
Want to learn more about self-publishing? Check out my
latest release Go
Publish Yourself!
