Choosing a book cover: relevance is a necessity

There are a lot of perks to being a self-published author, including having the freedom to decide every single aspect of your book. Though that control can make an author feel overwhelmed at times during the publication process, I've yet to meet an author who, at the end of the day, didn't love having total and absolute control of their work. 

The problem with all of that control, though, is that, sometimes we're so invested in the micro details, we aren't the best at stepping back and looking at it from a macro perspective. 

Last February, this arrived in my mailbox:

Seeing it small like this, the theme is probably a lot more obvious to you than it was to me as I walked back into my house; but for the sake of this example, take a gander at it for a moment, please. 

What stands out? Is there an overall theme or idea you pick up on almost immediately? Does the cover excite you and make you want to open it up and experience what's inside?

Here are the first things that went through my head (keep in mind I was holding the magazine with my left hand at the time):

1) This is a clothing magazine. M-o-o-c-h? What does that even mean?

2) Is... are... what does this have to do with Valentine's Day?

3) I don't understand the point of these mylar balloons...

4) What does the random balloon at the top stand for, this is delias... oh... it's an S...

5) S...mooch? Was this supposed to be Valentine-y? 

6) The backdrop is lavender. I don't get what's going on here. Is this for spring, then? What exactly are they trying to say?

Maybe I'm overanalyzing this, but at first glance, this very well could have been a magazine selling party supplies, not clothes for teenaged girls. I mean... delias carries some really adorable stuff (even dresses) and out of everything in their inventory, they choose those outfits? If I didn't find them exciting, imagine how my teen daughters were going to feel when they saw the cover! It was like someone threw a few different elements onto the cover and had better things to do, so they were like, Yeah okay... and called it a day.

Self-publishers, this is so important to remember: Your writing could be amazing, but the cover is THE first thing a potential reader sees. You need to make a good first impression and, not only that, but it's imperative that you draw on their curiosity to make them want to know what's beyond that cover picture. If done correctly, the title, readability of the font, focal point (the center, or mooch, for me on the magazine... though maybe some of you were first drawn to the S that I noticed way later?) and even colors that are your cover's theme can entice not only readers who normally read that genre, but readers who want to check it out simply because the cover has them intrigued.

You've spent a lot of time on that novel. It deserves a chance to be read. Do it justice by representing it properly. 

There are a lot of posts regarding book covers in self-publishing, but here are four I found interesting:

The Best Selling Covers in the Book World

23 Creative Book Cover Designs and Their Story

14 Tips for Good Kindle Cover Design

We've Got You Covered: 9 Authors' Tips for Brilliant Book Cover Design

Does a cover really sell a book?

Hello, all!  Jaycee DeLorenzo, here.  Aside from being an indie author, I also have my own cover design business, Sweet 'N Spicy Designs, and because of such, I was asked to present about cover design at Tucson's annual event, The Tucson Festival of Books.  

I was so excited to attend and planned to recap some of the highlights of the festival…and then, well, you know what they say about best laid plans.  My daughter came down with the roseola virus, my son had a fever, and my hubby was feeling under the weather, as well.  So, I had to miss most of the festival.  I was only there for about two hours.  An hour and a half of that was spent doing my own presentation, along with Jim Azevedo, marketing manager from Smashwords. So, because I didn’t get to stay and my only real highlight of the festival outside of the panel was meeting Lynn Rush (very cool!), I’ll share some of the highlights of my presentation, because it's information that every indie author should be aware of: 

“Does a cover really sell a book?” 

In short...

 

Packaging is Everything!

For the unknown author, which many of us indie authors are, the cover is the single most critical marketing tool you have. Make it a good one!

Cover design is both an art and a science, and it’s market-tested.

Make an Impression!You have approximately 3-8 seconds for your front cover to make an impression.  

Your cover should:

• Grab the reader’s imagination and make a promise ( it should tell them you’re going to either entertain, teach, inspire, or motivate them).
• Make the reader want to find out more.
• Reflect the quality and professionalism of your overall work.

Visually Engage Your Reader!

Your title, font and imagery should make the reader want to take notice.  

Imagery can be beautiful, bizarre, funny, scary...whatever you want, as long as it correctly sets the tone of your book and elicits an emotional response.

• Know your category and genre.
• Study books that have been successful in your genre.
• Get unbiased feedback from others.  This does not include your mom or best friend.

Know Your Audience!
Does your cover match your audience’s expectations?

Look at other covers in your genre and take note of design aspects they have in common (font, imagery, colors, etc.)

Utilize these elements because they’ve been market-tested and proven effective.

Make a Promise!
Everything about your cover should indicate what the reader should expect from the book.

Once you’ve made a promise, KEEP IT! Readers do not react well to a promise that has been broken.

Quality Matters!
Writers are professionals.  Everything about their cover should reflect professional quality.

If your outside packaging unprofessional, readers will assume the same of your book (poor story, poor editing, etc.)

You need to make the reader feel confident that your book is worth their time and money.

The Market is…

...Glutted with books.

Find a way to make your book stand out and simultaneously fit in.

If you can’t design your own cover, hire a professional. It is a worthwhile and critical investment.

Make readers want to buy and read your book!

In the end, you have to ask yourself:

• Does design support the story you’ve written?
• Is your design going to engage your audience?
• Does it elicit an emotional response? Can it make a reader feel a connection?
• Does your cover make the right promise to your readers?
• Will your audience be able to identify with the cover?
• Does it promise quality and professionalism?
• Will it fit in (and stand out) with other covers in your genre?
• Have you received positive, unbiased feedback on it?
• What does your gut instinct say?

If it’s not working, try-try again! In the digital age, you have the freedom to change your cover until it works.

Until next time!  

XOXO,