So . . . what in the world makes a great looking book cover? A hunky shirtless guy with six-pack abs? A Picasso type of abstraction that makes people go, "hmmm?" Bright colors? Or a minimalist look because our world is crazy enough as is? No, really, have you been on Drudge lately? Seriously cray-cray.
Sorry for the whiplash. Back to covers. Design is subjective, but that doesn't mean there aren't some basic principles to consider when choosing a front for your book . . .
The cover must communicate what the book is about AND what it's like.
Text and graphics need to deliver a message (either subliminally or all-up-in-your-business) that clues readers in to what is contained on the inside pages. The cover should suggest the tone, mood and narrative quality.
A book's front plays a critical role in giving a book an identity different from the crowd.
Thousands upon thousands of new titles hit the shelves every year. To stand out from the rest, a fresh cover has to reach out and grab a reader by the throat.
A great book cover evokes emotion.
Whether through color, design, or typography, a potential buyer should "feel" something when they set their eyeballs on the cover of a book -- and hopefully that's not nausea. Oh yeah, and a cover's only got about a second to do that.
Don't make the reader work.
If the font is too fancy and frilly, a reader isn't going to take the time to decipher it, no matter how cute you think it is. If it's too small and they have to squint, nope. That won't work either.
The spine is the backbone of your book.
An equal amount of attention should be given to the spine. Think about it. How many books are displayed with their covers fully exposed on a shelf? Most are crammed in there with only the spine showing, hence the importance of an easy-to-read yet stunning spine.
Think big AND small.
When shoppers are perusing books online, they're probably going to see only a very small picture of the cover--an inch tall, if you're lucky. That one inch better be bright and legible or yours will be the one a reader skips over.
Think of the cover of a book as an entrant in a beauty contest. There are plenty of gorgeous covers out there. What will make yours different?
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5 comments:
I'm so pleased my publisher and the designer chose the purple for the spine on my book. It will stand out on teh shelf!
I totally agree, the cover of a book is it's first impression....so the author better make it a good one. If me and MaryLu's book was more than an e-book, I would definitely suggest putting a ship, palm tree or treasure chest on the spine along with the title. :)
What a fabulous post, Michelle! I love it when published authors share their take on this because it really helps us newer authors understand the industry more!
Hi Michelle!
I completely agree! I love the spines that have a bright color or maybe a picture on them because they stand out so much more. When I'm at a book store or library, the spine is typically the first thing I'm going to see, so it has to be attention grabbing for me to pick it up. I have noticed publishers including more detailing on the spines - for example a recent novel I read, the vines that trailed across the cover also wrapped around the spine to the back.
One point I would like to include is that the feel, as in texture of the cover, is very important to me. I don't know if anyone else cares, but I don't care for a book that feels dirty or has that odd faux suede texture to it (I'm not sure why that became popular a few years ago). For one thing they collect dirt (I'm reading one now that collects cat hair or crumbs if I not uber careful where I lay it down - that's really annoying) and I can't tell that it improves the book any. I've actually found that those covers deteriorate faster than other ones.
So there is my completely biased and uninformed opinion, which you probably weren't looking for anyway! :)
Hope you're having a great day!
~Sarah
I never even thought about the texture. Good point!
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