Cover Art

So lately I have just been dying for my publisher to contact me and let me know what they’re thinking for my cover art. I know they told me there would be one for the hardback cover and a different one for when the paperback comes out. There are so many different types of images they could use that would apply to my vampire novel. In my head, I am thinking of at least twenty different types of images they might use. I like the thought of having a woman’s face whited out a little with a bright red, bloody tear trailing down her cheek. I think that one is my favorite from what I’ve come up with on my own. Once I get to see what my publisher is thinking, then I’ll really start to get excited.

So where am I going with this little ramble, you might ask? Cover art is so very important to the sale of a book! The term “You can’t judge a book by its cover” may be true, but it’s not the way the world works. I personally have learned to try and not pick up a book solely based on its cover. At times I have picked up a book that looked so nifty from its cover, then read said book and felt like I had just wasted my valuable time on it. Also the reverse has happened where I have looked at a cover that I thought appeared lame, read it anyway and loved it. So that very popular saying is absolutely true. Judging a book by its cover is not going to guarantee that you will get what you’re expecting. However, if you want to market a book (which is of course, key to getting people to read your book!), then you need to be very involved in making its appearance so intriguing that people will stop whatever they are doing to look at it.

If an author doesn’t have an image for their book that has allure, then they are not going to be nearly as successful. One of my author friends has an amazing cover for her first book. She got bookmarks made from that image and gave them out everywhere she went. She gave about five hundred of them to her local library, then came in about a week later. All of them were gone and the librarians asked if they could have more to give out for the rest of the month, possibly longer. This one act generated quite a few sales for her. Once people read her book, they recommended it to others and so began her success as an author.

Of course, her book was well written and so people advised others to read it. If her book had been bad, it would have gotten those first few buyers, and that would have been the end of it. So while I’m trying to make a particular point tonight about images, I would also like to note that you need to have a fantastic product to be truly successful. So combing an amazing book cover with an incredible book with a compelling plot and complex characters, it will help set the bar for your book to make the rounds out there in the world. And that’s what all of us authors want, right?

 

3 thoughts on “Cover Art

  1. I just received my proposed cover art this week. My gut reaction was that I loved it. The team at the publishers all love it and believe it will be successful… But slight glitch, my agent doesn’t like it at all. Since I trust and respect my agent AND the team at the publishers, it’s now up to me to take a call… The moral of the story being- cover art, very exciting but also a bit of a minefield!

    • admin1 says:

      It’s so true, Claire! What a difficult decision to make, but I’m sure you’ll know what is right for your book.:)
      I’m sure that since people do choose a book by its cover, there’s a lot of pressure to make sure your cover art is perfect. I’m sure I’ll be having a similar experience when my publisher sends me their ideas for the cover.

      • Leila says:

        I love the brightness and the bling apapel, and even the idea that the cover model-chic’s hair is dark and curly vs. honey blonde and straight. Excellent marketing details. These small but important elements which correspond with the nature of the characters are wonderful! Uhm, now where’s my Ladder journal? I KNOW that’s part of the marketing.

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