Your Book Cover: What Kind of a "First Impression" Does it Make?
I was just reading a blog where a lady said she was ashamed to admit
she tends to ignore books with amateurish covers even though she
suspects some of the stories inside those covers might be pretty good.
As a book cover designer (www.bookcoversandvideos.webs.com) I can tell you no one should feel guilty about judging a book by its cover.
Why?
Because humans are, by nature, extremely sensitive to first impressions. The
corporate world has known this for a long time. That's why they spend
tens of millions of dollars every year on market surveys and research to determine
the effectiveness of their product packaging.
Two important things for authors to remember:
1. A potential reader's first impression of your book is the cover.
There is an entire psychology built around the concept of "first impressions"
that should be understood by anyone whose product (books, in this case)
is just one among many in competition for the public's attention.
2. Think of the cover of your book in terms of "product packaging" in the
same way that manufacturers regard the packaging of their products. The
cover of your book is the "packaging", the "box" (metaphorically
speaking) that contains the "product". The product is the story inside
the "box". More often than not, a potential buyer's assumption about
the quality of the product is determined by their perception of the quality
of the packaging.
Research has shown that people tend to make purchasing decisions within
a matter of just a few seconds based on their perception of the product
(that "first impression") which is influenced by the packaging.
It's pretty simple really. You're at the store. You see two products from two
different manufacturers, side by side, and both products are exactly the same
and so are the prices. But one is packaged very attractively with a polished,
professional look and the other packaging is rather generic and boring.
Which one are you likely to purchase?
**********************
Gary Val Tenuta
Author and Designer of Low-Cost, High-Quality Book Covers
www.bookcoversandvideos.webs.com
she tends to ignore books with amateurish covers even though she
suspects some of the stories inside those covers might be pretty good.
As a book cover designer (www.bookcoversandvideos.webs.com) I can tell you no one should feel guilty about judging a book by its cover.
Why?
Because humans are, by nature, extremely sensitive to first impressions. The
corporate world has known this for a long time. That's why they spend
tens of millions of dollars every year on market surveys and research to determine
the effectiveness of their product packaging.
Two important things for authors to remember:
1. A potential reader's first impression of your book is the cover.
There is an entire psychology built around the concept of "first impressions"
that should be understood by anyone whose product (books, in this case)
is just one among many in competition for the public's attention.
2. Think of the cover of your book in terms of "product packaging" in the
same way that manufacturers regard the packaging of their products. The
cover of your book is the "packaging", the "box" (metaphorically
speaking) that contains the "product". The product is the story inside
the "box". More often than not, a potential buyer's assumption about
the quality of the product is determined by their perception of the quality
of the packaging.
Research has shown that people tend to make purchasing decisions within
a matter of just a few seconds based on their perception of the product
(that "first impression") which is influenced by the packaging.
It's pretty simple really. You're at the store. You see two products from two
different manufacturers, side by side, and both products are exactly the same
and so are the prices. But one is packaged very attractively with a polished,
professional look and the other packaging is rather generic and boring.
Which one are you likely to purchase?
**********************
Gary Val Tenuta
Author and Designer of Low-Cost, High-Quality Book Covers
www.bookcoversandvideos.webs.com
Below are some of my latest "product packages".
Tags: Book, affordable, art, book, cost, cover, design, illustration, low
Views: 22
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Sharon Dwyer on -
Bookcovers are soooo important. They convey the entire story with just a picture. I, too, pick my books by their cover. If the author and publisher do not think enough to choose the right cover, then I have to wonder how they felt about the writing inside.
There are so many books out there to choose from when we go to the book racks that I pick out covers that attract my attention first. They may not be what I am looking for, but I read the cover flap and make a decision.
SL Dwyer
http://sl-dwyer.blogspot.com
www.sldwyer.com
-
Permalink Reply by parchmentgirl on -
Absolutely great covers make a huge difference. I usually don't pick up a book with a cover I don't like, and I never buy a book with a bad cover to keep in my library. If I like the look of a book I'll read the back cover and decide whether or not it's worth my money, but books with boring covers are immediately ruled out.
Kate
http://parchmentgirl.com
-
Permalink Reply by Kaye on -
Of course book covers are so important and it must look good. "You cant judge a book by its cover" isnt true anymore.
-
Permalink Reply by Raven Corinn Carluk on -
Book covers are greatly important. As an author, I wish we got more say in our cover. I feel saddled with my cover, and like it's detracting from the story inside. But I couldn't even get one change made to my cover. Doesn't stop people from relating the book cover to the author though.
When people read it, they love the book. But I wonder how many potential readers have passed by because the cover looks so cheesy.
Raven Corinn Carluk
Raven.YouAreAnnoying.Us
-
Permalink Reply by Gary Val Tenuta on
-
Hi Raven -
As an author myself, I feel so sorry for you and other authors who get stuck with a cover they don't like, designed by their publisher's in-house graphics department. Seems like they usually just throw something together as quickly as possible. My impression is that they take whatever they can conveniently pluck from their library of stock photos, slap the title and author's name on it and call it a day.
I'm curious as to why they wouldn't allow you to have something changed on the cover.
Gary
www.bookcoversandvideos.webs.com
-
Permalink Reply by Raven Corinn Carluk on
-
In their words, because I was so excited, and they wanted to get it out as soon as possible. It was already expensive, and they had to have it redone already.
I translated it to a bunch of "blah blah blah". Since it's a small publisher, they don't have an in-house group. But the artist they use also doesn't pay much attention to the description I gave of my characters, or even the fonts I suggested for the cover. Not that it seems the artist would have had time to read the book, but it seems like she didn't even read the blurb.
I was willing to let go the script font with rainbow colors for a book with a dark leaning (I wanted a gothic font), and I was even willing to let go the fact that the male they had was fifty pounds larger than my main man. But I couldn't even get them to pale up the Filipina for the cover girl, when my character is Irish. "Oh, it's too late to make any changes." It had been less than twelve hours since I got the email. I cannot believe there wasn't forty five minutes for the artist to fiddle with a few settings in Photoshop. I'm intermediate skilled with Photoshop, and i could have at least made the cover model look paler.
I'm noticing amongst the smaller publishers that the artists are shopping from a very small selection of stock photos. I have seen the guy that's on my cover on at least a dozen other covers. The artist my publisher uses has even used the same model for two different covers, just inverted. It's rather embarrassing. It's also going to take away credibility to e-publishers because all their covers are so novice looking.
-
-
That's a shame, Raven. I've often wondered if those photos get used on multiple book covers. They all begin to look alike after a while. I'd be embarrassed, too, if the cover of my book had the same models that appear on someone else's book.
Personally, as a reader, I don't care for covers with photos of models that are supposed to be the characters in the story. I'd rather imagine, in my own mind, how the characters look based on the author's descriptions.
-
Permalink Reply by Raven Corinn Carluk on
-
Yeah, I get a better impression of the characters from the writing than from the cover. Especially amongst urban fantasy, the figures all start looking the same; some kick butt chick in leather. Or romance, where it's all manly men and heaving bosoms. Blech.
I don't think I'd mind sharing the cover model if he at least looked good.
-
BloggerPermalink Reply by Michelle-IPBR on -
I've seen that guy on the cover elsewhere too. But honestly, it is not just the small publishers. The big guys do it as well.
I kinda have an obsession with copycat cover art. I even have a shelf on goodreads to keep track of it, lol! There is one stock photo that I have seen used on 6 or 7 books now and I'm sure there are more out there somewhere.
-
Permalink Reply by Raven Corinn Carluk on
-
I don't notice it as much on the big publishers. But they also tend to have just generic eye-catching covers that have less to do with the book than with getting people to pick it up.
I'm new enough to Goodreads, I hadn't thought about doing that. Great idea.
-
Permalink Reply by Paul Charbonneau on -
WHY ME? by author paul charbonneau
www.xlibris.com
www.amazon.com
barnes & nobles
A true and emotional story like no other. Powerful and contrerversial all at same time. The 2010 read and this story will touch you for ever. Give ita aread and a a try. WHY ME?
author paul charbonneau
-
Permalink Reply by Lauren Burd on -
Sorry, I know I shouldn't double post, but I couldn't resist. I think the issue is that the people designing the covers haven't even read the book. They are simply going from the title.
© 2013 Created by Tricia.
Powered by
