Several times I’ve encountered people discussing book covers on Facebook groups or on someone’s timeline. Each time I’m shocked to find people downplaying the importance of a great cover.
We readers are visual people and make assessments based on what we see.
To the left is a cover that totally caught my attention the first time I saw it. She’s a new friend and reader of my novels. The cover is still a work in progress (she plans to make her name larger) but I thought it was an excellent example of the importance of really capturing the readers attention. Click the cover to check out Teresa’s website and information on her upcoming book release.
Another friend, who recently came to visit, made an excellent analogy. She is a foodie and wine connoisseur and she explained how she goes about selecting a new wine. She scans the labels until one peaks her interest and then she picks it up and reads about its contents. Sound familiar?
The cover really matters!
Another great example is websites. If I’m considering using a new vendor and they have an unappealing home page, I pass on them and move on. That’s their cover.
A few months ago I attended a conference about self-publishing. Several VERY successful (millionaire) indie authors (some traditionally published as well) and authors of The Naked Truth About Self-Publishing, stressed three things that are most important for success in our publishing endeavors:
- Write a great story and get it professionally edited.
- Write series because that keeps your fans coming back for more. AND
- Pay for a professional cover. They stressed this point!
My husband and I are currently reading through their book and we highly recommend it.
This topic is on my mind today because we’ve finalized the cover for a novel that my husband and I wrote together. I can’t speak for other authors, but for me, my covers are my most successful marketing tool. My covers elicit the reader’s interest, compelling them to read the blurb and potentially buy the book.
Please don’t let people convince you that the cover is not important and that you can just slap something together in word or Photoshop, because unless you are a visual artist, it will look like something you, the author, whipped up.
Here’s to elevating our craft to the highest level possible.
I would love to read your thoughts on my blog post.
Warm hugs,
Blakely
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