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How important is the cover when you decide to buy

7K views 35 replies 25 participants last post by  evpseeker 
#1 ·
I recently talked to a major buyers for one of the national bookstores and learned many interesting facts. However, when you buy on line, how important is a cover to you? Feel free to check my new cover out and tell me if you like it or not.
Beth Gray
Author of the Stacy McCray Series
see a review that came out today here http://ow.ly/iZ3Z
 
#2 ·
I'm on the fence on that one. In some ways as a reader, if I don't already know the writer's style and like it then I'll go by the cover. I mean, I can't tell you the number of romances I've bought mainly for the cover.  :-[ Some have been good and I've stuck with that author and others have gone the way of Goodwill.
Then there's been cases when I've been hooked by a description, blurb, or word of mouth and ignore the cover.

As a writer, I've learned that covers can make or break a book so I've tired to now go with more eyecatching covers...true that doesn't apply yet to my Kindle cover because I kept it different than my paperback version but I also can't quite figure out how to change the cover on it either. I think a cover should have a feel of the genre or plot and not be too basic but then you can't go by me since I do a lot of my decision making based on feelings.
 
#3 ·
Beth,

I can honestly say from my experience that book covers matter. Even if your book cover does not boost your book sales, if you don't have a good one it can certainly hurt you. I find myself that at this point in my career I have decided that I will not publish any more books unless I have a book cover that is so good that it will drive sales on its own. I am always looking for ways to improve my books with each successive publication and know that the book cover is a key component to making sales. In my case, I have decided that downloading images from royalty free sites will not suit my needs. Although it can be expensive, I'm dedicated to hiring the best illustrator that I can afford and have them create original artwork for my book covers. I think the saying that you get what you pay for is often very true. If an author wants his book to be noticed, an appealing book cover is a must.

BTW, your cover looks terrific. Even without reading the title, it gets the message across of what the content is going to be.
 
#4 ·
I think there's another thread around here that has similar feedback on covers, but I will say that covers are very important.  If you are going to take all that time to write an awesome book, wouldn't it behoove an author to take a good amount of time wrapping it in quality work as well?  the impression is cheap cover = cheap book, quality cover = quality book, whether people admit it or not, it's true.

Rachel
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the kind words on the cover. I have purchased five more photos of the model for future use in the series. To me the cover is like the bait when you go fishing. It has to attract the purchaser. The hook is what is inside ready to engage the reader and deny the reader the ability to let it go. I hope the inside of my books is even better than the outside.

Here is a short blurb.

This is the first story in the Stacy McCray Series available on kindle and mobipocket .

The Stacy McCray series is based on the life of a red headed divorce lawyer who hunts for new clients by trolling the single bar scenes in Atlanta's trendy north side.
The novellas and short novels are about divorce cases Stacy is involved in, much like a Perry Mason series, but with an open view of the erotic nature involved in a divorce situation. The stories are told from Stacy's point of view and include a delicate balance of humor, seriousness and strong sexual tension.

In "The Case of Insuring Seduction", an executive with an insurance company is seduced by the very agent he hired and trained the fine art of flirting. He never expected she would use this skill in blackmailing him and other executives where he worked. When Stacy discovers who the blackmailer’s father is, she has to uses her skills as a lawyer to have the case settled quietly. Brent, Stacy's lover and a private detective has his work cut out for him as he arranges a trap and hopes for the best.

Beth Gray
 
#7 ·
Covers are very important to me if it is book that isn't written by one of my favorite authors. Neil Gaiman could put out a book with a plain white cover with the words "My New Book by Neil Gaiman"  and I would buy it.

But for someone outside my "must read" list, the cover is critical to me picking it up (if in a bookstore) or clicking on it (on the web) to see more about the book.

Elmore
 
#8 ·
Athenagwis said:
I think there's another thread around here that has similar feedback on covers, but I will say that covers are very important. If you are going to take all that time to write an awesome book, wouldn't it behoove an author to take a good amount of time wrapping it in quality work as well? the impression is cheap cover = cheap book, quality cover = quality book, whether people admit it or not, it's true.

Rachel
I agree. When I see a cover that looks like it was done in 10 minutes on Microsoft Paint, it makes me think less of the book. Stupid for sure, but honest.
 
#9 ·
The guy who makes my covers and I went back and forth over whether the cover for Wrong Number should be black and white or not. He thought B&W fit in well with the look of Stalker. While I agreed, I thought the flesh color on the girl's belly was an attraction (this is a male speaking, keep in mind). I polled some people around work about which one they liked better, and the color version won hands down. Although, the more I think about it, I kind of wish I went with the B&W, because it did keep things looking more the same, like a brand...

(to see covers, click the links in my sig)
 
#10 ·
As a reader, I'll admit there have been times when I knew perfectly well that I probably wasn't going to enjoy a particular book (not a genre that I like, or for whatever reason), but I'd find myself looking for an excuse to buy it anyway if it had a really stunning cover.

In the same way, a dull or poorly designed cover will frequently cause me to pass over a book I'm not familiar with, in favor of something more eye-catching.  People are very visual creatures.  So yes, the cover is critically important.

Having said that, I've noticed that sometimes book covers which look really nice "in-person" so to speak, can still end up looking tacky or blah online.  I've thought seriously about designing separate covers for my Kindle editions for that reason.  Has anyone else ever done that?

 
 
#11 ·
Covers--at least really good ones--catch my eye, but they rarely influence my decision to buy a book. I tend to rely more on recommendations than anything else when deciding for what I want to plunk down cash.

That said, I love great covers and wish Inkblot could afford a really good graphic designer...
 
#14 ·
As a reader, cover art does influence what I pick up when browsing.  A pleasing cover that catches my eye will encourage me to read the description on the back.  So, I guess if you have a dull or unappealing cover, I might not pick up your book and miss the best novel of the year.

I do buy books with what I think are awful covers if the content sounds really great, but those are the ones that I find out about by recommendation.

 
#15 ·
Whether it's video games, movies, music, or books, I do not base my buying choices on covers. However, if a cover does grab my attention while browsing, which is something I rarely do, then I'll go look for information, but my purchasing choice will be based on that information, not on the cover.
 
#16 ·
covers definitely matter. My 1997 book BEYOND THE BEYOND from St. Martin's Press got fantastic reviews when it came out, but it was doomed from the get-go by a hideous cover.

When my editor sent me the cover, I was horrified. I called him up immediately.

"There's a giant penis on the cover of my book!" I said.

"That's not a penis," he replied calmly. "That's a rocket ship."

"I've seen rocket ships, and I've seen penises," I said. "That is definitely a penis."

"Lee, You don't understand cover design, marketing, or publishing the way we do," he said. "Leave this to the professionals."

"It's a penis and it's against a bright yellow background," I said. "No bookstore in the country is going to display this book. You're killing the book before its even published."

"We've been publishing books for a very long time," He said. "I think we know a little bit more about how to sell books than you do."

So they went ahead with the cover. And when I went on my book tour, one bookseller after another told me the same thing -- "We can't display this book, there's a penis on the cover! What were you thinking?"

The book got terrific reviews from the LA Times, Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly and many others.. but the sales sucked and I never sold the book into paperback.

I blame the penis.

I learned two lessons from this. Publishers don't know any more about bookselling than I do... and people DO judge a book by its cover.

Lee
 
#17 ·
Lee, uh ... yeah, that's a penis. -- snicker ---
Sorry.

I like your point about publishers not knowing any more about bookselling than you yourself do. Sometimes it seems like nobody has a clue about bookselling, sometimes even booksellers. What's the next big hit novel? Who knows? Marketing can help, but it's no guarantee. Unless maybe Oprah is involved. ;)

And though I don't usually base my own reading upon covers, I do believe covers have an effect on a sizable portion of the reading audience.
 
#18 ·
Hey Beth,
    Unfortunately, I'm one of those "judge a book by it's cover" types  :-[, BUT I am willing to read the blurb before I make a complete decision.  A book's cover gives me a quick visual preview of what to expect.  I think the most appealing covers are the ones that feature a scene or characters from the novel (maybe it's the artist in me, but I love to have visuals . . . ).  Yet sometimes an elaborate cover just doesn't fit the mood of the story.  It all depends, but if a cover is well made or contains enticing elements, I'll be more drawn to it. 
Jenna
 
G
#19 ·
bluearkansascowboy said:
Having said that, I've noticed that sometimes book covers which look really nice "in-person" so to speak, can still end up looking tacky or blah online. I've thought seriously about designing separate covers for my Kindle editions for that reason. Has anyone else ever done that?
Actually, designing separate covers is not a bad idea.

When I design book covers, I focus on two things.

1. HIGH CONTRAST. Red text on black might look gorgeous close up and in person, but it is unreadable in thumbnail size (which is the size most people are going to see it in when they visit a website).

2. IS TOO MUCH GOING ON? Again, a very detailed and intricate cover will look beautiful full size on your monitor. But if you reduce it to thumbnail size and look at it you realize it becomes unreadable.

So never make a decision on a cover based on how it looks on your screen. Reduce it to thumbnail size and look at it, then ask it if looks good.
 
#20 ·
I never judge a book by its cover any more than I judge people by their appearance, but at the very least, said cover shouldn't make me want to hide it behind a newspaper when I'm reading it in a public place. I feel for Lee Goldberg concerning that suggestive spaceship, but I've seen some really corny covers in the fantasy genre...and some of them even depict incidents/characters that don't occur at all in the book.

Wysard has two cover designs, one for the paperback, one for the Kindle. It's pretty easy to tell which one would be more of an eye-catcher:



CK
 
#21 ·
I'm curious: what about Kindle offerings that have NO cover?

As an amateur designer, I've really enjoyed making covers for my Kindle offerings (although I did stress about my newest one) but when a couple people in my writing group posted their stories to Amazon's Kindle platform, they ignored my advice about making even a basic cover...

So do you think it would be better to have no image, or a simple image (even like a field of color with the story title + author name??), or is a "real" cover essential? Is it worth my convincing them to do SOMETHING?

Thanks!
Kristan
 
G
#23 ·
kristanhoffman said:
I'm curious: what about Kindle offerings that have NO cover?

As an amateur designer, I've really enjoyed making covers for my Kindle offerings (although I did stress about my newest one) but when a couple people in my writing group posted their stories to Amazon's Kindle platform, they ignored my advice about making even a basic cover...

So do you think it would be better to have no image, or a simple image (even like a field of color with the story title + author name??), or is a "real" cover essential? Is it worth my convincing them to do SOMETHING?

Thanks!
Kristan
If they intend to actually MARKET the book, then yes. They should have something. Unless you have a very specialized target market, you need a book cover. A Book cover is like a movie poster. It draws the eyes in and grabs your interest. Remember, we can all pretend that book covers don't impact our judgement, but at the end of the day the book cover is what attracts attention first. We are visual creatures, after all. Think about your own reading habits. Which ads are you more likely to look at, those with graphic elements or those that are text only?
 
#24 ·
kristanhoffman said:
I'm curious: what about Kindle offerings that have NO cover?

As an amateur designer, I've really enjoyed making covers for my Kindle offerings (although I did stress about my newest one) but when a couple people in my writing group posted their stories to Amazon's Kindle platform, they ignored my advice about making even a basic cover...

So do you think it would be better to have no image, or a simple image (even like a field of color with the story title + author name??), or is a "real" cover essential? Is it worth my convincing them to do SOMETHING?

Thanks!
Kristan
Lots of great/classic books have only the title and the author's name on the cover. Not to have any cover at all looks like a term paper, and unprofessional.

Title and name are quite enough, for me anyway. Font and color choices convey definite emotions, and provoke specific reactions.

CK
 
#26 ·
I like a nice cover on the book page at Amazon.

But, there is one other thing that I really like and don't see as much: The cover of the book inside the Kindle edition.

It's so cool to open a book on my Kindle for the first time & the first thing I see is the cover of the book. It just gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling, ya know?

 
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