Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Location: Books & Such Main Office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
This week I’d like to explore with you the role that covers play in helping your books to find their audiences…or not. We’re going to look at some covers that served the content well and others…not so much. Many elements go into considering whether a cover works. But here are some elements that aren’t a consideration:
- Does the author like the dominant color used in the cover? Really, the reader could care less that emerald green is on your all-time, most-hideous-color-ever list. What counts is whether the cover conveys the right “feel” for the content of the book. If green suggests the bright hope of tomorrow, and that’s what your book is about, learn to like green.
- Is the model used on the cover a match for how the author perceived the protagonist (in the case of fiction)? Sometimes it doesn’t matter that the cover designer saw the protagonist differently from how the author did. When it does matter is if a historical detail is incorrect or if the protagonist is rendered a blonde when in the story she’s a brunette. Or if the model isn’t the age of the protagonist because that would convey the wrong message about the age of the intended reader. (If the protagonist is 40 but the model is 20, a different audience will be drawn to the book than the author intended.)
- Does the font appeal to the author? The two valid reasons to suggest a font change are whether the words are readable or if the font conveys the wrong message about the tone of the book. I saw a cover recently with a font that suggested a historical time period even though the novel was contemporary–wrong message.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what our personal preferences are when we examine our book’s cover. It matters if the correct marketing message is being conveyed by that cover.
Here’s a cover that is wonderfully consistent in the bright, youthful feel it communicates. The font is a perfect fit for the whimsical nature of the title. Everything works in concert to invite the intended reader to pick up this book and BUY IT!
Great post. I know that some publishers give their authors more input into cover design than others. Authors may make suggestions, authors definitely should make sure the art is consistent with the story, but in my experience the experts know a lot more about cover design than I do, and I’m happy to go along with them.
Okay. I looooove that cover!
I, like many, many others, usually judge a book by the cover. That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t pick up Twilight until after the movie came out no matter how many times my roommate, who’s a bigger bookworm than I am, kept telling me to read the darned thing. What was the deal with the apple? I couldn’t get a feel for the story based off of it. I just rolled my eyes and put it back on the shelf.
I can honestly say that, as a writer, I still haven’t figured out the magic mojo of covers and sales. I’ve picked up some books with awesome covers and wished I hadn’t. Then there are others, like above, where the covers had me completely lost and the stories were fabulous!
But, as a writer, this post is fabulous. I now know what not to nit-pick. *beaming grin* Thanks!
I agree; that book does make me want to pick it up and buy it! Thanks for the great information.
Great post.
Does the designer of the cover usually try and read the book or skim over the synopsis to get a feel for the story?
I’ve never really known what was involved in deciding on a cover. Thanks for the post. Looking forward to the rest of the week as well.
I recently read a very well known book that had a cover photo of a beautiful woman with nearly black hair. The woman in the story was a blonde. As soon as I read that she was a blonde, it actually bothered me that the person who designed the cover obviously hadn’t even bothered to read the book.
Do authors usually have much say in the cover design? If you did spot a significant problem, is there an appropriate way to raise the issue? With whom?
Looking forward to having such a problem one day! 🙂
Taking note and telling myself I WILL have a need for this information some day.
Does the designer read the book or a synopsis of the book? Depends on the designer. Some really get into the book and understand it well; others are turning out covers as fast as possible and not bothering with details like the protagonist’s hair color. As a reader, I’m always looking at the cover, and I care a lot if it matches the content. Ultimately it’s the publisher’s job to make sure the cover is accurate, and designers know which publishers hold their feet to the fire and which ones don’t. And, to be fair, if you’re Harlequin, you’re turning out tons of books every month while FS & G is producing far fewer titles each month. One can afford to be more thoughtful about a cover than the other.
I love interesting covers, though only once has a cover caused me to WANT to read a book. Sara Mills’ covers totally capture her post-war era mystery novel and really intrigued me. This cover also really illustrates the point of this excellent post. 🙂
I can’t wait till I have to worry about this! Guess I have to get the deal 1st…
Excellent! I’ll be looking forward to it.
This blog is a valuable place to acquire insight into other aspects of the business beyond just writing. I’m sure that’s your intention, but I hope you know how grateful your readers are for the inside scoop.
Lynn, yes, often the author has an opportunity to give input on his/her cover. Agents try very hard to include such a commitment into contracts. But some publishers, such as Harlequin, are on such a fast track that the author doesn’t all get a say. Later this week, I’ll write a post on what to do if you don’t love your cover.
Nicely done – I subscribe to and enjoy reading your blog.
Terry
I constantly look at the cover while reading a book. I have read books where the blonde on the cover was actually had black hair, the “Amazon” woman was depicted as petite, and the petite woman had the longest fingers I’ve ever seen. Also, period clothing has been inaccurate. These things really bother me as a reader. As a writer I would like “my” book cover to be eye catching for marketing purposes, but also accurate to enhance the reader’s experience and promote enduring fans.
Thanks, Janet, for introducing this topic.
For many of us this is an area clouded in mystery.
Yes, I personnally do respond to the cover as a nudge to pick up the book and look further. I think it is very important that the book cover convey the spirit of the book. Especially in today’s world where people are more and more visually attuned.
I look forward to the post on what to do if you do not like the cover for your book.
A J