Blogger: Etta Wilson
Location: Books & Such Nashville Office
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I’ve written about the content of titles this week and their length, appropriateness, etc., but I haven’t said much about their looks, their style and where they appear on the book, especially in relation to the author’s name. These decisions almost always fall outside the author’s say-so, but it is interesting to think about.
Is the typeface for the title in one font and the author’s name in another?
There usually is some distinction between these typefaces. I like the treatment on Debbie Macomber’s Knit Together in which the title is in italics at the top and her name in Roman style is at the bottom, and both are about equal in size.
Is there a size difference in the type for the title and the author’s name?
That’s often a clue to what the publisher thinks readers will be looking for. A recent hard-cover book by a best-selling romance author (not a Books & Such client) had her name so large at the top, it covers more than half the front cover. Who could ever remember the title–or if there was one? Do you always start reading a book cover from the top down? I have a friend who reads from the bottom up; so in most cases she’s reading the author’s name first, then the subtitle and then the title. Strange!
What colors are used to make the title stand out or “pop,” as book designers say?
Many good books fail to attract the attention they deserve because their titles, which may have been well chosen, were treated in a color and style that sank into the book cover’s background. More often a few letters of the title clash with some element in the background and are lost.
The guiding rule many designers use about titles and covers is this: Does it make you want to stop for a second look when you’re passing by? That means a book has about five seconds to grab a reader’s attention in a bookstore! Can you think of books you stopped to examine simply because of the type? If a book is very successful, designers tend to stick with the same type and look for upcoming titles along with the overused but coveted “best-selling author of ….”
Don’t forget that the only rule in publishing is that there aren’t any rules. “Word of mouth” still trumps all the rules, no matter what title a book has or how it looks.
I never thought much about the different fonts before. I always thought the picure was the biggest deal, but now that I consider it, I have had moments where I turned away from a book simply because of all those overdecorations of titles you spoke of.
Ame, a lot of our responses are subconscious, and they do vary from one person to another. Basically, if we really like something, there’ a good chance many others will as well.
Etta
An excellent post! I never really thought about it before, but now that you’ve mentioned it, I have noticed certain authors who’s name seems to cover the top half of the cover – as though the book isn’t the selling feature, their name is. I guess it is calling to fans and readers who will recognize the name as opposed to new, potential readers.
I think the first thing I usually notice is the photo. Being partial to alpha-males, it’s the picture that grabs me right away. From there I immediately hop to the back cover for the summary. What DOES bother me is publishers or printers who have no summary on the back explaining what the book is about. I don’t think I’ve ever purchased a book without knowing some hint of plot up front.
Just my 2 cents, for what it’s worth these days. (Probably .005 cents.) 🙂
Nika
For me it is always the title first. The author’s name is secondary. I only have a few authors that I read all their work. Once I bought a book just based on the author’s name. He is quite famous in the Christian world. Guess what? I couldn’t even read past the first chapter. I returned it. As an author, my message or title is more important than the name. As long as my name is there somewhere 🙂
Irene
I’ve always thought it was a testament to the author’s popularity as to how large their name appears on the cover. If the author’s name is larger than the title, the publisher thinks the NAME is going to be the selling point. For folks whose name is not yet known, the title (and graphics) create the edge. We hope. 🙂
Valerie, you’ve got it figured right. Do you work for a publisher?
Etta
LOL, thanks for the compliment, Etta. No, I’m one more writer looking for a chink in the armor of the publishing world, analyzing everything I see. 😛