First Impression
Most of us have a favourite book genre and we tend to stick to it rather than trying something that might be out of our comfort zone. Perhaps because I read so many different genres in my job, I’ve come to appreciate over the years that even if you do prefer one and would stay away from another, sometimes it’s good to try something different, giving yourself the chance to get into a whole new world of characters and plots and circumstances you might not have thought about before. I love anything from fantasy to detective novels, psychological thrillers to romcoms. So long as they’re written well and have an interesting story with characters I can either love or hate, then I’m happy to buy or download any book.
But when we’re searching for our next read, the first thing we see that might just attract us to that book is the cover. What’s that saying… “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? You’ve heard the one, often, most likely, yet that’s exactly what we all do in a literal sense. We see a book on the shelves in a store or online, and if we like the cover, we’ll take a look at the blurb. So the blurb might not be what we’re looking for, but it doesn’t take away the fact that you were first tempted to browse the book by noticing its striking cover. Our eyes always fall on something we might find attractive – be it a product in a shop or a hotel for a holiday – and if your book cover is bland or poorly designed, chances are it’ll be left on the shelf for one that reaches out to you instead.
The words in your book are, of course, paramount. They will mean the difference between a good review, a bad review, and a great review, and let’s face it, all authors want to see that great review with its five stars.
Your book cover should become your “brand”. It should show potential readers how much work you’ve gone to when designing something you want to sell; it should give readers a reason to pick up the book – physically or virtually – and read the blurb on the back before flicking through a few pages to see if it’s what they’re looking for. And if you go on to write more than one book, maybe a series – or standalones, it really doesn’t matter – then your covers would look so much better if they gave some indication the book has been written by the same author. Fonts, cover images, where the blurb is positioned on the back, colours and illustrations, backgrounds and taglines. All these things will depict your brand. Something you want to be aiming for when you become an author of multiple books is to have a reader looking for something to read, notice your cover, then say, ‘Oh look, here’s another book by Kathryn Hall. I’ll take that one.’ (Of course, with your name, not mine…) There are many cover designers out there, some I know and have worked with on clients’ books. So if it’s something you feel you can’t tackle yourself, I would always recommend hiring a professional. (If it’s something you want to pursue, give me a shout and I’ll put you in touch.)
Give your book the best chance right from the outset; allow your readers to know it’s your book, and make sure they can’t miss your striking cover. Remember: Everyone judges a book by its cover, it’s just the way it is.
