# Cover art & titles of books



## trip (Dec 27, 2010)

How influenced are you by the cover art, and, title of a book? I wonder how many 1000's of time I have walked by a fabluous book on a shelf, because that title just did not shout, pick me up!! I was always drawn to tropical colors on book covers,hoping to add to my Florida collection..sometime it was a home run

I haveasked a couple of authors, how much imput they had in cover art, and, was surprised to hear really none. Wonder if the title is the authors choice, or if that too, is left to the publishing house.

I think cover art is intersting..what amazing changes over the years.


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## Derz7sk (May 14, 2011)

Form alters content, somebody said, and it's weird but true.  A great dust jacket in a mylar sleeve on a beloved and infinitely re-readable hardcover used to be my ideal--even if I had to create a custom cover to suit the book.  Now that I'm gathering titles for my kindle I still feel the cover art is a big part of the experience, even though it only appears in b/w on the Kindle.  

And yes, it's odd that over the years writers have been allowed little input on their covers--at least, until they had proved they had selling power. Then they might get enough clout to have a say.  Perhaps now with the indie input of the ebook revolution that's changing forever.


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

The top two reasons people by books are: 1) like the author's other works and 2) recommended by a friend. Cover art rates a distant third in surveys, but I think it's under-reported because no one wants to admit that they "judge a book based on the cover." Given how common the saying is, you can't expect an accurate response.

Outside of indies, writers have little to no input on covers. Most have none. 

Writers usually get to pick their titles, unless they give up that option or take a publisher's advice on retitling. Some writers are bad with titles. I think titling is generally seen as part of the writing itself where cover art is not. And since most authors lack the skills needed to know what good cover art is or what sells...

But some publishers do put out some bad covers, sometimes inexplicably. While other publishers like PYR, for example, have fantastic cover art.

Personally, cover art matters a lot to me in whether I notice a book, so I worked hard to get good cover art for my book. I searched for a good artist I could afford and spent what I had to.


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## gatehouseauthor (Apr 22, 2011)

I think cover art is very important to me, as a reader.  It doesn't have to be amazing... some of the best have been very minimal, a graphic over a plain background.  But somehow even those carry excitement with them.

My favorites have always been the old fantasy and sci-fi novels.  By "old", I mean OLD... 40's and 50's.  The pulp books.  But later, in the 70's and 80's, fantasy cover art became amazing... true painted masterpieces, in many cases, with ornate but tasteful (and usually embossed) fonts.

Title is also very important.  Which would you rather read, "The Man who Folded Himself" or "That Guy Who Sorta Traveled In Time and Hung Out With Other Versions Of Himself"?  If a title doesn't grab my attention (in a good way... not in the ridiculous way my poor example does LOL), I don't see much reason to buy it.  What attracts me to a book, in order, are cover, title, description, (sometimes) author, and blurbs.  If that's not enough to get me to buy... well, reading a couple of pages might do it, but usually not.


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## Kitchen Witch (Jul 3, 2011)

I'm usually appalled by overly-sexualized covers and will instantly give some minus points for those. That does not mean I won't read the book, but it will have to work hard to overcome the first impression. The feminist in me simply can't abide slave girls in chainmail bikinis fainting at hero's feet or supposedly strong, independent heroines who chose to flash the whole world for some strange reason


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## gatehouseauthor (Apr 22, 2011)

Kitchen Witch said:


> I'm usually appalled by overly-sexualized covers and will instantly give some minus points for those. That does not mean I won't read the book, but it will have to work hard to overcome the first impression. The feminist in me simply can't abide slave girls in chainmail bikinis fainting at hero's feet or supposedly strong, independent heroines who chose to flash the whole world for some strange reason


 

I don't mind my sword-bearing heroines sexy, but can't they be sexy and still have on armor that would actually, I don't know... protect them?? LOL

Okay... what really gets me (and I apologize in advance to a LOT of other indie KB authors out there, but this is just my opinion...) is photographic covers. HATE photo covers! Yes, I know there are a dozen places where you can purchase stock photography cheaply, and often times can find a subject that's very close to your book's content... but I feel that photographic covers, except in VERY limited instances, look cheap and unprofessional. If your book is about a real person, and you have a picture of that real person, fine. If your book is about a real place or historical event, and you have a photo the depicts it well... fine. If your book is fiction about CIA agents, and you use a stock photo of a guy in sunglasses, with a buzz cut, in a black suit and an earpiece, looking menacing... you lost my interest immediately.

(If that actually describes someone's book cover, I do apologize wholeheartedly... I am not singling you out, I made that up off the top of my head... but if in so doing I managed to hit the mark... please, consider changing your cover!)


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

gatehouseauthor said:


> I don't mind my sword-bearing heroines sexy, but can't they be sexy and still have on armor that would actually, I don't know... protect them?? LOL
> 
> Okay... what really gets me (and I apologize in advance to a LOT of other indie KB authors out there, but this is just my opinion...) is photographic covers. HATE photo covers! Yes, I know there are a dozen places where you can purchase stock photography cheaply, and often times can find a subject that's very close to your book's content... but I feel that photographic covers, except in VERY limited instances, look cheap and unprofessional. If your book is about a real person, and you have a picture of that real person, fine. If your book is about a real place or historical event, and you have a photo the depicts it well... fine. If your book is fiction about CIA agents, and you use a stock photo of a guy in sunglasses, with a buzz cut, in a black suit and an earpiece, looking menacing... you lost my interest immediately.
> 
> (If that actually describes someone's book cover, I do apologize wholeheartedly... I am not singling you out, I made that up off the top of my head... but if in so doing I managed to hit the mark... please, consider changing your cover!)


I pretty much agree with everything you said. Even stylized professional photographic covers don't do much for me. Apparently those work for some people because they're popular these days.

I would add this: I think plain photographic covers, if they suit the subject, are okay for short stories. No one expects grand design on individual shorts. Otherwise, there is a big difference between a cover design and stick placing titles on a picture. Sometimes it's a fine line.


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> I pretty much agree with everything you said. Even stylized professional photographic covers don't do much for me. Apparently those work for some people because they're popular these days.


Interesting observation. 
The quality of the art on your cover (and the post previous to yours) is outstanding and truly professional looking. The trouble is 'art' covers have to be excellent, if they're not then they just look tacky or amateurish. I'd rather an OK photo to an amateur painting anyday. (It cant be easy finding a quality artist who will work for the sort of limited budget most Indie authors have.)
Also, fantasy is particularly suited to 'art' covers but my genre, historical romance, can look extremely dated with painted covers - that was the vogue in the 60's and just looks blagh now. 
I suspect there are as many different cover styles as there are genres, and what applies for one genre doesnt apply to them all.


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## gatehouseauthor (Apr 22, 2011)

Grace Elliot said:


> I suspect there are as many different cover styles as there are genres, and what applies for one genre doesnt apply to them all.


I believe you're right in this respect. The popularity of photo covers on not only historical romance, but general romance and even "steamy" romance, is obvious. From my non-scientific observations, all forms of romance seem to me these genres outsell fantasy, and even thrillers, on Kindle. So either the covers are appropriate for the fan base, or the covers don't matter as much to the fan base. I think it probably falls more toward the "appropriate" category. I may not like the covers, but they obviously suit the target markets quite well! Honestly, though... I think maybe a very talented artist could pull off some great covers to a book like yours...

So I guess I'll clarify... in the genres I generally read, a photographic cover is an automatic no-buy for me. What I generally read is fantasy, sci-fi, horror, the occasional thriller, and psychological thrillers.

Although to be honest, if somebody went out and found me a real photograph of a real dragon, I'd probably put it on my cover, because... I mean... wow!

(That's not really true... my artist is also very well-versed in 3D photorealistic graphics, and swore to me he could do a dragon that looked 100% photographically real... didn't matter, I wanted a painting!)


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## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

Grace Elliot said:


> Interesting observation.
> I suspect there are as many different cover styles as there are genres, and what applies for one genre doesnt apply to them all.


Yes. I meant to say something along those lines and failed. Sorry. In some genres, well done photographic covers like yours are the norm, and there's nothing wrong with that at all. I was thinking of the genres I read and indie efforts where text is slapped on pictures that barely seem appropriate, almost out of desperation.

Fantasy has that tradition of art covers and art isn't easy or cheap. I envy thriller writers who can put together designs featuring knives or guns or blood-splatters. Yes it still has to be well done, but it's so much easier.


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## HDJensen (Apr 20, 2011)

The cover art on a book either makes a big first impression, or you don't notice it at all. Obviously, anything that's forgettable isn't going to be something you pick up or read. It is sad that authors have so little say in their cover art, since it is a marketing image that will be used to represent their book in every way. That is part of the reason I prefer the indie-author road, but I'm far too picky to give up any amount of control when it comes to my own books. I think anyone who claims they don't judge a book by it's cover is in denial. Yes, you'll read a book that a familiar author puts out despite the cover, but if it's an unknown author you're not going to think twice about it if the cover doesn't reach out and grab you in one way or another.


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## Samuel Thews (Jul 12, 2011)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> I pretty much agree with everything you said. Even stylized professional photographic covers don't do much for me. Apparently those work for some people because they're popular these days.


I agree as well. They are much more likely to turn me off to a book, unless it is non-fiction. But as noted, for certain genres it is a given and I understand that.


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## Sara Pierce (May 15, 2011)

Cover art is big for me: the image creates a first impression for me and if it's not to my taste, I generally bypass it. I'll freely admit I'm attracted to the pretty: it draws me in to read the blurb, and if that intrigues me I'll buy the sample, then the whole thing if the sample is good. A crappy cover, in my mind, is often indicative of what's inside and I'm much less inclined to click on it to read the blurb unless it's been recommended to me by someone whose opinion I usually agree with.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

gatehouseauthor said:


> Okay... what really gets me (and I apologize in advance to a LOT of other indie KB authors out there, but this is just my opinion...) is photographic covers. HATE photo covers! Yes, I know there are a dozen places where you can purchase stock photography cheaply, and often times can find a subject that's very close to your book's content... but I feel that photographic covers, except in VERY limited instances, look cheap and unprofessional. If your book is about a real person, and you have a picture of that real person, fine. If your book is about a real place or historical event, and you have a photo the depicts it well... fine. If your book is fiction about CIA agents, and you use a stock photo of a guy in sunglasses, with a buzz cut, in a black suit and an earpiece, looking menacing... you lost my interest immediately.
> 
> (If that actually describes someone's book cover, I do apologize wholeheartedly... I am not singling you out, I made that up off the top of my head... but if in so doing I managed to hit the mark... please, consider changing your cover!)


It IS easy for a stock photo to look cheap. But equally, I've seen some covers that appear to have some awful clipart that looks like a child drew it. I really think it depends on the design - and maybe the genre. If it's well designed, I don't mind a photo - but of course if your novel is fantasy, it would be better to have an illustration.


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## WriterCTaylor (Jul 11, 2011)

I couldn't imagine, as a writer, having no input into my cover design or title. I am published by a very small publisher and was able to give the cover artist my idea of what I wanted the cover to look like. I have to say, I was extremely pleased that she got it so bang on to what I wanted.
From a readers point of view, I have to say I am attracted to a book by the cover first and then the title. If those two things don't take my fancy, I don't look at the rest of the book. I know some of you are saying I am missing out on a lot of good reads, but this has worked for me because I am rarely disappointed with my reading choices. I judge a book by its cover, but that's what works for me. 
One thing I like about this site is readers give their opinions on books they have read and I can base my decision on whether to buy or not on that.


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## Kitchen Witch (Jul 3, 2011)

Speaking as a person who does cover design for a living from time to time, I must say that often, authors and publishers are in direct conflict when it comes to both covers and titles.
This is, of course, nothing new: authors have a vision related to their writing and publishers have one related to marketing. One wants an enchanted forest, the other wants boobies. Even in non-fiction, this is a common phenomenon. So I try not to dismiss covers outright, except for when they are offensive or really idiotic. 
But still, everything is a piece of information, and you can infer a lot about a book just by looking at it, because the way it's done shows you what the publisher and/or author think about their readers - what they think would appeal to you.

I must say, too, that I find a large difference between American and European standards for book covers. I didn't think they would be that noticeable.


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## RuthMadison (Jul 9, 2011)

I'm ashamed to say, I judge books on their covers.  No matter how much people tell you not to do that, you can't help it.  What appeals to me in a cover is an interesting title, and a simple cover.  I tend not to like people on the covers.


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## Kimberly Van Meter (Apr 22, 2011)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> I searched for a good artist I could afford and spent what I had to.


And what a good choice! Your cover is gorgeous.

Kimberly V.


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## DD Graphix (Jul 15, 2011)

As an aspiring cover designer (I'm already a graphic designer who has done covers, just not fiction covers), this is a very interesting conversation for me. It seems that most of you who are objecting to the photo covers are fantasy authors? I agree that if you have people on the cover, especially photos, it can be difficult, especially if the character does not match the photo. But of course that happens with artwork as well as photos.

Since I'm an artist anyway I am one who will pick up (or not pick up) a book based on cover. So of course I think it's important. As a graphic designer I'm really interested in exploring some different looks and ideas. I'm familiar with some of the romance, erotica, fantasy and sci-fi tropes. Here's my question.

Do you think tropes are important? In other words, if a fantasy book or a sci fi book looked markedly different in cover style from it's compatriots, would it stand out and be picked up more? Or be regarded with suspicion and not picked up?


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## kchughez (Jun 29, 2011)

A cover to me is the 1st chance to make a buying impression. Although I think I failed with my 1st book. It looked soooo good in the full page version. By the time it was shrunken to a thumbnail, it lost a bit of the mystique. 

But a good cover will make me read the blurb.


~KC


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

history_lover said:


> It IS easy for a stock photo to look cheap. But equally, I've seen some covers that appear to have some awful clipart that looks like a child drew it. I really think it depends on the design - and maybe the genre. If it's well designed, I don't mind a photo - but of course if your novel is fantasy, it would be better to have an illustration.


Poor art and tacky photos can both make a cover look cheap. And don't get me started Poser People (badly done CG people). The difference is, IMHO, that a good designer can make a photo look classy, whereas if the artist is bad, nothing can save it. But either way, it's design, not the kind of artwork, that really makes or breaks a cover. It always breaks my heart to see a cover with a good piece of art or elegant photo with a title slapped on like an LOLCAT graffito.


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## Ilyria Moon (May 14, 2011)

Kitchen Witch said:


> One wants an enchanted forest, the other wants boobies.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I think cover art and titles are less important to me now, as I spend much less time browsing book stores (or even Amazon) and more time reading recommendations and reviews on the web. They can still have an impact, as I still occasionally browse through Amazon's recommendations for me, so they can still catch my eye with the right artwork and title.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

NogDog said:


> I think cover art and titles are less important to me now, as I spend much less time browsing book stores (or even Amazon) and more time reading recommendations and reviews on the web. They can still have an impact, as I still occasionally browse through Amazon's recommendations for me, so they can still catch my eye with the right artwork and title.


This is true for me as well. I used to buy a beautiful book for the cover alone, figuring that even if the book sucked, I'd at least have the art on my shelf. Now I will buy a book even if the art sucks, figuring I never have to look at it on my kindle.


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## gatehouseauthor (Apr 22, 2011)

DD Graphix said:


> As an aspiring cover designer (I'm already a graphic designer who has done covers, just not fiction covers), this is a very interesting conversation for me. It seems that most of you who are objecting to the photo covers are fantasy authors? I agree that if you have people on the cover, especially photos, it can be difficult, especially if the character does not match the photo. But of course that happens with artwork as well as photos.
> 
> Since I'm an artist anyway I am one who will pick up (or not pick up) a book based on cover. So of course I think it's important. As a graphic designer I'm really interested in exploring some different looks and ideas. I'm familiar with some of the romance, erotica, fantasy and sci-fi tropes. Here's my question.
> 
> Do you think tropes are important? In other words, if a fantasy book or a sci fi book looked markedly different in cover style from it's compatriots, would it stand out and be picked up more? Or be regarded with suspicion and not picked up?


Tropes can be important to some people... certain genres do have a certain style to them. But that style evolves over the years. A fantasy book cover today doesn't really look much like the ones of Tolkien's era. A sci-fi book cover today doesn't look anything like the pulps of the 40's, 50's, and 60's. Someone had to "break" the style at some point for them to evolve. Break a trope here and there, see what happens! But I'm very particular as an author... when I tell my artist what I want, that's what I want. I'm open to seeing variations, the artist's ideas thrown in, but if I shoot down those ideas... I want what I want! LOL And I guess when it comes down to my own books, I'm a traditionalist... I want a painting. Something that I could (and actually, am getting ready to, when it arrives from the printer) hang on my wall as art.


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## LucieSimone (Jun 30, 2011)

Ladyeclectic said:


> Cover art is big for me: the image creates a first impression for me and if it's not to my taste, I generally bypass it. I'll freely admit I'm attracted to the pretty: it draws me in to read the blurb, and if that intrigues me I'll buy the sample, then the whole thing if the sample is good. A crappy cover, in my mind, is often indicative of what's inside and I'm much less inclined to click on it to read the blurb unless it's been recommended to me by someone whose opinion I usually agree with.


This is exactly how I work, too. I have often discovered a new book or author because the book cover caught my eye. I read genres like chick lit & women's fiction, which both have a unique & definite style to them. Mostly, I look to the cover to help convey the tone of the story: is it creepy, romantic, melodramatic, whimsical, etc? And if it's well done, I'm likely to inquire further. But if it looks cheap, I don't give it a second glance.


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

gatehouseauthor said:


> My favorites have always been the old fantasy and sci-fi novels. By "old", I mean OLD... 40's and 50's. The pulp books. But later, in the 70's and 80's, fantasy cover art became amazing... true painted masterpieces, in many cases, with ornate but tasteful (and usually embossed) fonts.


Those '70s and '80s covers were why I got into illustration. I loved their lush, detailed style.

I hesitate to speak harshly of photographic covers, since they can be used to good effect. I do think they are overused, and not just by self-publishers. The last time I was in a drugstore, its entire rack of mass-market paperbacks, without exception, had photo covers. I think -- even for pros -- it's because they are very cheap and easy.

I suppose I am biased by my profession, but I love a good, illustrated cover. There's so much meaning and symbolism you can put in a painting or drawing which are very difficult with photography.


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## WriterCTaylor (Jul 11, 2011)

RuthMadison said:


> I'm ashamed to say, I judge books on their covers. No matter how much people tell you not to do that, you can't help it. What appeals to me in a cover is an interesting title, and a simple cover. I tend not to like people on the covers.


How bizarre! I'm the same. I don't like covers with real people on them. A lot of romantic covers are like that. I think it's because I like to imagine the people when I'm reading about them. (I don't read romance, but it is the same concept in the styles I read) My book has a female on it, but she is not real, rather a result of a talented cover artist.


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## emilyward (Mar 5, 2011)

Cover art is usually what I see first, although sometimes (like in a library or bookstore), I'll see the title first. The cover has a huge impact on if I keep looking. You can send a huge message with what you put on the cover. If it looks like you did it in two minutes in Microsoft Paint, it takes a lot for me to read the blurb. Maybe that's shallow, but that's just the way I work 

The whole photo vs. painted art thing. . .photos definitely work for some genres, but they can also all start to look the same. I think the important thing is good composition, a font that fits, and uniqueness. Custom art works best for science fiction and fantasy since most settings are extremely imaginative and hard to pin down in a stock photo unless you're putting the shoot together yourself (and some publishers do).


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## That one girl (Apr 12, 2011)

Unfortunately, cover art is a big factor for me. I use the Kindle app on my iPhone to read Kindle ebooks, which is kind of difficult on my eyes. For this reason, I'm very choosy about the books I read on Kindle and the cover art has to be really spot on. My experience has been that the level of effort put into the cover usually equals the level of effort put into the writing. By the way, Samuel Thews, I LOVE your cover.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Traditional publishers use stock photos, too. And cheap ones. I've found the cover images to my traditionally pub'd books later in stock collections as well as on competing titles. Once they discovered that "Golden Retrievers" were THE image to sell dog books, that's what everyone slapped on the cover. *sigh*

Nonfiction, of course, in my case. To me it's a huge turn-off when the depicted critter isn't what it should be (such as a book on a particular show dog breed with a poor example of the breed). Fiction certainly has different constraints.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

trip said:


> How influenced are you by the cover art, and, title of a book?


I only pick up a book and read the blurb if I like the cover. The title is less important to me, since so many sound alike. I've only once bought a book soley for the sake of the title. I didn't especially care for the cover and didn't even bother reading the blurb. I just saw the title and knew, "I'm getting it". That book was _Diary of a Mad, Fat Girl_.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Grace Elliot said:


> Also, fantasy is particularly suited to 'art' covers but my genre, historical romance, can look extremely dated with painted covers - that was the vogue in the 60's and just looks blagh now.


I totally agree with this. The genre always needs to be taken into account. A well done illustration looks awesome on a fantasy book and fits the expectations of the audience. Romance and YA readers, on the other hand, mostly expect and prefer photo covers these days. Those illustrated romance covers from the 60's and 70's? Just ick.  The clothes and hairstyles of the people on the cover may have been to blame a bit too - it always amuses me how the old "Regency" ladies had 1960's bangs and cats' eyes. Meanwhile the men all had Ken doll hairstyles.


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## ramsey_isler (Jul 11, 2011)

I've found this conversation very interesting. As an indie author, I design my own book covers (a background in new media design and Photoshop skills help a lot), and I always do "focus groups" with my friends before I put anything out. It's amazing how each person focuses on a different element (for instance, people who are designers themselves place much more emphasis on things like font selection, kerning, etc.). I try to reach a common-ground baseline where my beta viewers all agree that it's good, though they may not be in love with it.

For myself, I generally only look to see if a cover is original. Covers that follow the old tropes of their genre tend to turn me off, but something with eye-catching color and original design always gets me.

I also often take notes from the books on http://bookcoverarchive.com, although the selection is somewhat limited.


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## Todd Russell (Mar 27, 2011)

As reader I don't pay much attention to the cover art for e-books unless they're bad. Books without covers or ones that look thrown together with Paint would turn me off from reading unless a trusted source recommended. I am more critical of cover art for paperback and hardcovers than e-books since I won't see them in color on my Kindle anyway. 

The title and book blurb will draw me in to take a closer look at authors I haven't read before.

Throw all criteria out if it's one of my favorite authors. As long as they release a story on some format that I can read, I'm there with wallet in hand. Yes, even if I strongly dislike the title and cover.


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## gatehouseauthor (Apr 22, 2011)

I see a lot of people that don't really care much about cover art... and I'm seeing a lot of people who really do, like myself. Seems to me the safest thing to do as an author is to have the best cover you can have. You're probably not going to turn off the ones who don't care, but if you _don't_ have a good cover, you are going to turn off the ones who do!

For my covers, they're designed for paperback, so I want them to be as good as they can possibly be. Even though my paperback doesn't sell stupendous numbers, that's where my focus always is. I'm very careful with my covers, my interiors, drop caps, everything, to make it the best it can be. Then, when I shrink that cover down for the ebook, it looks even better.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

It'll be nice when the Kindles start displaying color. Right now, I'm seeing a lot of covers that are done for the traditional market and the traditional advertising venues. The lovely detail is lost in B&W or, more frequently, at the thumbnail size so many covers are displayed at. 

When the first impression someone has of your book is through a cover in the "also bought" list on Amazon, then I think the title and the subject matter of the cover image really need to stand out. Too many covers look murky and any text on them is lost completely at the size most buyers see them.

It's a whole new storefront out there. Where and how books are being displayed, elements often neglected now, need to play into design -- whether it's photo- or illustration-based. IMO, of course.


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## Ilyria Moon (May 14, 2011)

Online, not much; in stores, cover art over title. I have noticed how many people's minds are in the gutter over my title. I would have thought the eating utensil in the image made it clear I'm not referring to anything sexual.


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## Julie K. Rose (Jul 5, 2011)

ramsey_isler said:


> I've found this conversation very interesting. As an indie author, I design my own book covers (a background in new media design and Photoshop skills help a lot), and I always do "focus groups" with my friends before I put anything out. It's amazing how each person focuses on a different element (for instance, people who are designers themselves place much more emphasis on things like font selection, kerning, etc.). I try to reach a common-ground baseline where my beta viewers all agree that it's good, though they may not be in love with it.
> 
> For myself, I generally only look to see if a cover is original. Covers that follow the old tropes of their genre tend to turn me off, but something with eye-catching color and original design always gets me.
> 
> I also often take notes from the books on http://bookcoverarchive.com, although the selection is somewhat limited.


Great cover, Ramsey! Very clean, very eye-catching, very professional.

Awesome log-line, too. Made me click! Definitely adding to my to-be-read list.


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## ramsey_isler (Jul 11, 2011)

Julie K. Rose said:


> Great cover, Ramsey! Very clean, very eye-catching, very professional.
> 
> Awesome log-line, too. Made me click! Definitely adding to my to-be-read list.


Thanks Julie.


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## navythriller (Mar 11, 2011)

I've been known to pick up a book because the cover art caught my eye. I can only remember buying one book based on the title alone. It was, *And to My Nephew Albert I Leave the Island What I Won Off Fatty Hagan in a Poker Game*. With a title like that, I just _had_ to read the book.


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## Ilyria Moon (May 14, 2011)

navythriller said:


> I've been known to pick up a book because the cover art caught my eye. I can only remember buying one book based on the title alone. It was, *And to My Nephew Albert I Leave the Island What I Won Off Fatty Hagan in a Poker Game*. With a title like that, I just _had_ to read the book.


Haha I would have, too


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

As a kid/YA, I was definitely attracted to the covers over almost anything else, but of course this was in the pre-internet days so there wasn't much word of mouth to go by. But some cool spaceships, a buxom lass hacking into a dragon, glittery mech launching some missiles, yeah, that got my attention  But even then I prefered the cover art to depict a scene from the book rather than just be some piece of art lifted at random from an artists portfolio (TSR, I'm looking at you!). Heck, half the books I read as a kid were probably stories based on the art, not the other way around! No accounting for taste 

But these days I use the cover art to give me an idea of the books tone, content, and level of polish. A whimiscal fantasy cover showing a unicorn using its horn to hoist a gnome by the shorts tells me one thing, a blood splattered banner of war with a smokey background tells me another. Or at least it SHOULD. So while the specific details of the art are less important (because the kindle has no real way of showing it [shame shame!]) it does serve as a mild barometer for purchasing. FWIW I don't much care for photo covers either. I'd like to think I'm past the stage where the attractiveness of the cover model matters, or the depth of her cleavage. Probably am, ...maybe. But a quick scan of the typical Baen/Tor book cover suggests I'm in the minority.

Anyhoo, I think the specific details of the cover are not as important, but the impression it gives needs to A) suggest the content and tone of the book, B) be professional quality because that suggests the interior is also of the same quality (editing, proofreading, etc), and C) be readable as a thumbnail, because that is about all you see on the internet.


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## Adam Kisiel (Jun 20, 2011)

Well, one should not judge the book by the cover, but very often it is so.


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## magicabooks (Jul 20, 2011)

A great quality cover art doesn't mean it's going to be a great book. But I'm like everyone else. If the cover appeals to me, I'll be more inclined to pick up the book.


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2011)

gatehouseauthor said:


> Okay... what really gets me (and I apologize in advance to a LOT of other indie KB authors out there, but this is just my opinion...) is photographic covers. HATE photo covers! Yes, I know there are a dozen places where you can purchase stock photography cheaply, and often times can find a subject that's very close to your book's content... but I feel that photographic covers, except in VERY limited instances, look cheap and unprofessional. If your book is about a real person, and you have a picture of that real person, fine. If your book is about a real place or historical event, and you have a photo the depicts it well... fine. If your book is fiction about CIA agents, and you use a stock photo of a guy in sunglasses, with a buzz cut, in a black suit and an earpiece, looking menacing... you lost my interest immediately.


Ouch! No offense taken because we're all entitled to our opinion. The reason I found a stock photo and modified it to suit my cover is because I wanted my heroine to be depicted as real (not a supermodel, but girl-next-door) and I'm afraid that most artistic renderings of women are over-the-top gorgeous. I didn't want to depict Genesis that way. And trust me, my wife and I scoured deviantART for days finding the right girl (she didn't have to have a perfect body or face [for the record, PhotoStockMarket just happened to have both!]). I consider myself very fortunate that the model agreed to my using her picture on my book and that I didn't have to design my own from scratch.

Also, even though my book is about time-travel and there are some fantastic elements in it, the focus of the book is on the characters who I wanted to portray as real. Anyway, that was my logic behind the choice.

EDIT: Okay, after reading ALL the posts, I just have to ask - is MY cover THAT bad?!


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## navythriller (Mar 11, 2011)

ilyria_moon said:


> Haha I would have, too


I think I read it when I was about 18. I'd love to read it again, but used copies seem to be going for about $120.00. I didn't like it that much. But I _do_ love the title.


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## navythriller (Mar 11, 2011)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> Personally, cover art matters a lot to me in whether I notice a book, so I worked hard to get good cover art for my book. I searched for a good artist I could afford and spent what I had to.


I think you got your money's worth, David. Your cover is excellent.


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2011)

Cover does influence me in buying a book, but not as much as it used to. Online I sometimes turn images off for faster browsing, and in my local the books are often spine out, so you don't see the cover until after the author's name and title.

I prefer illustrated covers to photos, but a bookstore owner I was talking to said that books with photo covers sell better than illustrated covers, particularly for YA. The local Waterstones team agreed. I don't know if that's because the genres that sell best tend to have photo covers, rather than because of the covers themselves.


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

Z.D. Robinson said:


> EDIT: Okay, after reading ALL the posts, I just have to ask - is MY cover THAT bad?!


Well, IMHO the color of the title is poorly chosen, it is too similar to the skin tone of the woman, so while I THINK the title is "The Great Altruist" I'm not really sure. Sure, the normal sized version is probably legible, but the thumbnail is not.

As for the art, I see the backside of a topless woman. So right there I'm putting it in the romance category, the green nimbus around her is either artistic or implying magic, which would shift it to paranormal romance. But I get no hint of danger, adventure, time period or anything, which leaves me with a contemporary setting and suggests that the story is about a lonely woman, possibly scorned in love. So if that is what your story is about, GREAT! But if it is actually about a globe trotting philantropist from the 1930's searching for a lost love while selflessly helping others to atone for past sins, then the cover isn't helping you much.


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## LaraLouise (Mar 12, 2011)

I've been experimenting with cover art on my romance novels and the one with a person, TROUBLE - 3-D, is about neck in neck with SABRINA SAYS, which has a desert setting and a woman's red high heels, with "Dear Lonesome Cowboy" very lightly written inside one shoe.  The worst selling one had Native American art on the cover and it's now redone with a silhouette of a couple kissing over a Nevada desert.  Since it's a romance about two doctors in Carson City, that better suggests the content.  Of course, you have to have a graphic artist in the family or be willing to spend days wallowing through Photoshop to create a cover!


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2011)

jason10mm said:


> Well, IMHO the color of the title is poorly chosen, it is too similar to the skin tone of the woman, so while I THINK the title is "The Great Altruist" I'm not really sure. Sure, the normal sized version is probably legible, but the thumbnail is not.
> 
> As for the art, I see the backside of a topless woman. So right there I'm putting it in the romance category, the green nimbus around her is either artistic or implying magic, which would shift it to paranormal romance. But I get no hint of danger, adventure, time period or anything, which leaves me with a contemporary setting and suggests that the story is about a lonely woman, possibly scorned in love. So if that is what your story is about, GREAT! But if it is actually about a globe trotting philantropist from the 1930's searching for a lost love while selflessly helping others to atone for past sins, then the cover isn't helping you much.


Wow! Thanks a lot for being so truthful. Honestly, this isn't the first time I've heard this complaint. I just thought the people were joking or teasing. Another user (gatehouseauthor) was kind enough to offer similar criticism. I am currently working in earnest to choose a different direction for the cover. The backside of a topless woman will remain (because the main character is always naked) but there needs to be more sci-fi elements, or at least something that evokes the thought of time-travel. I'm just not adding clocks anywhere!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Folks:  just a reminder that this thread is in the Book CORNER -- self-promotion is not allowed and this thread shouldn't be used for cover critiques of your own books -- that's a good topic of conversation in the Writer's Cafe -- in fact there are a bunch of threads like that already.  Further posts about your own covers will be removed -- and a few previous posts may be deleted as well.

Thanks,

Ann
KB Moderator


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## Lynn Mixon (Jan 2, 2011)

The cover and title are really important in hooking me as a reader. If they don't snag me, I'll never see the description of the book. Yes, I suppose I do judge a book by its cover. And title, too.


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## tituspowell (Dec 29, 2010)

ilyria_moon said:


> I would have thought the eating utensil in the image made it clear I'm not referring to anything sexual.


It's been fun scanning the book cover thumbnails in this thread. Some are good, some less appealing. I think yours is probably the best, Ilyria, just because it has so much impact. I do think it has sexual overtones but not excessively so.

Another one in this thread, I think Dara England's "Accomplished in Murder" also works really well.

So perhaps cropped faces is the answer!


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

I dunno, I thought the "Swallow" cover art is insanely sexually explicit, to the point I thought the book was erotica.

For example, the fork is pointing straight at a womans mouth. Pretty suggestive of fellatio. The woman herself is objectified as just her mouth is shown and she appears to be topless at least. The title, "Swallow" reinforces the fellatio impression and the title color and font, as well as placement across the lower half of the book (covering the womans chest) screams of a pearl necklace.

Maybe it is just me? 

If the book is about a struggling chef and her aspirations of getting the Palme D'or and has no sexual content then that cover is WAY misleading!


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

RuthMadison said:


> I'm ashamed to say, I judge books on their covers. No matter how much people tell you not to do that, you can't help it. What appeals to me in a cover is an interesting title, and a simple cover. I tend not to like people on the covers.


I do the same thing. No shame in our vision-centered aesthetics!


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## pj sharon (Jul 4, 2011)

One of the many reasons I decided to indie-publish was to have creative control not only of content, but cover art. I write contemporary YA and I studied what others in the genre did and noticed the trend of showing faces on covers. It also happens to be my personal preference as well, since I've been known to stop reading at least a few times to go back and look at the cover to see if the description of the character matches the image on the cover. With most traditionally published books it's hit or miss--usually miss--and I admit that it annoys me. I don't know if the art department doesn't read the book or as was mentioned above, that the marketing department simply has a different vision for what will sell. I chose the particular stock photo for my book because the expression in the girl's eyes captivated me and left me asking the big story question...What has happened to put that look in her eyes? I knew when I saw her that she was the perfect image of my character and that her expression tells the story. I've gotten great feed back, but that's not to say I will do the same kind of thing with the next book. Over all, I think it depends on many factors--genre, story content, and artistic interpretation. I like to think that avid readers will overlook a dull cover if the book has been highly recommended. I'd hate to think I would have missed out on Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series because the book covers didn't grab me.


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## Scribejohn (Jul 2, 2011)

I've generally been happy with the cover-art on my books. There was a phase when the publishers went for misty field or wood-land backgrounds in Helen Mankell style (because one of my thrillers was set in France), but then later they went for a more dynamic cover somewhere between Dan Brown and SAW.

I remember an early cover artist I had for two books published in the 80s (yes, these are yet to appear on Kindle), the artist drew in such a life-like way that it could hardly be told from a photograph. His background was in doing mainly phantasy and science fiction covers, but he was so versatile and brilliant that he could give a cover life-like photographic quaility.  

Obviously as you walk in a book shop, the cover needs to be reasonably striking to stand out from the sea of other books. Then to boils down to whether the subject appeals and the blurb grabs you.


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## amandamay83 (Apr 11, 2011)

I admit (with reluctance and embarrassment) that I judge books by their covers.  A lot of my reluctance to read indie books is because of the cover.  So often they're incredibly cheesy; I assume (perhaps erroneously) that if the cover is cheesy and cheap looking, that the book is probablly cheesy and poorly written.  

I can't say that I've ever read a book soley because of the cover, though.  The cover entices me to read the blurb, from which I then decide if I want to read it.  But if the cover is crap, I won't even read the description.


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## tituspowell (Dec 29, 2010)

I went to an interesting talk a few months back by an indie author (can't remember his name) who made a really good point:

Not only is the cover crucial but it must work just as well as a thumbnail sized image. It's no good having a beautiful, complicated cover that looks great full size but is unclear in the thumbnail version. The lettering of many titles on this site I've noticed can't even be read in thumbnail size.


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## gatehouseauthor (Apr 22, 2011)

tituspowell said:


> I went to an interesting talk a few months back by an indie author (can't remember his name) who made a really good point:
> 
> Not only is the cover crucial but it must work just as well as a thumbnail sized image. It's no good having a beautiful, complicated cover that looks great full size but is unclear in the thumbnail version. The lettering of many titles on this site I've noticed can't even be read in thumbnail size.


That's true, and it's a good point. The only caveat is, if it doesn't work at the size of the signature links here, it may still work well at the thumbnail size that Amazon uses on the sales page. So, and I mention this after taking off my author hat and replacing it with the reader hat, make sure you also have the name of your book and the author name in text in your sig! It makes life a little easier for those of us who like to click on sig links if we like the look of the cover art.


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## Nancy Fulda (Apr 24, 2011)

amandamay83 said:


> I admit (with reluctance and embarrassment) that I judge books by their covers.


And I'm going to admit it _without_ embarrassment. I visit a lot of author web sites, and some covers just scream "Click me!" I won't buy a book based on the cover image, but a rocking cover will guarantee that I'll at least read the product description.


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## Evan Couzens (Jul 18, 2011)

For me, the title of a book is more noticeable than the cover when I'm looking for something online, partly because I think a lot of detail is lost in a thumbnail image. In an actual bookstore, a great cover helps a book stand out from the rest of the shelf, but I think a catchy title and a crisp, simple cover gets my attention more with ebooks.


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## John Dorian (Jul 23, 2011)

I find myself very influenced by cover art, although I must say I prefer nice, deep colors. The deep blues or wine colors you'd expect to find in velvet, and a nice forest green always draws my eye.

Just simple, attractive color scheme and a cool design. No real need for flashy pictures here.


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## tsharp (Jul 14, 2011)

I think the cover has a massive influence on the potential buyer of the book. Quite often it has a style and theme that denotes the genre, helping the reader decide if it's the kind of book they'd read. 

Poorly conceived or executed cover art is a massive turn off I think, and like it or not we make a massive judgement call on the cover of a book. If this wasnt't true, all books would have blank covers with just the title on them.

As for choice of title, I think this is a little less subjective, as readers will buy/read the book based on the cover and pitch and reviews more than anything.


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## lauragill (Jul 22, 2011)

For my books, I would prefer to use actual Mycenaean or Minoan art, and actually did manage to find a wonderful stock image for my first book, but the selection is very limited.  I know what feeling I am looking for, and just know inside when I find something that will work.

Titles, however.  I can really suck at that.


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## dltanner99 (Sep 9, 2010)

With the reinvention of pulp in the digital age with eBooks, cover art is becoming as unimportant as in the 1930's, when anyone could write and submit a story. It doesn't mean you will be successful, but that is the case in which great cover art could help - when the reader really doesn't know what's inside. I am thrilled that Bob Mayer has had such rocket fire success in 2011, but he was already a well-known commodity before he began. His covers are fairly stock-driven in image and font, but readers already know what they'll get with him. If you are new, unknown or looking to make an extra impact, by all means go and get yourself a cover artist. I've done work for some of the authors here, as well as my own books and even larger publishing houses. If at all possible, try to avoid being cookie cutter. If you are, you won't be letting your potential readers know that you have anything else different to offer.


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## kellymcclymer (Apr 22, 2010)

I react very viscerally to book covers. Some can make me buy the book on impulse (but usually I'll look to see the story premise first). I reacted to a new cover on Marsha Canham's ebook Swept Away -- so much so that I asked her to blog about it. She obliged by discussing her personal journey through covers (including a book with a bad cover that actually tanked sales). She's gone from a bestseller with no control over cover design to a bestselling indie who designs her own covers.

_--- edited... no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## Joseph_Evans (Jul 24, 2011)

The fantastic thing about self publishing for the Kindle is that you have full control over your cover art. I spent a lot of time perfecting mine and I'm hoping it'll now make people click on it, even just to read the blurb or try the sample chapters for free.


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

amandamay83 said:


> I admit (with reluctance and embarrassment) that I judge books by their covers. A lot of my reluctance to read indie books is because of the cover. So often they're incredibly cheesy; I assume (perhaps erroneously) that if the cover is cheesy and cheap looking, that the book is probablly cheesy and poorly written.


I was put off an Indie book I'd heard loads of good things about, because of the cover, but the good comments kept coming. I had a look and it had a huge number of 5 star reviews that seemed genuine (no one can have that many friends prepared to prostitute themselves!) and so I bought it despite the cover. The book was GREAT...shame about the cover.


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## tsharp (Jul 14, 2011)

Grace Elliot said:


> I was put off an Indie book I'd heard loads of good things about, because of the cover, but the good comments kept coming. I had a look and it had a huge number of 5 star reviews that seemed genuine (no one can have that many friends prepared to prostitute themselves!) and so I bought it despite the cover. The book was GREAT...shame about the cover.


Yours is a great cover, btw...


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## leadbelly (Aug 27, 2011)

If you take a gander at The Book Cover Archive http://bookcoverarchive.com/ one thing you may notice about the majority of the covers there is there use of good typography. That, IMO, is one of the overwhelming problems with book covers today (particularly self-published books). It takes a really good eye to use fonts and type in a pleasing manor. Another thing I often see is overuse of drop shadows, inner shadows, outer glows, etc. Overusing those kinds of effects on poorly designed typography just makes it that much worse.

I would venture that people often forget that the most important thing about their cover isn't really the cover art (unless it's sci-fi/fantasy) but the title. The rest of the design, IMO, is to help the title stand out.

As far as the importance of cover design for me, as a designer, I will ignore books (even ebooks) that have poorly designed covers. As an amateur writer that's never been published, if I actually wrote something that was publishable, I would save money, if I had to, to hire a decent designer to create my cover art. I know what goes into crafting a well-written book and stopping at allowing that book to have a rockin' cover does that book a disservice. Just because you may have Photoshop (Elements) and the fonts installed on your machine and the ability to purchase stock photos doesn't mean you have the talent to put all those things together in a pleasing way. Hell, sometimes I'll redesign covers for my iPad/iPhone because I don't want truly awful covers showing in my collection.


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2011)

I never judge a book by its cover. Sure, some covers are more appealing to me -- or may capture my interest more -- than others, but I would be remiss to discredit an entire novel just because its cover "didn't do it for me." Far more valuable is a well-written blurb, sample (if available), and an insightful review.


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## RuthCardello (Jul 10, 2011)

I choose books by their titles and blurbs more than their covers....but the covers tell me if I'm looking at a genre I'm interested in.  I'm a romance reader.  Good covers help guide me to the sensuality level I'm looking for that day.


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## lisarusczyk (Jan 16, 2011)

I love fantasy covers. When I read the Dragonlance books as a kid, I'd often flip to the covers and look at the characters drawn there. I enjoy covers that are art, not photos, and depict a scene from the book.

Also, the Harry Potter books have to be some of the best covers I've ever seen. I can remember the moment I saw the first one and was like, WOW!


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## ToniD (May 3, 2011)

If I'm browsing, a visually arresting cover will make me stop for a second look. This is true even if the cover suggests a book not in a genre I prefer. I'm unlikely to go further with a genre I don't much care for, but at that point, I'll at least pause and consider. 

In genres I do like, a cover that grabs me will likely get me on to the next steps...reading the blurb, and then perhaps the sample. 

I'll do the same with titles. Although I'm less likely to have my head turned by a title for a book in a non-preferred genre.


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## SheenahFreitas (Oct 7, 2011)

I love book covers. As a reader they're the vital element that makes me want to pick up a book and find out more about it. And I admit, sometimes I buy a book just because I know that cover would look amazing on my shelf. Luckily, I've enjoyed every book I've bought on a whim.


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## subtle_knife (Mar 17, 2011)

Good cover art is important. I guess it's the difference between a book looking professional and a book looking unprofessional. Saying that, Catch-22 would be an incredible book with a turnip on the front, so it's not as important as writing a story that's going to hook people and keep them hooked!


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## TerryS (Mar 29, 2011)

I'm usually drawn to artwork and title before anything else. Being a lover of anime, I cannot help myself.


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## Amera (May 22, 2011)

I love a good piece of original illustration on a cover, especially for fantasy and sci-fi novels. You can draw a lot about the world and the characters from one picture.


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## Thomas D. Taylor (Oct 12, 2011)

trip said:


> I have asked a couple of authors, how much imput they had in cover art, and, was surprised to hear really none. Wonder if the title is the authors choice, or if that too, is left to the publishing house.


I did my own cover art for the latest novel primarily because I don't like it when the cover art doesn't reflect something that is happening in the book.

With this one, the reader can download the book and safely know that they will see what I have drawn if they read the book all the way through.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Part of the original question was, how much influence does an author have when it comes to choosing a cover for his/her novel? If you're with one of the big houses, the general answer is pretty well none, and in one case -- when I was with Pan books -- my latest novel wound up with a truly awful cover I am still angry about years later. But the better indy presses are much better this way ... Dark Regions, who have published several of my collections and my latest Raine's Landing novel, always show me the artwork that they have commissioned and ask for my opinion.


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