Thanks to Wendy at Fabulosity Reads for this great question: Are Book Covers that Important?
My answer to this question might surprise you… Nowadays, if
you’re an Indie author, I don’t think they are that important.
Wait! Wait! Don’t leave! Hear me out.
Yes, it’s important that you have a professional cover, that
it not look as though you cut out images from a magazine and pasted them on a
page with ‘comic sans’ font.
But let’s face it… if you’re here, you are a reader who
probably buys the majority of your books online or an Indie author who
publishes your books online. The days of looking beautiful on the front table
at Barnes & Noble are nonexistent for most of us, so that’s not what’s
going to sell your book. And isn't that what a great cover is supposed to do?
Look at the top twenty bestsellers on Amazon. What do you
see? Yes, there are a few newbies, but the majority of authors, who hold those
precious spots for more than a week or so at a time, aren’t there because of
their book covers. They’re there because of ‘branding’. And branding, my
friends, is more important than a half-naked hunky guy that you put on the
cover. In fact, if you look at the top twenty bestsellers, there isn’t one
half-naked couple on the front. Heck, even 50SOG didn’t do it. Did you notice
what they did, though? Did you know that book two was a sequel, book three…?
When J.D Robb, Dan Brown, and Nicholas Sparks publish a new novel, you know
immediately it’s them . Even if you’ve never read one of their books, if you are
in this market, you recognize their covers: BRANDING!
When I published my first five novels, I loved the covers.
The designs I’d thought up were perfect for each novel, and my designer was
able to pull the images right out of my head. But, I screwed up. No one knew the
books were connected, no one knew the genre simply by looking at them. Since I
redesigned my covers, my sales have quadrupled. No, the designs aren’t
prettier; in fact, they’re rather simple. But now when someone has read one of the books in The Southern Collection, they immediately recognize the other four books when Amazon emails them a special.
But, back to the beautiful ones… Yes, I do love beautiful
covers that paint a story without the reader even looking at the blurb. So when
I was ready to design the covers for the Creatus Series, I did both. All the covers
are scenes from the books, and I had my son design the Creatus seal and title,
so I could use it for all my promotional needs. Now, I’m branded, and I meet lovely readers like Wendy who
fell in love with my cover.
So, my advice… Yes, a beautiful cover is like icing on a
cake, but make sure the reader knows who created that delicious masterpiece.
Thank you for stopping by my place and reading my musings. Remember these are just my opinions and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section, and I promise you I will answer. If you’re curious about what I write, please visit one of my author pages, where you can read all about my novels and short stories. And hey, I’ll even give you a free book just for stopping by.
So how do you "brand" stand alone novels?
ReplyDeleteThat is a great question, Aneta! Obviously, at one point, I only had one novel. I used that image everywhere. It was my profile pic on Twitter, Facebook, and Google, so that every post I commented on, readers would see my cover.
DeleteMy suggestion is to know where you are going. Few authors plan to publish just one book. Nicholas Sparks, for example, doesn't write series, but you know it's his book. Work on branding your name so that the books match, so that readers will know it's you.
:)
This is great advice. As a new writer, I have learned the importance of a good cover and of creating a brand. I had not thought about merging the two. I had a plan for the cover of the novel (my first) I am working on. I am planning this book to be the first in a series. I'm glad I read this before completing the cover design. Thanks, Carmen.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's wonderful to hear. It'll save you time, money, and won't confuse the readers.
DeleteAnd thank you for taking the time to read the post. So many peep answer the question with a resounding, "Yes!" without reading the post or stopping at the first line. Yes, covers are important, but without branding....even if it's not a series...you're missing out.
Good luck, new friend. :)