A book needs a reader. Therefore the reader must be persuaded to read the book. If you are not there to hold the book aloft and extol its virtues, you must employ an ambassador to do so.
Enter the Cover.
The cover is the one single item which sells the book. It must be sufficiently striking amongst thousands of others to grab attention. It must be relevant to the content, telling the reader in a microsecond, which is all the attention span given, whether the book is worth a second glance. This second glance will result in either rejection - or turning to the back for more information. A little longer this time while the loglines, blurb and any reviews do their work, then you have either hooked your reader or you have not.
The importance of the cover cannot be over-emphasised.
Images, fonts, colours, placing, finishes, log lines and blurb all contribute to a successful cover. It is a marketing tool, the one on the front line, which conveys all the essential information about what the book is about and which readers it needs. Genre, setting, plot – all in that one split second. The cover holds your story above the bustling crowd and shouts out ‘Look at me!”
Golden Rule: A book worth writing requires a cover worth a design fee.
Years ago, my friend Bertie designed the cover for his first book. Here it is:
It disappeared into the depths of Amazon and sold no copies.
One design team later, and with a title change, it can now be seen in the Tweedlecoate portfolio. (The Incredible Blunders of Gondeshapur by Bertie Bundell)
