One thing we have found in publishing is that it’s very important to have the best cover possible. It makes a massive difference in sales. As sad as it sounds, a bad cover can quite literally destroy a book’s chance in selling.
When looking at a cover it’s vital to look at:
- The current best-selling charts
- What is popular with that particular genre
- Trends in the market with colour, fonts and layouts
When we say that some authors do not know a good cover from a bad cover, we mean it in the nicest way possible – why would an author know? You have to be within the publishing industry to understand what sells, what does not and how to understand trends and the charts.
While we don’t think any respectable publisher would force an author to have a cover they didn’t want, it’s so important to listen to us when we offer suggestions and feedback. Remember that a publisher wants your book to sell, there is no other reason they would offer feedback.
In the past, publishers have found themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to explain to a submission or an author in production that their cover idea just isn’t what will work in the current market. There is a reason why we pay attention to hot spots in the market because they are what works!
When you’re in the cover process please remember your ABCs!
A). Artists do what they do best. Leave them to design it. We have a department just for making covers. Our graphics designers are some of the best in the business, let them do what they do best. Ideas are great, they need them, but please refrain from designing your own cover.
B). Best Sellers – Look what is actually selling! You’ll notice that most best-selling books have just one feature e.g. a bow, a ring or a background. Adding objects onto already existing objects can look very tacky. People on covers again tends to be off-putting in the market nowadays unless a person is already in the picture, never add a person into a scene that is not already there
C). Categories – Look what sells in your genre/ category. You will see huge trends. E.g. at the time of writing this, thrillers and crime are famous for having big bold texts, a landscape background and yellow or red colouring with dark themes.
Things to do:
- Choose ONE focus point. E.g. a chess pieces
- Go with a really great landscape background and just text. Studies have shown that the more ambiguous of a cover, the better it sells as it doesn’t place the book in a box. It’s open to many different readers
- Big bold text – Keep your title short and your text large
- Trending colours – see what the Pantone colour of the year is, or what colours are popular in your genre
- Please pay attention to your genre in the best-selling charts. It’s important to understand what is fashionable and what is very dated.
Things to avoid
- Multiple focus points. E.g. a character, a particular tree, an object.
- People on covers. Close-ups on faces are fine. But stay away from full bodies. Although we would always rather just have a good background and big font than any people, any day.
- Ageing fonts. They can look dated and off-putting
- Placing things on the cover. Unless it’s an illustration, keep to an original image. Don’t place objects/people onto already existing images
- Very bold colours – keep to neutrals or darker/lighter versions of colours. Especially If there is more than one colour on the cover.
- Obvious stock images – everyone will know they’re stock images. Try not to add cheese to the book.
Finally, if your publisher strongly recommends not going ahead with a cover. Please listen to them. If you’re not 100% on what your publisher has created, that is fine, brainstorming can easily happen, they can create more cover ideas and examples. But if your publishers recommend against it. Listen to them.
Think of it like going to your doctor, they recommend something and instead of listening to taking your heart medication that could really help your health, you don’t listen and it’s a downward spiral. If you listen to professionals usually listen to publishing professionals.