Cover me baby.

Judge me by my cover.

Most of us do it. Maybe not every time but, far too frequently. We walk through a book store and we stop and decide to read more about a book based on its cover. What attracts us varies by the genre we’re interested in, or the mood we’re in.

For me personally how a cover impacts me decides whether or not I’ll pick the book up and read the back. This means the book could be stellar but I’ll never know if the cover doesn’t rock my socks.

It may not be fair but people are visceral by nature. We react to what we see. What’s my point? As an author it means my covers need to be eye catching, intriguing with just enough mystery to make people want to know more.

As with any first attempt my very first covers were what might be generously called passable. They weren’t awful but they certainly were not anything close to what they should have been. Why were they only ok you ask? I made them myself. I assumed with my limited knowledge of photo editing I could do the work myself, save some bucks. If you have a background in graphic arts this might be true, or if you have the time and talent to dedicate to the art of cover creation then you will probably succeed. I however found that I am not one of those people. Thankfully lovely Ravenborn helped me update my covers very recently. Simple changes can make a huge difference. 

 

Everything for a Price

As you can see the before and after speaks for itself. The work Ravenborn did is clean, professional with an eye for what the public likes to see. It might not be your style of book or even something that would attract everyone. But, it’s certainly eye catching and a vast improvement over my attempt.

Why do I bring this up? Your work, your writing is your baby. You’ve put time and effort into creating something you’re proud of. Your cover should reflect this. Finding a good cover artist and even spending the money to have a truly professional cover made is worth it. You wouldn’t go to a job interview in sweats and a ratty tank top.

Your books cover is how it interviews the reader. The way you dress your book helps decide if it will be “hired”.

Of course there are many people who will buy a book regardless of cover, style or genre but on the whole we decide with our eyes first.

So create your work of art, let the words flow just make sure you have a cover that flows right along with the words.