So, covers should be eye-catching, and consistent with a book’s promise and/or genre. That is, they should deliver “break-through” and “convey meaning.”  In my previous article, “Five ways to ‘SPARC’ Great Design,” I share these principles of book cover design: 

1. Simplicity breaks through, so don’t try to stuff everything onto the cover. Rather, focus! 
2. Prioritize your communications hierarchy.
3. Assess designs against the brief, not personal taste
4. Real-life: assess design in situ
5. Consistency, consistency, consistency

In case you missed that piece, here’s a link https://diymfa.com/community/book-cover-design.

Today, let’s take a look at some book cover trends from 2021. These covers are mainly sourced from “the best of 2021” lists, compiled by Kirkus, Goodreads, and other industry sources. The below designs illustrate trends, but can certainly be grouped in different ways. Note that this list isn’t meant to be exhaustive or used prescriptively.

With those caveats in mind, see if you’ve noticed any of these book cover trends:

1. Simple, yet Evocative

As digital book sales and ads continue to grow, there’s been a long-term trend towards simplicity to break through. This helps designs register at a glance or as a small thumbnail image. The below examples use bold, sans serif fonts with a color contrast that improve readability, especially in an online environment. At the same time, the imagery behind the bold titles are emotional or evocative. 

2. Jewel Tones

Another effect that can be seen layered with the bold fonts are jewel-toned colors. See how the rich patina of purple, blue, and magenta hues is paired with a high contrast font color to allow the titles to visually pop? These particular examples contain floral elements, which also played a big role in the cover of my novel, Goodbye, Orchid.

3. Abstract

In addition to the use of clean, bold fonts, another trend that can add distinctiveness is an abstract art background. This use of shapes and colors in unique combinations can create a one-of-a-kind look. At first glance, these designs may appear to be pure abstraction. However, as the cover draws you in, the reader starts to observe recognizable objects within the subtle images. For instance, notice the human eye shape in Detransition, Baby, and facial profiles in the Rorshach-like inkblot in The Push. These details add visual interest that can lead the reader to continue to study the design.

Geometric abstraction 

A sub-style of abstract designs are covers that use geometric, or hard-edged, shapes. Here are some examples:

4. Illustrated vs. Realistic vs. Graphical

When it comes to depicting people or objects on covers, there’s a decision point between illustrated, realistic or graphics images. Romance, in particular, has increasingly animated its characters (see Talia Hibbert, Emily Henry, Lucy Parker, and Farrah Rochon’s cover examples). 

Compare that generally lighter tone with the gravitas of the more realistic images from Namina Forma, Karin Tanabe and Fiona Davis’ books below.

Another treatment can be highly designed, ornate graphics. 

Review all the styles we’ve studied so far. What emotions do each evoke? How do they differ from one another? 

5. Special Topics: Monochrome, Retro

There are, of course, many more style routes that designers can choose. Let’s contemplate two final trends. First, a monochrome background with a contrasting color can be visually arresting. The below black-hued covers create an understated, somber tone. The generous use of negative (empty) space contributes to a feeling of gravitas. 

Monochrome can be another way to deliver the simplicity we discussed earlier. In these examples, the simple black and gold combination can effectively break-through in a sea of color:

One final special trend is the use of retro covers and fonts. These can be chosen deliberately to convey a certain feel to readers. For instance, Harlem Shuffle is set in the 1960’s, and The Final Revival of Opal & Nev takes place in the 1970’s, making the old-timey colors, fonts and images consistent with the stories’ setting. How do these make you feel versus the other types of covers?

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look through these book cover trends, spanning simple yet evocative, jewel tones, and abstract covers; the comparison of illustrated vs. realistic vs. graphical covers; and a peek into some special trends, including monochrome and retro covers.  

Remember, none of these book cover trends are “right” or “wrong.” Book cover assessment is more about the fit of the cover to convey the book’s promise to the reader, and as with all art, is highly subjective!

Tell us in the comments: What are your favorite book cover trends from 2021?

Carol Van Den Hende is the award-winning author of Goodbye, Orchid, a public speaker, and MBA with 20+ years’ experience in marketing, strategy and insights.. Carol is passionate about simplifying marketing concepts into actionable steps that authors need for publishing success. Please sign up for Carol’s newsletter at https://carolvandenhende.com/contact or linktr.ee/cvdh

The post #5onFri: Five Book Cover Trends from 2021 appeared first on DIY MFA.

Now that the series is complete, we’ve compiled all the posts right here. If you’re thinking about your book cover, Melinda’s series is an excellent resource and a great place to start.

1. In her Part One, Melinda broke down four reasons every writer needs to go the extra mile to get the perfect cover.
2. In Part Two, Melinda listed four steps to help you take off your writing hat and put on your marketing hat.
3. In Part Three, Melinda went through the specific expectations of readers of High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy and Romance.
4. In Part Four, Melinda went through the specific expectations of readers of Science Fiction, Mystery and Horror.
5. In Part Five, Melinda tackled Literary and Women’s Fiction, New Adult, Young Adult, Children’s Lit and Non-Fiction.
6. And in Part Six she wrapped it all up with a specific example from her own book cover.

In addition to serving as DIY MFA’s official shutterbug, Melinda also uses her artistic skills to design book covers — check out her website at bookcovercorner.com and her blog at melindavan.com. And for more articles about the publishing industry, check the Build Your Community section of DIY MFA. Part of the writing community is the publishing industry, and we’re committed to navigating it together!

The post The Amateur’s Guide a Professional Book Package Superpost appeared first on DIY MFA.

Can you pick out which covers belong to which genres (hint: Paranormal Romance in the upper left, Mystery in the bottom right)? Can you see how some blend two genres together? (Hint:  Deeply Odd, a blend of horror and mystery). The inner circle…can you tell that it’s vastly different from the outer one, and why? (Hint: Non Fiction and children’s lit look vastly different from everything else).

No doubt as you peruse these covers, some of them jump out at you and make you think “oooh, I’d like to read that.” Others probably leave you cold. If that’s happening, then the covers are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do…help you, the reader, make a decision based on a non spoken promise. Hopefully the story within lives up to that promise.

That’s It!

I hope this little guide has helped clarify what to look for as you navigate the publishing stream. Keep in mind, these are guidelines, not rules. And of course things change. 50 Shades of Gray broke every design rule for the genre, but it certainly didn’t stop them from selling. Far from it, the covers with one striking image that didn’t shout “sex” probably helped, rather than hurt. If you’re going to do something against the flow, it’s always helpful to know where the stream is actually flowing. And know exactly why you’re breaking the rule.

For example, on the cover for my debut novel Stronger Than Magic, I’ve chosen to bridge a gap between new adult and adult urban fantasy. Notice, I don’t show a girl on the cover, which is the norm for urban fantasy. I show a dramatic scene, and a symbol. Hopefully it promises drama, magic (from the symbol and the title) and a hint that it’s urban or modern, not high fantasy. And hopefully at the end of the day it does what it’s supposed to do: entice a potential reader to explore a bit further.

Remember, the cover is, first and foremost, a marketing piece. If you find that marketing tool is not working, try re-packaging the story with a new cover. Study the genre the story falls into. Steal like an artist: borrow from what works, and make it your own.

……………..

Melinda VanLone serves as DIY MFA’s official shutterbug. Melinda earned an MA in publishing from Syracuse University, which she applied toward years as a graphic artist/designer, a skill she uses today at www.bookcovercorner.com.

In addition to book cover design and photography, Melinda writes urban fantasy and blogs on her website melindavan.com. As an air force brat, she’s lived briefly in places all across the country, but currently resides in Rockville, MD with her wonderfully supportive husband and furbaby. When she’s not playing with imaginary friends in her fantasy worlds you can find her playing World of Warcraft, wandering through the streets with her camera, or hovered over coffee in Starbucks.

The post The Amateur’s Guide to a Professional Book Package: Part Six appeared first on DIY MFA.

Science Fiction

This genre includes several subsets for the purposes of cover design: “hard” and “soft” science, space opera, steampunk and dystopian.

In a hard science fiction the entire plot revolves around technical scientific details, rather than people (though obviously people, or aliens, are present). The cover promises the reader that the technical details of science are paramount. Covers for this type of story will reflect that with scenes featuring stars, planets, or alien looking environments or people. They often include throw-back headline fonts. Deep space colors (black, dark blues, dark orange or red) will be prominent. Titles are large, in your face, often outlined. Older covers featured drawn artwork, but these days photography is more prominent (probably for practical reasons as space photos were hard to come by in the olden days). Author names read clear and easily from a distance. The intended audience is male. unk, and dystopian being the main ones.

In “soft” science fiction, including space opera, the people (even if they’re aliens) and relationships take precedence over the science. “Soft” science fiction covers often have a lot in common with urban fantasy, in that a person (often female, not necessarily human) may be featured on the cover, but mixed with futuristic looking backgrounds rather than misty magical ones. Titles usually feature more classic, timeless fonts. Like urban fantasy, the author name is usually larger.

Dystopian stories fit here as well, and since they feature a cataclysmic decline in society in some way, often set in the future, the cover will reflect that. But the basic elements will still fit the speculative fiction rules. Maybe the buildings are crumbling, or the planet is exploding, but in general the overall tone is similar.

Steampunk is a new sub-genre, and unique in the combination of history and science fiction. The addition of these types of stories is why many prefer the term “speculative fiction” these days, rather than science fiction. Generally speaking, steampunk features steam powered machinery, in settings inspired by 19th Century civilizations. Gears and clockworks feature prominently in these stories, and on the covers. No other genre looks like this – a combination of Victorian era clothing and gears.  Colors are rich earth tones, dark blues, smokey grays, and sepia tones, all of which tells the reader this story is set in historical times. The gears and clockwork point to the science element. Whether the story is romantic at the core or mystery/thriller, the story is best served with a cover that reflects steampunk gears over anything else. The intended audience depends on the core story, and rules for other genres would apply here. Romance? A girl or couple on the cover. Mystery? A shadowy figure or shady background, etc. With gears.

Mystery

Mystery covers tend to split into two main subcategories: hard-core, or cozy. Cozy mysteries, for example Murder She Wrote, feature crime solving, but not a lot of blood or gore. Often with a dose of humor. Cozies sometimes feature artwork, rather than photography. They usually look fun, like a cartoon. Title fonts are whimsical, even the author name is fun. The promise here is a read that will NOT give you nightmares.

In contrast, a hard core mystery cover veers toward scenery, shadowy figures, dark colors. Maybe a dead body or a hint of blood, but more likely just a brooding scene. The promise? You’re going to find a dead body or two or three, and it might be decapitated, and for sure there’s going to be blood. And the mystery will involve things that are more intense or higher stakes. Titles are often more subdued. Author name is quite prominent and easily read, a focal point. More important than the artwork OR the title.

The intended audience is a bit murky with these covers. While cozy mysteries in general aim for a female audience, hard core mysteries  attempt to attract male and female readers equally, which is one reason for shadows and scenes rather than depicting the lead character.

Thriller

Thrillers are more intense than mysteries, and the cover should reflect that. Like all main genres, there are sub sets to consider. Legal, psychological, political – all will feature a slightly different background. All of them, however, generally feature photography over artwork,

and a sense of urgency. Usually if a person is pictured at all, they’re in shadow. Is it modern? A truck running down a shadow figure on the road will tell us that. Is it a historical thriller? Then I’d expect some old fashioned looking buildings or street signs or something to place me in the time period, along with blood or a dead body. Even the type helps sell the urgency by being large and in your face, maybe broken, disjointed, or some other font that screams high stakes and lots of action. The intended audience is slightly more male than female.

Horror

Take mystery and thriller covers and make them darker, with spooky looking fonts, and you have a horror. Horror is, after all, those things, intensified. There might be a ghost or other supernatural creature, but it’ll look mean. As with mysteries and thrillers any people shown will be shadowy rather than full faced, because what’s spookier than a shadowy figure chasing you down the highway? The promise? You’ll definitely have nightmares. Especially if it’s a psychological horror. That blood? It might just be yours . . .

Photography is featured prominently unless the story is historical in nature. The intended audience is a bit tricky and will depend on the story. If a couple is facing horror together, or romance is involved, then romance genre rules would apply, though with the addition of darker tones. If it’s more of a thriller, then the mystery/thriller rules would apply . . . again, with darker colors.

My next post will take a look at Literary and Women’s Lit, Humor, Children’s Lit, Young Adult, the conundrum of New Adult, and Non Fiction. If I haven’t specifically mentioned a genre you’re interested in, please leave a note in the comments and I’ll try to include it.

Until then, happy designing!

…………………………………………………………….

Melinda VanLone serves as DIY MFA’s official shutterbug. Melinda earned an MA in publishing from Syracuse University, which she applied toward years as a graphic artist/designer, a skill she uses today at www.bookcovercorner.com.

In addition to book cover design and photography, Melinda writes urban fantasy and blogs on her website melindavan.com. As an air force brat, she’s lived briefly in places all across the country, but currently resides in Rockville, MD with her wonderfully supportive husband and furbaby. When she’s not playing with imaginary friends in her fantasy worlds you can find her playing World of Warcraft, wandering through the streets with her camera, or hovered over coffee in Starbucks.

The post The Amateur’s Guide to a Professional Book Package: Part Four appeared first on DIY MFA.

By genre then, here’s the guidelines:

 Fantasy – Epic/High/Heroic/Sword and Sorcery

These fantasies tend to use artwork, either digital or hand drawn/painted (unless you’re lucky enough to have a movie made from your epic). This sub genre is the least likely to use modern, unadorned, photography. The lead character (often a man) is often front and center, usually with a sword or a horse, and some fantastical scenery behind him. Or he might have a dragon lurking just over his shoulder, or perhaps he’s facing the dragon, sword drawn, ready for battle.

If it’s a more involved high fantasy epic with multiple main players, it might feature just scenery, or scenery with some sort of icon. Something significant in the story, like a throne. The author name is large, and the title often uses a font that screams “fantasy”, with decorative elements. The overall tone is sweeping, grand, and heroic. The colors are typically extremely saturated, deep and rich. Manly. The typical audience they try to attract is male (don’t shoot me ladies – yes I know women read these too…I’m one of them).

By using these elements, the cover alerts the reader that here is a tale that will take them to distant lands, that there will be good vs. evil, a hero, possibly a heroine, war on a grand scale, and some magic. Probably an evil warlock or king, and definitely some sort of dark fantasy creatures to tangle with. It’s what fantasy readers are looking for, and they’ll gobble up such a cover with glee.

Urban/Contemporary Fantasy

A relatively new genre, urban fantasy mixes magic with our modern world. The stories tend to feature a female protagonist (not always but most often), and she’s usually on the cover in front of rich backgrounds full of gravestones or magic swirls. It’s most often photography, or very detailed digital art. Very rarely is it painted, watercolor or anything hand drawn. Usually the photography is slick, the girl is wearing leather or denim, and she’s often holding a weapon.

The author name is medium to large, the title uses decorative type fonts. The overall tone is dark, moody, with a sense of that something evil lurks just out of sight (or perhaps right behind her). The colors tend toward rich blues, blacks, grays, greens. Earthy, deep colors. The typical audience is female. As with epic fantasy, if the protagonist is not featured, a sweeping scene, often with a symbol or other artistic element, is included, especially if the age range tends toward New Adult.

When a reader sees this type of cover, he knows this is a story set in our modern world with a kick-ass heroine they’d love to know and perhaps fight side-by-side with.

 Paranormal Fantasy/Romance

Paranormal fantasy/romance slips into the cracks between urban fantasy and romance, and thus will have elements of both on the cover. Here, too, photography is featured instead of drawn artwork. Often, there’s a couple, possibly nearly naked. Or a man with a bare chest, or one woman in a suggestive pose, just like any other romance. The difference is, in paranormal most often there’s also a magical element included, and possibly fangs. A graveyard, perhaps. Maybe smoke. Or fire. Deep gray, blue, or green tones.  The title font is a bit cleaner, more classical than usual fantasy. The author name is often smaller, less noticeable, letting the artwork take precedence. The typical audience is female.

If those elements are not on the cover, the reader will pass on by. They’re looking for a love story and a fantasy escape, combined. If they don’t see it in the artwork they won’t believe it’s in the words.

Romance

Ah, love. You’ve seen the covers. Cheesy. They make you cringe when you pick up the book. You might even hide the cover from your friends. So why are the covers like that? Always with a man with giant arms and attitude, and a girl in skimpy clothes? Sometimes they are kissing or laying on a beach. Cheeeeeesy. But it works. The reader looking for a romance will pause at a cover of a good looking couple embracing. She’ll pick it up because the promise is there in front of her. Here is a love story, dig in! It might look like cheese to you, but to the reader it’s exactly the escape she’s looking for.

There are splits between historical and contemporary, but the basics remain. Historical will tend toward drawn artwork, though photography is not out of the question. If photography is used, it’ll have an effect that makes it look old-timey. Contemporary often uses less artwork, more real people, and sometimes splits the cover with the couple on half of it, a scene on the other half, especially if it’s a Harlequin. You’ll know at a glance what kind of couple is featured in the story, and where the story takes place. Colors tend to be lighter, brighter, often those associated with weddings. Flowery (unless it’s tending toward steamy). Sometimes a scene is used rather than people, but that’s more of an exception. Author names tend to be smaller, though not always. The title often feels like an after thought. Fonts are classic, timeless, serif in general, often thin. Primary audience is female.

Romance takes one more thing into consideration that other genres don’t. The relative “heat” level of the story should be evident in the cover. If this is a “sweet” romance, where sex is not described, often fading to black, then the cover will tend toward innocent looks, fully clothed people. If this is a “steamy” romance, most likely bare bodies grace the cover. Erotica of course is one step further, and isn’t really romance at all. For erotica, it’s all about the sex, less about a relationship and emotions. Those covers don’t leave a lot to the imagination, though there are notable exceptions.

Next time, we’ll look at mystery, thriller, horror and sci fi.

Melinda VanLone serves as DIY MFA’s official shutterbug. Melinda earned an MA in publishing from Syracuse University, which she applied toward years as a graphic artist/designer, a skill she uses today at www.bookcovercorner.com.

In addition to book cover design and photography, Melinda writes urban fantasy and blogs on her website melindavan.com. As an air force brat, she’s lived briefly in places all across the country, but currently resides in Rockville, MD with her wonderfully supportive husband and furbaby. When she’s not playing with imaginary friends in her fantasy worlds you can find her playing World of Warcraft, wandering through the streets with her camera, or hovered over coffee in Starbucks.

Email: melinda.van@gmail.com

Twitter: @melindavan

The post The Amateur’s Guide to a Professional Book Package: Part Three appeared first on DIY MFA.

Step One: Change Your Hat

Take off your author hat and put on a marketing one. Even if you hire someone to design for you, this step is vital. It’s no longer about your fantastic story. What you have is a product you need to sell. To do that, you need to wrap it in a way that potential buyers will respond and pick it up (or click a link). That’s the bottom line.

A professional designer understands that all too well. They’ll be looking for standard elements that will shout to the world that here is a story worth reading, remaining true to the genre, and keeping that promise to the reader that what looks like a mystery or romance or thriller is, in fact, what they promised. They can do this easier than you because it’s NOT their story. they aren’t emotionally attached to it.

So rip off that hat. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Not so easy, is it! I speak from experience when I say it’s very, very hard to take that author hat off. You know your story, and you have a vision in your head that nobody else can see. And you want that on the cover, even if you have no idea what, exactly, it is. That’s bad. Because the vision you have of your story doesn’t matter when it comes to marketing.

Harsh, but true. What matters in marketing is making the sale. Getting that click. So keep that in mind.

Step Two: Think

What genre is the best for marketing this product? As you think this through, remember what you set out to write might not be what you ended up with. That paranormal romance might have ended up more urban fantasy. Your mystery might have morphed into thriller, or vice versa. From a marketing perspective this decision is vital, so be critical. It’ll affect everything from the keywords you choose for meta data on Amazon to the cover design, because one genre does not equal another when it comes to design. Readers looking for mysteries get caught by different images than paranormal romance readers.

If you think you’ve crossed all genres and done the impossible Sci Fi Fantasy Mystery Thriller Historical Romance, I submit that you aren’t ready to sell the story. Ask others what genre they think the book is. Get it critiqued. No book is all things to all people, and if it’s trying to be it won’t be successful.  Now’s the time to be exclusive.

For instance, if you remove the romantic element of your story, does the plot still stand? Then it’s not a romance. Is there a ticking clock in your story? No? Then it’s not a thriller. Is it set in the future, or an alternate reality with heavy emphasis on science? No? Then it’s not a science fiction. Does it include magic or an alternate reality filled with unicorns? Yes? Fantasy! Bingo. Yes, there are sub-genres. But figure out the main one, and then boil down to the very exact point. So your story takes place in our modern day world, but it’s mixed with magic and includes fantastical creatures? Hello urban fantasy! Now that’s a genre! A specific, targeted segment of story that makes designing a cover much easier.

Step Three: Study

A trick for figuring out where you should go for cover design is to examine what’s already out there. Why re-invent the wheel? Now’s not the time to get all artsy fartsy (I say that with all due respect to artists, whom I envy). Now’s the time to be critical. You aren’t going to hang this cover in the Louvre. You’re going to post it on Amazon in a sea of other covers and hope someone notices it enough to click.

Think of the best selling authors who produce something similar to your product. Study their covers. What colors do they feature? What mood do they set? Which ones strike you the most and make YOU want to click? Study those in particular. How big is the author name, WHERE is the author name, how big is the title, what kind of font, what kind of image, what’s in the image specifically?

Keep looking. Do they have a person on the cover? Or do they feature scenery? Can you tell just by looking if the story is humorous? Does it hold true? (read the free preview in Amazon to find that out). Be cautious here, make sure you’re studying a best-selling author and not a book rocketing up the free page. While there’s great books on the free page, you want to study the things that are selling. You know, for actual money. You don’t want to be like the fly-by-night one hit wonder. You want to be like the career author. The one making an actual living from it.

After some time you’ll probably notice that a lot of them look pretty similar. You might even scoff at the cliches you’ll see. The scantily clad girl holding a sword in fantasy, the planets on the sci fi, the couple laying on a beach for the romances. Yes, cliche. Yes, somewhat cheesy. And yes, that’s exactly what you want. You want to be like them, because whether you think it’s great artwork or not the fact remains that they are selling. They’ve created a cover that promises the reader exactly what they deliver. People who love romance might not like that the covers always feature a couple smooching or rolling in sand or whatever, but they know beyond a doubt when they click that link that they are getting the romance story they are seeking.

That’s what the cover is supposed to do, and that’s how you’ll find success.

Step Four: Study More

Now that you’ve changed hats, determined the genre best for your product, and researched the competition, it’s time to learn about those cliches. Each genre features common elements that will help guide you when selecting artwork for your cover. Knowing about them takes the scary right out of the process. By limiting your playing field, you’ll find it much easier to face the task of selecting the perfect design.

Next post, I’ll examine the main genres to provide you with a guide of what to look for in your own cover.

Melinda VanLone serves as DIY MFA’s official shutterbug. Melinda earned an MA in publishing from Syracuse University, which she applied toward years as a graphic artist/designer, a skill she uses today at www.bookcovercorner.com.

In addition to book cover design and photography, Melinda writes urban fantasy and blogs on her website melindavan.com. As an air force brat, she’s lived briefly in places all across the country, but currently resides in Rockville, MD with her wonderfully supportive husband and furbaby. When she’s not playing with imaginary friends in her fantasy worlds you can find her playing World of Warcraft, wandering through the streets with her camera, or hovered over coffee in Starbucks.

Email: melinda.van@gmail.com

Twitter: @melindavan

The post The Amateur’s Guide to a Professional Book Package: Part Two appeared first on DIY MFA.

Wait. What about the cover?

In an effort to save money and time, did you skimp on the cover? I get it. Most authors understand words, not images. You’re probably thinking the cover isn’t really that big of a deal. The words are the important thing, right? Slap a title and a photo on it and call it good. After all, Amazon offers a do it yourself option. It should work fine, right?

Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on your definition of “fine” and your long term goals. But if one of those goals is to sell some books, there are a few facts that, while maybe hard to accept initially, will transform you from wary writer to seasoned pro.

1. Your Book is a Product

It’s time to take off your author hat, and put on your marketing hat. Shove your emotions into a drawer. You are now the proud owner of a Product, and that Product needs packaging. The fact is your readers, do judge your book, first and foremost, by the cover. Even those who say they don’t, do anyway. They can’t help it. The first thing they see when browsing, whether at a book store or on virtual shelves, is the tiny piece of artwork that represents your story.

Be honest — did you look at the image before you started reading?

The reason newspapers and magazines use so many photos is they understand the simple truth that people notice images first, and words second. Images, even bad ones, draw the eye. They entice, and beckon. Only when something has visually stopped the eye do people delve further into the words. Rarely does it work the other way around.

It’s a bit depressing, if you’re an author, to realize that pictures come first. But, looking at it another way, it’s empowering. It gives the Indie entrepreneur a powerful tool with which to launch your career. The cover matters. It matters more than the words once you cross that line from Author to Entrepreneur With A Product To Sell.

2. A Picture is Powerful

Fact is, your customer will never get to those awesome words you wrote if you don’t first catch their eye with an awesome cover and a great title. The book cover entices a potential reader to explore your world deeper, to linger with you awhile and, most importantly, to buy the book.

Heady stuff. Intimidating. Overwhelming. Powerful.

If you’re not a graphic designer, then the world of cover design probably looks mysterious and foreign. But like writing, every genre has rules about what works on the cover to entice readers the most. Used correctly, these hidden rules serve as your beacon of light through the murky waters. Violate those rules, and you might never catch those readers who would actually really love your book, if only they’d found it.

But wait. Rules suck. What about creativity?

It’s still there. It takes far more creativity to work within boundaries than it does to extend outside of them. You’ve already stayed within some boundaries when you wrote the book. Fantasy is a completely different story from Science Fiction, and vastly different from Romance or Mystery or Thriller. Sure, each can have elements of the other, but in the end there are some things that are expected. Romance? Happy ending please! Science Fiction? Future, science, gizmos, gadgets, flying cars, whatever. Mystery? There better be a dead body or something important missing. Why?

3. The Customer has Expectations

The cover of your book and the story within both make a promise to the reader. How well you fulfill that promise dictates how much they like your story. If they pick up your book expecting a mystery and end up with a romance they will not only be disappointed, they will probably be angry. Sometimes they’ll be angry enough to leave a nasty review someplace. They’ll tell their friends. They’ll never pick up another book from you because you can’t be trusted. You let them down.

Nobody wants to do that.

4. A Cover is a Promise

It absolutely must fit the genre your story falls into. Chafe against the boundaries, complain about them if you must. We all have. But now is the time to ask yourself a very important question. Why did you write this story? If you wrote it to fulfill your inner self, with no expectation of anyone else ever seeing it, then you don’t need to worry about the cover. Your goal has already been met, right?

If you wrote it in order to get those words into the hands of readers, to sell and maybe make enough money to pay a bill or two, then you must adhere to a few standards for the genre you wrote, in order to reach those readers. It’s something traditional publishers know all to well. Put the wrong cover on an urban fantasy and your target audience will never find it. They instinctively look for certain things on the cover to tell them that here is a story they will enjoy. Here is the genre they are interested in. If those things aren’t present they’ll skip right over it. No matter what the title is. No matter how awesome the words.

I’m speaking in generalities of course, and yes word of mouth helps a lot. But most budding authors don’t have a giant fan base waiting to spread the word of their next novel. So that cover icon is their most valuable asset to catching new readers.

In the next few posts, I’ll cover what readers of different genres look for when they search those icons on Amazon or Barnes and Noble, and why cliche isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It may actually be the very thing that leads you to success.

The post The Amateur’s Guide to a Professional Book Package, Part One appeared first on DIY MFA.