POSTED BY: AMBER ANGEL
There are as many answers to what makes a good cover as there are answers to the question, "What makes a good book?" Every reader has a different idea about this. And, many times, authors have little or no say in the design of their covers.
With that said, I'll offer my opinions of what makes a good cover.
As a graphic artist, I design and look for certain things in a cover:
--Can you tell by looking at the cover what the story is about?
--Are the title of the book and author's name clear and readable?
--Does the cover look professionally done?
With the growth of electronic books and selling books on the Internet, covers also have to look good and be readable at a small size: about an inch wide and an inch and a half tall. Covers with a lot of detail that might look wonderful on a printed book that's five or six inches wide can look like a murky mush when reduced to an inch wide. Also, if there's not good contrast between the letters and the background, the title and author's name might be totally unreadable at those small sizes. Oh yeah, and don't forget your itty-bitty cover still has to show what the story is about. For me, simple is better when designing book covers to sell on the Internet.
As a reader, I have a different perspective when selecting books by their covers. Some covers may be beautiful or unusual and catch my eye. But when I read the back cover blurb, I realize the cover doesn't show the story at all. I'll paraphrase what a fellow reader and writer said: If your cover shows a bare chest or a seductively posed couple, readers expect a hot love story. If there's nary a kiss inside, they are going to remember this broken promise and perhaps be wary of buying any more of that author's books. (Again, please give that author some leeway as they might not have had much input on their cover design.)
As a reader, I also bring my own prejudices to buying books. I may not care for a certain type of book or not care for the writing style of a particular author. No matter how attractive and professionally done the cover is, I'm not going to buy that book. There are also certain styles of drawing that seem to be very popular, but register high on my "ick" meter. I'm probably not going to pick up that book. On the other hand, if I love an author's writing and they get a stinker cover, I'll buy the book anyway--and perhaps design them a different cover in my "spare" time.
I've also been known to buy a book because of a mischievous look on a cover model's face--seemingly at odds with his muscular biceps. (The book carried through on the promise of the cover.) And any cover with cute animals will make me take a second look--those are my "sucker" covers.
Obviously, what makes a good cover is subjective. Do you have any types of covers that make you go "ick" or ones that will sucker you in every time?
As a writer I love to know about covers and editorial things. Thanks for the professional perspective.
ReplyDeleteI coordinate the Cover Cafe website which has sponsored an online Romance cover contest for the past ten years. What has been a consistent requirement over the years is the reader's yearning for quality, accuracy to the inside story, and a unique, fresh take on covers.
ReplyDeleteThere are always trends but they soon become overused and then a publisher's art department will create a fresh approach and create the next trend.
Outside of those requirements, readers have to agree to disagree on what type of cover is their favorite. Our committee has 25 members, who throughout the year, reduce the nominated covers down to 10 finalists in six categories The finalists are voted on by the public every spring. The finalists are always a consensus and the committee never agrees across the board.
Check out the website to view previous contest results at www.covercafe.com.
Linnae
Cover Cafe Coordinator
I dislike the yaoi style -- the Japanese anime cartoonish covers. I would never even pick up a book with that kind of cover, it wouldn't matter what was on the inside. I'm also getting a little tired of all the yards of bare flesh the m/m erotica favors, but those I would at least still select.
ReplyDeleteOver all I think I prefer covers that have some sense of the place the book occurs in, rather than human figures.
Having books of different genres and covers both with and without people, I have to say my cover with my horse on it was the one that attracted the readers attention the most. But I have a naked torso cover coming out in 2010 so we'll see how that plays out.
ReplyDeleteAs for my preference, I like a clean looking cover with or without naked bodies. Doesn't bother me as long as it is tasteful. I bought Christy Evans' book about the feamle plumber who finds mysteries, becasue of the premise, the dog on the cover, and I know Christy. It takes more than a cover to get me to buy a book.
Fun post!
Hi, Elaine! Glad you stopped by. Are you published or yet-to-be-published? Do you have a say in your covers?
ReplyDeleteLike you, I'm always interested in others' perspectives of covers and what goes into getting a book in the hands of readers.
Hi, Linnae! Thanks for stopping by and and reminding us to stop by the Cover Cafe Web site. I got seriously sidetracked for awhile!
ReplyDelete"The committee never agrees across the board..." When I was working with a team of graphic artists, this was so true. We all had our opinions on projects. What one designer loved sometimes made another go "ew!"
Nice to have so many choices!
Hi, P.A.! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your opinions on covers. I'm kind of a split personality on the cartoon covers. Some I really like and others not so much. You're right--the style of the cartoon does make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that styles can become overused. I'll venture to say the "clinch" covers got to that point. However, I remember a historical cover that had a graphic of the setting (a castle) on the front and a lush "clinch" of the hero/heroine on the back that caught my eye. It was different and the artwork was very well done. So even just a slight variation can make a cover look fresh.
Hi, Paty! Thanks for stopping by. I remember you talking about how popular your horse cover was--but I like all the covers of that series.
ReplyDeleteI also think the Christy Evans' cover with the dog is cute. I know the author too and think the concept of the series sounds like a lot of fun, so this is a book that would sell me, even though there's a lot of detail that doesn't show up very clearly when the cover is reduced to an inch wide on Amazon.com. A case of the reader in me over-riding the graphic designer. :)