Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Cover Story

Cover artist Zalantina Zareva 

We all know we aren't meant to judge a book by its cover.  I mean, really. The saying's used as a reminder not to base our opinions on outward appearances. But...

It happens all the time.

For example, check out these fun facts listed by Aaron Gouveia:

Tall people are paid more.

Overweight people less.

Blonds, gym addicts, women wearing makeup, 'attractive' people' all get more, unless you are female and VERY attractive. Then you can forget about being hired for the position traditionally held by men.

Bottom line; we humans judge books, and other things, by their covers and like it or not, we might as well use that trait to our advantage.

Cover art by Alexander Jannson
Which is what the marketing department in a publishing house is for. They decide what's trending in which genre and do everything they can to apply that to your book, without outright stealing the design.

Though apparently there is stealing at times.





Meanwhile, when it comes to Fantasy, unicorns on the cover are down, dragons up. Crowns and thrones going like hotcakes, stilettos not so much. 

Note: crown and castle double whammy!

In YA Romance, the girl in the dress is still a classic, though being replaced by crowns and thrones and castles/citadels.


The designs shift but the facts remain, the cover is the first thing that draws a reader to the book.

It also tells a story of its own, hopefully, one that correlates to the pages of the book!

And now, in the digital age, it has to look awesome when the size of a postage stamp as well.

For me, I'm all about the artistry of the cover, but that is so individual, it's near impossible for a marketing team to predict.

How about you? What draws you to pick, or click a cover?

Thoughts?

* * *

Kim Falconer's New YA Fantasy Series is out March 2020 - The Crown of Bones. (Writing under A.K. Wilder)
Also, check her urban fantasy  - 
The Blood in the Beginning - and Ava Sykes Novel and the SFF Quantum Enchantment Series

You can find Kim on TwitterFacebook and Instagram. Or pop over and throw the bones on the AKWilder.com site.

Contact at kimfalconer.com or akwilder.com

4 comments:

Mark said...

There’s a saying, “Every song is a song of love.” When the truth of this is grasped, it’s clear that the same applies to art. This is a fabulous cover - congrats to “Z”. 🙏🏻

billabong1502 said...

can't say that the cover art/design has ever had any impact/influence on whether I am buying a book/choosing a read or not... for me it's always the blurb - whether the storyline catches my attention and interest or not...

If we're looking at covers, it's more like the name of the book that catches my attention... the art I don't pay attention to at this point...
If I find a title intriguing, I pick up the book and read the blurb... from that point on it's either a "0" or a "1" (if we're talking binary codes)... ;-)

Kim Falconer said...

Hi Mark, I like that saying, and yes, a fabulous cover!

Thanks for commenting :)

Kim Falconer said...

billabong1502, I so appreciate that perspective. And the use of binary code. :)

Thanks for jumping in.