Quote:
Originally Posted by DiapDealer
Of course I would get to reading the description. It's the single-most important thing for me to look at. Even the most fantastically well-done cover art is hardly ever indicative of the quality (let alone the nature) of the content of the book it adorns. It costs me nothing to divorce my appreciation (or lack thereof) of one from the other. I hate many of the covers of books I've loved over the years, and of the rest, the overwhelming majority are underwhelming to me. Least relevant part of a book in my opinion. Rather it wasn't there at all to be honest. I don't care how well singers can dance either. 
Besides ... I don't do very much random book-browsing anyway. Nine times out of ten, the author or the book came up in conversation somewhere.
Say what you will, but I believe word of mouth about solid content is going to drive more horses to water than pretty covers will. Nobody's ever going to "shiny bauble" their book into a hit, in my opinion, so keep it simple and direct your focus on the part of the book that will have the most impact on its success. |
Diap:
Y'know--and I've said this before here on MR, and other places--6+ years ago, I would have agreed with you. When someone originally told me that great covers sold books, I
laughed at that person. I was positively derisive, if my memory serves, saying something like "that's utter bosh, content sells books, not flashy covers." And you know what?
I was WRONG. Completely, utterly wrong.
Now, 5-6 years and 2500 books later, I can say, without blinking, that great covers absolutely DO sell books, and they sell them pretty damn skippy. A super cover will ABSOLUTELY move a mediocre book up in sales rank and up in sales. Far beyond anything it should have, by anyone's measure. Yes, the inverse is true: bad covers will KILL a great book.
I have real-live proof, even. I can't share it, publicly, but I can tell you this: we have a client with a series. Actually, several, but for the moment, one series, for this discussion. His/her (I'm going to say "his" hereafter) books are clearly identified: "Joe Jones Mystery 1," "Joe Jones Mystery 2," etc.
Now, I happen to be privy to his sales figures, and you'd think: if people liked his books, they would buy them all, right? Ummm, NO. He has one with a dark, somewhat unappealing, but not DREADFUL, cover. Simply an uninspired cover. And you know what? That book sells HALF of what the others do. HALF.
I know several clients--and I've read the books in question--that have very mediocre books. I don't mean, mediocre compared to Faulkner; I mean, mediocre compared to their own genre/group, etc. BUT, they had fabulous covers, and those books sell like little hotcakes.
So: sorry, but respectfully, in this I disagree with you. Book covers, in the digital, instant-gratification, buy-it-now-get-it-now age, are FAR FAR FAR more important than they were before (when we read blurbs, read the inside flap, etc.), and have a major impact on sales. What I said on my own website blog is accurate: Everything You Need to Know About Cover Design, You Can Learn in the Frozen Food Aisle of the Supermarket. Because people don't buy "TV Dinners" based on what's inside; they buy them based on who has the PRETTIEST picture ON THE BOX. Amazingly, the same is true of BOOKS.
That's my $.02, FWIW.
And this guy:
http://www.creativindie.com/8-cover-...-buying-books/ does a wonderful job dissecting what makes covers WORK. Best article I've read on the topic--and that's saying a LOT, because I have read many (articles on the same topic).
Hitch