One of the best parts of publishing my own work is getting to control things like cover art. I LOVE cover art. I think it is enormously important to the success of a book. Probably more important if the author is unknown, but even if the author is a known quantity, a good cover matters.
A bad cover — by which I mean — a clumsy, inept effort sends the message that this is the work of an amateur. Probably not worth your time or .99 cents. It never ceases to amaze me how many authors think their first attempt at using photo shop will be good enough for their treasured novel. These are people who forget that so much of our response to art — including a book cover — is instinctive and unconscious.
Even a competent cover that just doesn’t work for reasons that are entirely subjective can actually delay our purchase of a book we plan on buying.
Most covers are generic. The ubiquitous two male torsos locked in embrace is so generic as to be invisible. They do no harm, but they do no good. They are simply code for the content within. They advertise that the publisher or author cared enough to purchase a real cover. And that’s about it. Still, that’s something.
But a great cover? A cover that catches your eye and makes you wonder about the story between the pages? A cover that piques your curiosity, starts your imagination? That’s what we all want and hope for when we open that first cover concept file. More than an actual illustration of a scene from the book, we’re usually looking for something that captures the spirit, the mood, the theme, the tone.
Why am I talking so much about covers? Because I have a couple of projects coming up in April, and I’ve decided to do another of my ever-popular cover art contents — so here’s the head’s up!
I will be commissioning three different covers. I will be paying $75.00 a cover and of course there will be cover credit. All three works are historical. I don’t have all the final titles yet, but I’ll have them shortly. Though two of the collections are print, I only need the front image as though for ebook.
Here are the three projects:
1 – SLAY RIDE – A hardboiled Christmas short story set in the 1940s during World War 2. Based on a true and rather grim event in the western US.
2 – UNKNOWN – A collection of my historical novellas. The stories will include The Dark Farewell, Snowball in Hell, Out of the Blue, Slay Ride, and maybe This Rough Magic. So that offers several possibilities for the cover (and you can learn more about each title at my website where there are excerpts, etc.)
3 – SHOT IN THE DARK: 2 Novellas – The collection contains This Rough Magic and Ill Met by Moonlight.
Dimensions and details to follow on my blog next week, but start thinking because I plan on making my final picks around St. Paddy’s day.
Meantime, anyone feel like sharing thoughts on cover art or even give a shout out to some of your favorite covers?
Oooh!! Strong Hand is one of my faves. And of course CUTYS by Josh Lanyon.
Yes, that CUTYS remains one of my favorites!
Mingled Destinies of Crocodiles and Men by Eric Arvin. Intriguing cover that literally draws you in. Color, lighting, movement. A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore. Baby in a pram with death’s scythe. Color palette. But for You by Mary Calmes. Simple back, encompassing arm, hand with wedding ring, partial face. Who are they? Established relationship, protection from what? Comfort & commitment. Into this River I Drown by TJ Klune. It doesn’t get better than this.
Hmm. That’s a strong graphic on the Christopher Moore title. It gives me no real hint about what the book is about though, to be honest.
While I don’t care for the actual picture on the Arvin title, I do like the look, the mood, and the painting vibe.
IMO (please do not send death squad delta!)
Strong graphics catch the eye which is what a cover must do. Except for the people who don’t look at covers.
Disagree, the Christopher Moore cover is very telling, the kid IS Death. How do you parent That? (Points a finger, “Kitty!”) ; – )
Your original “The Hell You Say” cover is (no offense intended) waaay more eye catching than the present cover. Gotta snicker at that devil. Yes it’s silly, but I can still picture it in my head (and remember the Title!) The present cover is really dark and not memorable in any way. I know it was designed to give the AE set a cohesive look, but man are they boring. The only thing good is your name font. That succeeds (and is what’s remembered) especially on websites. (Branding)
I like Holmes and Moriarty All She Wrote better. At least you can see the potential conflict there.
New and old that grab:
Abigail Roux’s Cut and Run series have simple covers that work. Cohesive look but visually seperate.
The Rosie Project by Simsion
Lover at Last by JR Ward (hello sweety)
Lord of Opium by Farmer
The Da Vinci Code by Brown (Mona’s still reeling them in)
Covers are very important it’s amazing how many books I’ve had second thoughts about buying because of the covers.
Same here, Shirley. The fact is, EVERYONE judges a book by its cover. 🙂
There is this very popular style of cover where it looks like they posed two males in a SIMS game and took a screen shot to make a cover. I don’t know if someone has actually drawn them but those covers are so awful I have trouble buying the books even though I don’t see the covers on my Kindle Paperwhite.
Josh, your Cards on the Table cover absolutely embodies that story for me. My all-time favorite of yours. SJD Peterson’s, Plan B, with its black & white photo cover drew me in immediately. I really love b/w photo covers.
Jordan Castillo Price always seems to capture the mood and intrigue me with her covers. Posy Roberts North Star trilogy also had some amazing work. No neekid men were necessary.
I really hate not responding to every comment, but having to fill in all my info every time I want to comment is just…no. Not possible.
So let me just say that I am enjoying reading your comments! I appreciate them.
I think it is admirable that you still invest so much thoughts, work and money in the covers, because given the quality of the writing and the faithfulness of your followers you could sell your books with covers made out of brown paper.
And as you already know, you don’t have to answer 😉
Ciao
Antonella
I agree, the right cover can really make a difference on a book….I love the covers Lou Harper does (Haunted Heart & others), Kanaxa? does some amazing covers(as does JCP), Josh’s niece did a great job on BRB, I’m a fan of the Japanese covers for the AE series…I just really like variety! The contest sounds fun, even to just give a different perspective on something I may have not thought about before.
Cover art really influences my opinion of a book. I have several times passed up a book from an author with whom I’m not familiar just because i found the cover offputting for some reason. On the other hand, if you’re one of my faves I appreciate good covers but I’m buying the book anyway!
I once avoided a book by one of my favorite my authors for nearly a year because it was so repulsive to me. It totally looked like a book about statutory rape. Eventually I did read the book and it contained one of my favorite characters by her.
A big yay to all the projects! 🙂 Some of my favorite covers, the reason i like them is that they express the mood, the atmosphere of the story so well, or a glimpse into what the main character is going through: Haunted Heart: Winter, Come Unto These Yellow Sands, The Parting Glass, Adrien English (the JustJoshin ones), Strange Fortune, The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks (the one with the mansion), Stranger Things Have Happened, and Merry Christmas Darling (Holiday Codas). What i find a bit disconcerting is when a cover model that i associate strongly with a character, suddenly appears on another cover…
I absolutely agree with you – a book’s cover is its business card. It is what is going to attract the attention, even in a thumbnail, of your potential customer. Aaron in particular is a very compelling cover, not because of the model’s name, though that was a consideration, but because of his innate vulnerability.I love it when Sam sends me her latest masterpiece, the one with my name in a fancy font near the bottom. It’s the icing on a cake it took blood, sweat, and tears to make. 🙂
Nice post Josh and I agree with you about the importance of a good cover.
I will add, that one should make certain the content of the cover translates to the smaller size that a reader will view on their e-reader.
When a reader is choosing which book they will next read from their ebook collection, the wall of small sized covers on their e-reader is often pretty large – those that translate well, will stand out and often get picked first.
I will also add, that nothing is worst than taking the time to choose a book from your e-reader device, opening it and having no blurb at the front to help you remember why you purchased the book in the first place. Covers help sell books; a front blurb will get someone to read it.
Excellent post, as usual, Josh.
I totally agree that a professional book cover should convey the main theme and tone of the book, should evoke mood and atmosphere, while still being eye catching. IMO the most memorable and beautiful covers are those that either have natural landscape with little or no human element to it and portrayed in a certain light or in an interesting composition (The Dark Tide, Just Joshin’ edition, for example) or some objects/urban or architectural elements with or without human presence that suggest the main themes or one of the character’s job or hobby portrayed in a certain way to make the image unusual and original. In any case, I’m not fond of crowded images, with too many elements or contrasting colours. They’re distracting and don’t say much in the end. Better to stick to just a few, key elements.
I think you’re going in the right direction with all your covers of your self-published books (and audiobooks) so far. There is not a single one I dislike. But I particularly like the ones for the AE books, the one for I Spy Something Bloody, the one for Cards on the Table.
But I also loved the art cover for these books released through publishers, which have really stuck with me and added a lot to my enjoyment of the book: Snowball in Hell, Carina Books 2011 (the rugged, thoughtful, moody profile of the guy in the foreground and the road in the background are very evocative); Come Unto These Yellow Sands, Sahmain 2011.
For an anthology of historical novellas I wouldn’t mind a black & white cover with an interesting play of light and shadows, maybe with only the slightest hint of colour in a small part of the image.
All the best
Paola
Paola, I do love those new AE covers. Thank you.
I used to forever ask publishers for B&W but they would never do it. 😀 I think the cover for the print collection In Sunshine or in Shadow turned out really well.
Karen, I do like a really strong graphic, but for me I prefer a sense of what the book will be about. One reason my favorite covers are some of those old Dell mapbacks is because they are visually intriguing but they do instantly tell you MURDER MYSTERY and they always have clever elements of the plot. I think they’re brilliant.
Rdafan7, I do love variety in covers too — and it’s important because so many people do buy directly through my website. So they’re browsing my cover gallery, which means I do kind of have to think in terms of that overall display. That was not a factor when I first started writing. When I started out, my publishers were where readers looked for my work.
KC, that’s so funny and so true. There are certainly models I started out loving and now can’t stand to see on a book. They’re effectiveness has been ruined by over-exposure. 🙁
Another good though, JP. A cover does have to be designed with thumbnail in mind.
And Alexakira69, it is funny you should mention this because I was JUST thinking this the other day. How impossible it is after a time to remember what any book is unless I am very familiar with the author. Those front page blurbs are great!
Josh, your cover for “The Boy with the Painful Tattoo” is one that’s long intrigued me, that along with the title itself definitely have me itching to read it when it eventually comes out – No pressure or anything 😉 Another that made a great first impression was the cover for Alexis Hall’s “Iron & Velvet”, which immediately made me check it out & then click “buy”. I think it’s such a perfect fit for the story. Also, embarrassed to say, but I’m less inclined to read F/F than M/M, but the coolness factor of this cover made me so “gotta have this!” it over-rode that inclination: Good thing as I ending up loving the book!
FYI, agree on the annoying-ness of how these comments work! I had the above all typed out & all my contact info filled in, clicked away for a second to check something, & the whole dang thing disappeared so I had to start over. Think I actually like how I said the above better the 2nd time though
Thank you, Pam. That cover is by LC Chase. It’s one of my favorites too. Also the cover she did for Winter Kill. Two books that I do absolutely intend to have out this year! 🙂