N.R. WALKER ~ GUEST POST ~ FIRST IMPRESSIONS LAST

This month I want to talk about the importance of first impressions. More specifically, I want to talk about the importance of book covers, and why the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ doesn’t necessarily apply to books.

With most consumers of any product, not just books, you have one chance to get it right. I’m not talking about the purchasing experience, or the product enjoyment, I’m talking about catching the eye of a consumer who might otherwise not notice you. What makes a consumer stop, take a moment to look over a product, and appeal to them? What makes them give pause to think ‘I want to know more’ and maybe check out the blurb, or other readers’ reviews, or perhaps the author’s page or website.

Book covers are critically important.

You have one chance to get it right the first time.

In my opinion—and it’s taken me years to get here—in the book writing industry, there are a few things you should never gloss over. And it might seem obvious to some or most people, but it really does need saying again. Two of the most important things are editing, and cover art.

But I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The most amazing book covers don’t have to be expensive. Sure, you can pay hundreds or even thousands for a cover if you want. But you certainly don’t have to.

Seek out pre-made book cover sites and you’ll be surprised by what you find. Seriously, a quick Google search and you’ll fall down a rabbit hole of pre-made treasures. I’ve paid as little as $20 for a book cover. I’m not even kidding. And guess what? It won a cover award. Or that might have been the one that cost me $35. But you get my point. Cover art doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. Here are just some of the covers I’ve used recently that were bought as pre-made ebook covers, and the most expensive cost me $65.

But I certainly do recommend you get your covers done by a professional. Unless you’ve spent hours playing with photoshop and are an absolute wiz at it.

Covers must do the following:

Represent the story inside.
Be eye-catching.
Show the consumer the quality of the book they’re buying.

If your cover isn’t as great as it should be, you’re telling a consumer the book inside isn’t as great as it could be either. If you can’t be bothered with the cover art, you’re telling the consumer you didn’t really bother with the story too much either. If you have a cover that looks like ALLLLLL the other covers, you’re telling the consumer your story inside is just like ALLLLLL the other books.

So, what do you do if you’ve got a book, you’ve paid for editing/proofing/formatting and it’s left you without funds for a cover?

My suggestion is to wait.

I know, I know. You want it OUT RIGHT NOW!!!

But believe me… you get one chance to make a first impression.

Also, in the LGBT book community, there a bunch of super talented cover artists who work pretty damn cheap. Ask around. Ask for recommendations. Ask for websites. I’m not going to give a whole bunch of cover artists sites who I’m friends with, because I’m likely to miss someone and offend them. (If you want, come chat with me on FB and I’ll hit you up with all their links) But right now, what I will give you is a link to a site who has AWESOME covers right now for $30.

Yes, thirty dollars.

That’s for the ebook cover, paperbacks are more but that goes without saying. His name is James and he’s not “in” in the M/M book community (as such) though he does have some fabulous LGBT premade covers. Check him out. Tell him I sent you. 😉 You can find him at Go On Write

And good luck!! Searching for cover art is my favourite procrastination go-to and I could spend hours looking. LOL Just remember, cover art is suuuuuper important – but it doesn’t have to break the bank.

For more about N.R. Walker you can find her at:

Email:

nrwalker@nrwalker.net