Do you judge a book by its cover?

by Kris

A few weeks ago, Red Room asked all of its published authors to post a short blog about a mistake they made when they were first published, so aspiring writers could learn from them. My reaction was: Where to begin? Would they regard a few hundred pages of mistakes as “short”?

I finally decided to limit it to the mistake that stuck most firmly into my craw, whatever part of my body that might be: That I didn’t object to the cover my former publisher designed for my first book, Revenge of the Gypsy Queen.

That book did okay despite the cover. It was nominated for three major mystery awards and won a smaller award. And while I loved the book, and most aspects of the new-author experience, I disliked the cover. I also dreaded the questions I got about it from booksellers and readers. The cover art my publisher chose was of a theatrical curtain opening. The rationale explained to me was that the curtain was opening on a new author. I thought the cover was supposed to reflect the action depicted in the story, not the author. So why didn’t I say that?

It wasn't even that easy to identify for what it was. One bookseller asked, “What's with these bars on the cover?” Well, I guess the folds of the curtain did look something like bars. As much as anything else.

That publisher did a good job overall with the layout and other production values. And they even sprang for embossed lettering, for which I’ll always be grateful. But the sight of that curtain made me cringe. I wish I'd had the nerve to speak up. But as a new author, I didn't think I had that right.

I must confess, however, that I probably could not have designed a better cover myself. Though I have some design abilities, that I bring to websites, I don’t have a good illustrator-type mind when it comes to cover art. Despite having been a lifelong voracious reader, a published author for a number of years, and a bookseller for a while now, I know a great cover when I see one and I know a bad cover, but I usually couldn’t come up with alternatives for those bad covers.

I even understand why a particular cover sometimes doesn’t work for a particular book, but might for another. For example, we have a personal growth book at our store called Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps: How We're Different and What to Do About It. A customer special ordered it from me after giving his copy away. Since he raved about it, I ordered a copy for the store as well. I’ve come to share his good opinion about this book. It deals with the natures of the male and female brains, and how that affects our behaviors, as well as how we can better understand and communicate with each other.

It has surprised me that the book doesn’t sell well for us. When I hand-sell it to a particular customer, they always thank me afterwards and share my opinion. But not many customers pick it up without a recommendation. The issue might be that so many people have already read it — it has been a bestseller in the past. My apologies to its authors and publisher, but I’ve come to the conclusion that this book suffers from publishing schizophrenia. It treats a serious subject in an intelligent way. Yet its cartoonish cover suggests a less-than-sensitive approach. The wrong cover — even if it’s not an outright bad one — sends the wrong message. How does this cover strike you? Would you pick it up?

I lucked out with my current publishers, Cherokee McGhee Publishing and Red Coyote Press.  They both sent my blatherings about my books onto their designers, and they captured the essences of my books. Here’s the new cover for Revenge of the Gypsy Queen. Quite a change from the “bars,” huh? Cherokee McGhee has designed equally great covers for the other books in the Tracy Eaton mystery series, Dem Bones’ Revenge and the forthcoming Revenge for Old Times’ Sake, capturing both the action of those mysteries, as well as the whimsy. You can take a gander at both of those covers by following those links to my website.

And here’s the cover for the first book in my new supernatural mystery-urban fantasy series, High Crimes on the Magical Plane. If I tried to design it, I hope I’d have captured an image of Samantha Brennan, my plump, fake psychic protagonist in some of her ditzy finery, but I doubt that I would have thought to couple her image with that of the fires that overtake Los Angeles at the peak of an inexplicable crime wave that brings the City of Angels to its knees. But I’m grateful that the designer portrayed those elements.

Published authors, how do you feel about your covers? Have you ever objected to one? Was it changed?

For those of you still awaiting publication, have you started thinking about your covers yet? Would you do a better job of visualizing yours?

Comments

[Sheila Connolly]

My publisher has done an outstanding job on all my bookcovers so far (knock on wood)--they reflect the details of the plot, and they're visually appealing.

A recent survey of booksellers suggests that most book buyers walk into a bookstore with no particular goal in mind, and pick up a book based on the way it looks. Kind of scary, no?

[krisneri]

They have done a good job on your covers, Sheila.

Based on what I see in my store, that survey holds up. The covers grab them first. If they like it, they read the blurb. Sometimes the interest continues, sometimes not. Really thorough readers take a stack of books, whose covers and blurbs attracted them, to a chair, and they read a bit of each of those books, usually ending up buying about half. I don't think anyone buys just because of the cover, but it is vitally important.

[Chris Adams]

Hi, interesting thoughts.
I'm a reader and i'm not sure the cover is that important.
I pick up the book because of the title.
Then i read the back.
If i'm still interested i read the first line.
If the title/synopsis/first line hold my attention i'll buy - if i have the asking price.
I'm not sure that authors should find that scary, i also buy books because of an authors name that i have enjoyed in the past.
I'll pick up a recommended book but then look at the title etc.
To a casual observer it would seem i was looking at the cover but it's the title that is the key.
Why men don't listen....I pick it up because the title is great, i don't buy it because when i read the synopsis i think - isnt this Men are from Mars, Women from Venus?
Maybe proving that i can't read as well as listen?

[Dana Cameron]

Kris,

Once I was talking to my editor about the covers of my books, which I've always loved. I asked who did it, and she said, it was Art. I asked if I could have Art's email to thank him, and she clarified (as I'm sure you've guessed) that it was the ART DEPARTMENT!

Nice post!

[krisneri]

Chris, thanks for sharing a reader's insights. Unfortunately, writers don't always choose their titles -- sometimes publishers change the ones we pick; hopefully, they choose better ones.

Why Men Don't Listen... is similar to the Mars-Venus idea, but deeper IMO. It resonated better with me anyway.

Thanks for sharing how you pick books.

[krisneri]

Cute story, Dana, and just a touch embarrassing for you. Ouch!

[noelle]

I'm currently majoring in Graphic Design and one of the things we talk about is the perfect book cover. So as a designer, yes I do judge a book by its cover. The first thing I do is look at it and see what it tells me just from the imagery and the title and then I read the back. Typically I won't pick up 'ugly' book covers unless they have been recommended. The cover doesn't have to tell you the whole story of the book, it might have little subtleties that somehow relate to the story but are not quite obvious right of the bat. I like those too. I also like when authors have a set style for their books so when you look at a cover you know "oh thats so and so author"

In short, I think covers are important. I treasure them (even though they don't always mean that your book will be a hit).

[krisneri]

Thanks for sharing the designer perspective on covers, Noelle. I also like when covers have a certain franchise style that readers can instantly identify. I don't know why more publishers don't take that approach.

[Subhashita Manjari]

Do not judge a book by its cover!
Appearence can be deceptive :p

[Otherwisewest]

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