People DO Judge a Book by Its Cover
Let’s face it, people judge books by their covers. It’s a fact you need to accept if you want your books to be successful.
Perhaps you’ve heard the British idiom “don’t judge a book by its cover”. This metaphorical phrase is intended to mean that we should not judge the worth of something by its outward appearance alone. And that is very good advice when we’re talking about people, for example.
But not when it comes to books.
Because the simple fact is: people do judge books by their covers.
And that’s precisely what a book cover is meant to do!
Why Do We Judge Books By Their Covers?
The simplest answer is that we shop with our eyes. A great cover will pop off the bookstore shelf or from the Amazon page and cause us to stop, or at least to pause for a moment and look at it further.
A nice-looking, professional cover can also help give a good first impression of the book, even if you’ve never heard of the author before.
Books with great designs will match the current trends in their genre or subgenre. Basically, you should be able to take one quick look at the cover and tell what kind of book it is: science fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, suspense/thriller, young adult, etc.
A potential reader can quickly decide from a cover if a book looks like the type of book they want to read or if it looks similar to the types of books they usually read. An interesting or intriguing cover can cause a person to pick up the book, turn it over, read the synopsis on the back, and consider buying it.
Indie authors need to take their covers just as seriously as authors who use traditional publishing. However, it can feel overwhelming, especially if you are new to the industry.
Why is the cover so important? How do you choose the right cover? What if you can’t afford it? Let’s explore.
Why Indie Authors Must Prioritize Covers
Indie authors generally have to wear many hats, especially when you’re just starting out. Unless you have other funds that you can use for launching your fiction career, you’re going to find yourself doing a lot of bootstrapping.
All of this DIY work because you might be author, editor, marketer/promoter, and social media marketer for your own books and brand. There’s so much more to it than just writing your books. And it may seem like you have to prioritize your expenses carefully, especially if you’re operating on a budget.
But covers will be one of the most important aspects of your author platform and your book’s success.
You can write the best book in the entire world, but if no one ever reads it, no one will ever know. If it’s hidden inside a poor cover, you’ll be costing yourself sales.
The goal of the cover should be to draw the potential reader in so that they read the back cover (or the blurb in online bookstores).
While even the most amazing book cover will not make up for a lack of good story and plot, you can’t even get far enough to impress the reader if no one is getting your book to begin with.
What to Do When You’re On a Budget
“But I can’t afford a fancy cover!”
You might be thinking you can’t afford to buy a cover, but the truth is: you can’t afford not to. This is such an integral part of your book’s success, it’s essential you find a way to make it work.
Here are some things to know about buying your book cover:
- Buy from reputable cover designers: If something looks and sounds too good to be true, it probably is. When you see really bomb amazing book covers on Fiverr for $5 or $10, or posted elsewhere at a crazy low price, you’re right to feel skeptical. Sometimes unscrupulous scammers rip off the work of real book cover designers and then sell them as their own. If you buy it and use it, you can get hit with a copyright infringement claim and when you try to find the scammer, they’ll be long gone.
- Join book cover designer groups: In these groups, you’ll find qualified book cover designers who are experts in their fields and genres, and who have samples you can view first to get a feel for their style, and who have built reputations in the Indie community already. This way, you can feel confident in the artist you choose to buy from.
- Work a side hustle to help pay for your covers: You could do some freelance work, mow lawns, walk dogs or pet sit, babysit, or provide other odd jobs to help you pay for your covers if your books aren’t earning enough to support themselves yet.
And if you can’t afford to buy the cover you really want, look for a suitable, more affordable alternative. Going for a “cheaper” cover doesn’t have to mean cheap quality.
You can shop for sales and discounts, enter book cover contests that many cover designers hold regularly, or buy a simpler design that will cost less but that is crisp, clean, and easy to read.
It’s much better to use a professional-looking cover in a simple design than a poorly made elaborate design. A good place to get professional book covers at a budget-friendly price is from James at GoOnWrite. He has thousands of fabulous premade cover designs in many genres (and he offers custom orders) at an affordable price of $40 each. He offers discounts when you sign up for the newsletter when you purchase in bulk, and when unsold covers move over to the Bargain Bin (for $15 each!). I also know from being on his newsletter list that several times a year, around holidays or completely at random, he offers flash sales.
As you can see, there are many options even when you think you can’t afford to buy nice covers. And depending on your niche and your own skills, you might be able to learn to make some covers for yourself.
People do just books by their covers. Are you sending the right first impression?
