People DO Judge A Book By Its Cover

I am a writer, but when it comes to art, I’m no artist…but I do think I have a good eye for design. I know what looks good and what needs a little extra something to reach the kind of image I’m looking for, whether it’s designing an outfit, a room, or a book cover.
I knew that when I decided to publish my novella, The Lerewood, with Kellan Publishing, I needed a book cover that was going to stand out from the rest. Generally, I like book covers that are simple, and I believe that less is more, but with The Lerewood I had an idea I just couldn’t get out of my head—a dark forest with glowing green eyes staring at you through the trees and an outstretched hand, dirty with chipped fingernails, enticing you to enter the haunted wood. I found a great artist, whose website showed a great portfolio, and she brought my vision to life and even made several changes after I viewed the finished cover and it wasn’t quite how I wanted it.
It’s easy to get carried away when designing a cover for fantasy books. After all, there’s nothing simple about your fictional world. But some authors seem to want to design their cover by adding every single element that’s in their novel—be it fairies, dragons, dwarves, elves—but then the end result becomes chaotic. And if a reader sees a chaotic cover, they’re going to assume that the content of that book is chaotic, unorganized, has numerous plot holes, and will probably also assume it’s confusing. The point of a cover is to attract the reader’s attention—in a good way—and make them open up to the first page so your hook can reel them in. You have to make sure your cover does exactly that. I suggest researching popular book covers, or go to the bookstore and take a look at the ones you pick up off the shelf. What do they have in common? What makes them stand out? Is it the bright colors? The font on the spine? A striking image? Does the cover have some kind of sparkle or holographic effect?
Another tip I must point out is this: when you hire someone to do your book cover—key point hire—make sure the quality is exceptional. Do not ask your brother or your mother or your uncle to do it, unless they are an experienced, professional artist…as in, it’s their day job, and they didn’t create the cover on Paint and your book title isn’t in Times New Roman font. I cringe when I see covers like this, and no one…I mean NO ONE…will see your book cover and be intrigued enough to open to the first page. A low quality cover translates to a low quality book, because readers DO judge books by its cover. That’s just reality.
~Andrea Churchill
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