Respectfully, I have a word of cautionary advice for all you self-published authors who want to have your book read by a wide audience. It doesn’t matter how good your tale is, it may not get read if you don’t put the same degree of effort into designing the cover that you did into crafting the story. Bland and boring covers lacking in visual appeal, or those that give no indication of what I am about to read, turn me off before I even pick it up off the bookstore shelf, or read the description on-line. I guess I feel that if the cover isn’t well-conceived perhaps the story won’t be either. As a result, I may have passed up some good books that just didn’t get my attention. A great example of a book with a compelling cover is one of the BRAG Medallion recipients listed on this website. It is Richard Dennings’s The Last Seal. The book’s cover portrays London burning, which is a central plot line and without having reading a word it captured my attention. – Gloria H.
*The comments, advice and opinions expressed here are those of members of our reader group. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the owners, management, or employees of indieBRAG, LLC.
I agree with Geri. Since I was given my first library card (age 6) I picked books out by their covers. If the cover captures my attention, I will pick the book up and read the back page. If it doesn’t, then it is ignored and forgotten. I realize I may be overlooking some really interesting books and upcoming authors, but if you’re not going to put in an effort to have a decent cover to your book, then ……. People judge books and everything else by “its cover.”