I was having a discussion with a customer earlier today about some books that have just come out with new covers, (The Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody) and the conversation turned to how important a cover is to the book.
We all know the old maxim that we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but how far can it really be applied to actual books? The cover is the first thing any reader sees - it's the first impression of the book. I know very well that a cover doesn't tell you the quality of the content, but I'll still scan the shelves for one that jumps out at me. A good cover can make the difference between a book being picked up for closer inspection, or passed straight over.
That's why old books are reissued with new covers quite frequently, and why books that are turned into movies come out with a movie cover. A new cover can open up the book to a whole new audience, as is evidenced with David Eddings' Belgariad series, which is currently available in a Teenage/Junior Fiction cover as well as it's standard adult fantasy covers. The text inside is the same, but the new cover marks it as appropirate for a younger age group, as well as making it more palatable to that age group.
We ended up discussing how a cover can make or break a new author. If you're unknown, it doesn't matter how brilliant your book is if you can't get anyone to pick it up in the first place. New authors have to rely so heavily on marketing, and the cover is a huge part of this. The cover does become less of a factor once an author has established their reputation, but it's still improtant, because there will always be a reader, who either hasn't heard of, or hasn't been interested in the author yet. A good cover could be the extra push they need.
In this current market, with so much choice available, covers really need to show you what sort of book to expect. However, this can end up in boring covers that all look the same, especially in the general fiction markets. It's a fine line to tread, but it's one that publishers really must tread if they wish their authors to be successful.
And what's on the back of the cover is just as important, because once the book has been picked up, it's the blurb at the back that tells a prospective reader what they can expect. Most people don't have an in depth look through the book before they buy or borrow it. They read the back cover and have a quick flick through. And the criteria is the same. A good or intriguing blurb catches the reader and a bad or boring blurb usually means the book will be put back down.
So whilst we all know that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover and that both covers and blurbs can be wildly misleading, I think it's true that we all do use the cover as a gauge of what the book will be like. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is a completely different topic.
What does everyone else think?
~Janelle~
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4 comments:
Have you seen the new His Dark Materials covers? I kinda wish I'd waited longer to buy Northern Lights. And I guess if I want them, I'll have to get them before December, when they bring out a movie cover for Northern Lights and/or the rest of the series. Maybe. Do you think they'd put out a new cover just for Northern Lights, for the whole series, or would they wait until the rest of the series came out as movies (if they're making movies for the other two books- I hope so!)?
I understand your argument but personally I prefer a simple cover. Something that isn't 'fashionable' or 'trendy'. And I know that putting a movie cover on a previously published book can attract a new audience, I hate reading a book for the first time after having seen the movie, it takes some of the imagination out of it. When you watch a movie you are watching someone else's interpretation.
I also like the back to be simple, while I'll pick up a book to look at if the cover and title are interesting if I then turn it over and see all these people saying how great it is or some vague blurb then I'm likely to put it back. Just a simple description of what the story is about without language that is too flowery and I couldn't really care for the opinions of people that have little in common with me and I don't know.
The key to a good cover is simplicity.
Hi Mel. Thanks for visiting our blog.
Yes, I've seen the new covers. We have them in our store, though they're up the front where we often display Junior Fiction and Young Adults novels that are new or topical.
I think they're really pretty, but I'm emotionally attatched to the covers I first read the series in, so I'm not really eager to get them.
When we first got the new covers in, I thought they were the movie covers and that the publisher was getting in early on pre-promotion - because they really could suffice as the movie covers. But they actually list as the 'junior covers'.
Usually when they make a movie of the first book in the series, they only bring out the movie cover for that particular book (like they have for Eragon). You can usually still only get the normal covers for the rest of the series until their movies come out - if they do.
So if you want these covers for the rest of the series, you've probably got a bit of time to collect them, but if you want this Northern Lights so you have a matching set, you'd probably better get in before the middle of November, when the promotional books will probably start arriving.
Anonymous :
Thanks for visiting and providing another point of view in this discussion. Unfortunately, I think you're probably a minority in the current book buying populace. Simple covers tend to get completely overlooked on our shelves. Because there's such a variety to choose from, most people are looking for something to grab them - and the publishers' market accordingly. And, in fairness, you can get some really appropriate and elegant covers that are still based on the idea of catching attention.
I certainly agree with you on the matter of endorsements. I, presonally, am really not moved either way if, say, the reviewer from The Times in America loved the book. Some people use them as a helping hand in picking out the right book for them, however.
I tend to think that endorsements from established authors in the genre of the book are very useful though. For one, it can help you discern exactly what genre the book is in. It's also nice to know that an author you really enjoy believes that the book is worth reading. Of course, that only works if the endorsements are genuine. I did discover a favourite series that way though, so it must work at least some of the time.
Once again, thanks for your comments, both of you. And if there's anything you'd like to hear about, just let us know.
~Janelle~
I hate it when you have to go hunting around for an actual blurb rather than just quotes from people who matter and liked it. Though I agree that quotes from authors that I know are useful.
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