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Covering the bare essentials while teasing with promises of mysteries to be unveiled.
A compelling cover design that captures your story and genre while still standing out and being special is a must!
The cover and blurb power combo will get readers to pick you your book.
Your writing should get them to see it through to the end.
The cover has to still look good and be readable in thumbnail size since people will be browsing on their phones, their e-readers, online etc.
Cover art is one of the most effective marketing tools an author can use.
You brand yourself with that image and it will be seen over and over again in conjunction with whatever promotion you do for your work.
Buyers WILL judge your book by its cover - because they have to!
Apart from the sales copy on your web page, the cover of your ebook is the only thing they've got to go on when deciding whether or not to buy.
1: The Title
Your ebook title needs to be short and punchy.
Thumbnails are cruel to long titles. I, of course, have to be different!
But you, my friends, have to write tight!
2: Choice of fonts
Ebook covers are small so you need to use fonts that are compact and easy to read.
3: The Illustration
An ebook cover that's just plain text can be pretty boring.
An image will liven up your design.
Whether you use a photo or some other graphic, the image you use needs to key into the theme of your ebook and help to get your message across.
4: Color
Color is another useful tool in the design of your ebook cover. Colors have their own energies - red is forceful, blue is conservative, green is calming, yellow is exciting, and so on.
Pick one main color that ties in with the theme of your ebook and use other colors sparingly. Like fonts, using too many can obscure your message.
5: Image quality
Your cover image must be razor sharp and crystal clear to sell your ebook! Too many of the ebook images you see on the Internet are fuzzy and flat.
One way to get good image quality is to design at a larger scale that the final image size. it's easier to work on and reducing the design to the required size will enhance its clarity.
People WILL judge your ebook by its cover so design it well. Remember, the better the cover, the bigger the sales!
So?
What do you think of Leonora Roy's new cover for THE THREE SPIRIT KNIGHT?
http://www.amazon.com/END-OF-DAYS-ebook/dp/B0082ZJD08/ref=la_B0086O40BM_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1364077543&sr=1-9
I think it needs to show more skin.
ReplyDeleteJust kidding!
Maybe.
I judge books on their covers. Since my favorite genres are fantasy and science fiction, those covers are usually the detailed artwork that attracts my attention. If not... then I may never even read the blurb.
I enjoy ebooks, but I am not in touch with the cover like a real, in the flesh, book. With an ebook, you see the cover when you buy. with a real book, you see it everytime you pick it up. This also goes for author name awareness and book title. Since I've been reading in e-format, I've had a lot author loyalty in purchases and found myself not sure if I've read a book already.
ReplyDeleteThat said, e-book covers are even more important because they have to inspire you to WANT to look at them again. They're not just getting you to buy the book, they have to hold your interest enough for you not to forget the author.
This is a train of thought I've been mulling over with each e-book purchase.
I love all the covers you have. Tomorrow evening I shall post the review. Stupid me left my Kindle in my locker at work. Oy Vey! I had 10 percent more to read.
ReplyDeleteSorry.
Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly
Hi, Roland,
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly I have wifi at my friend's house tonight... will be out starting tomorrow so I have a few hours to blog... Yay!
STUNNING COVER as always. And, yes, since I am a completely visual person, covers are EXTREMELY important to me.
Hope all is well with you.
Alex:
ReplyDeleteThe stunning cover to MOON CALLED is what got me to pick up the book by Patricia Briggs. The inside blurb sold me, and I have been sold on each book ever since.
Ah, the essentials of Cassandra are covered -- more or less. Tyme within THREE SPIRIT KNIGHT's pages is a bit more clothing challenged!
It is a running gag throughout the book that all the villainous ladies Victor meets somehow find themselves wearing less clothes! Those teenage hormones, and all!! :-)
Erin:
What I like about my Kindle Fire HD is its carousel which prominently showcases the cover of the ebooks I'm reading -- so every time you go back to your book, you see its cover prominently displayed.
I try to make my covers outstanding with my name prominent, hoping to build a "brand" as they call it.
You bring up a great point about forgetting the author with the cover. Take all those covers with bare chested male models --
They all begin to look the same. Jennifer Lane's covers side-step that trap with her covers: the lovers' hands handcuffed but holding one another from cover to cover tell you that they are part of a series.
John Locke, scoundrel that he is, still has his covers looking distinctive with his covers being models showing mile-long legs and no face BUT with his name prominently displayed: it is a picture symbol of his attitude towards women and himself. Fascinating comment, Erin.
Shelly:
You have been such a super trooper with your Goodreads and Twitter countdown of how much you've read of THREE SPIRIT KNIGHT & what you thought of it so far! That was such a novel idea that as soon as my job permits and you send your address, an autographed photograph of Ian of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is heading your way! Thanks again, Roland
Michael:
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear from you after so long! Enjoy your surfing tonight. Keep safe on your travels!
I'm happy you like the cover. Leonora Roy is a genius. I only wish my sales were worthy of her talent! :-)
Your covers are always great, which brings me to a favor I've been meaning to ask. Since my book is close to a release date, I'm feeling all kinds of self conscience. I need an unbiased opinion on my cover. It's posted on my blog. You've got such a great eye, so I was wondering if you'd mind popping over and telling me what you think. I still have time to make changes, so I'd like to catch any potential problems before its release. If you're too busy, I understand, but it never hurts to ask. :)
ReplyDeleteCeleste:
ReplyDeleteI'm heading there now! :-)
Thank you, Roland!!! I feel so much better now. Also, I agree that it needs a tagline, and oddly enough, the second one you tossed out, fits perfect. If you don't care and my publisher will let me, I may use it. I'm no good at the whole font stuff, so they'll have to figure that out, but yeah, I'm thinking that would make it look a lot more professional. My worst nightmare is for it to look like a bad B-movie poster, lol. I see them all the time on Amazon and cringe. I really appreciate you taking time to check it out! :)
ReplyDeleteCeleste:
ReplyDeleteI would be proud and happy for you and your publishers to use the tagline I wrote for you! :-) Here's hoping they let you use it!!