From BuzzFeed UK:

2. Woman holding a birdcage for some reason.

 

Must be a: Spooky period tale in the Woman In Black vein.

. . . .

5. Woman in long backless dress.

Must be a: Tale of high-society intrigue (and just a hint of naughtiness) set in the ’20s/’30s.

. . . .

9. Woman looking out over water.

Must be a: Wistful tale of love, loss and regret, which your mum will read in the bath.

Link to the rest at Buzzfeed UK and thanks to Matthew for the tip.

From the New Yorker Page-Turner blog:

Getting to design your own book cover is the sort of ultimately maddening power that probably shouldn’t be entrusted to vain mortals. It’s a little like getting to choose your own face. What kind of face would best express your inner self? Maybe more important, what kind of face will make other people like or respect or want to sleep with you? Do these two hypothetical faces bear any resemblance to each other? Can you imagine a face that would combine their best features?

There’s often an embarrassing disconnect between how people try to present themselves and how they’re actually perceived, which is why they ask their friends to tell them honestly how they look in something—and why publishing houses hire professional designers for books’ covers and allow their authors very little say over them. Most writers are given what’s called “consultation” on their covers, which means that when they’re shown their cover designs they try not to cry right in front of their editors. But, because I’m a cartoonist as well as an essayist, and also have a savvy and implacable agent whose will is not to be opposed, I had “approval” over the cover of my book, which meant that I got to make a tiresome and nit-picky pest of myself.

. . . .

The main principles of design—in books, appliances, cars, clothing, everything—are:

1. Your product must be bold and eye-catching and conspicuously different from everyone else’s, but

2. Not too much!

Which is why the covers of most contemporary books all look disturbingly the same, as if inbred. It seems as if sixty-five per cent of all novels’ jackets feature an item of female apparel and/or part of the female anatomy and the name of some foodstuff in the title—the book-cover equivalent of the generic tough-guy-with-gun movie poster with title like “2 HARD & 2 FAST.” There’s clearly some brutally efficient Darwinian process at work here, because certain images—half-faces, napes, piers stretching into the water—spread like successful evolutionary adaptations and quickly become ubiquitous.

. . . .

How come books for kids get to look so mysterious and tantalizing and spooky, while books for us grownups have to be so dull? Why don’t the covers of mainstream literary books make me feel that same way—almost scared to find out what’s inside? For some reason children’s books, Y.A. literature, and genre fiction still have license to beguile their readers with gorgeous cover illustrations, but mature readers aren’t supposed to require such enticements. For serious literature to pander to us with cosmetic allurements would be somehow tacky, uncool. The more important a book is, the less likely there is to be anything at all on its cover (look at most editions of “Ulysses”). Even the ancient equivalents of summer blockbusters like Homer and “Beowulf” or the sex romps and gorefests of Shakespeare tend to get stodgy public-domain paintings on their covers.

Link to the rest at Page-Turner and thanks to Abel for the tip.

From Joanna Penn on The Book Designer:

Get a professional book cover design

Cover design might sound like a publishing exercise, but your book cover is also critical for marketing. If you manage to get millions of eyeballs onto your book sales page and your cover is terrible, nobody will sample, let alone buy. If you pitch a book blogger, a journalist or a physical bookstore owner, one glance at the book cover will determine their interest. So this is a non-negotiable upfront task, along with professional editing to ensure you have a quality product.

Non-fiction book covers have a trend for large words, focusing on the obvious benefit for the customer. But fiction book covers need to resonate with your target market, echoing the genre of the book and giving a taste for the story.

Remember that authors are wordsmiths and generally not gifted in design. So don’t use a painting that you or your child have done, or try to design a cover yourself.

. . . .

Go into the Amazon store and look at the Top 100 books for the genre you are writing in. Notice what is similar about the bestselling books and take screen-prints to share with your designer. If you’re unsure about your genre, pick 3-5 books or authors that your book is like and see where they are categorized. This one tip will also carry into much of your other marketing, so it is critical to the process. Your book is never totally unique, nor do you want it to be, because you want to find an existing readership and tap into that.

Link to the rest at The Book Designer

Book designer Joel Friedlander has announced his Cover Design Awards for May:

e-Book Cover Design Award Winner for May 2013 in Fiction

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Paula Cappa submitted The Dazzling Darkness designed by Gina Casey. “This ebook The Dazzling Darkness (soft-core horror/ghost story), just released in April 2013. Categories are supernatural mystery, dark fiction, literary darkness. Most of the story takes place in a cemetery, and there are elements of paranormal, a crystal skull, death and the afterlife. Transcendence is a dominant theme, hence the emerging light. Gina Casey is a graphic artist at Polo Ralph Lauren in New York City.”

JF: This cover has some of the best title typography of all the covers this month. And somehow the designer has, with just a few elements, used they entire cover to convey both beauty and behind that a haunting and disturbing aura. Economy with impact, just beautiful.

e-Book Cover Design Award Winner for May 2013 in Nonfiction

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Damon Za submitted How to Learn a New Language with a Used Brain designed by Damonza.

 

JF: Fantastic. The designer leads us right down the garden path to make his point in a compelling and amusing way.

Link to the rest, which includes many more covers with Joel’s comments at The Book Designer

From Hen House Press:

Coincidence? I don’t think so.

I understand that imitation (copying) is the sincerest form of flattery, but imitation without attribution, license, or compensation is really just theft, isn’t it? Crown Business has launched its latest blockbuster with what looks like my cover design. It did not seek my permission. It gave me no attribution. It did not offer or pay compensation. Shouldn’t Crown Business (part of Crown Publishing, part of Random House, part of Bertelsmann) come up with its own original designs? Don’t its designers warranty that their work is original? Is it really entitled to take my cover design and claim it as its own, if that is what it did?

. . . .

So I reached out to the nice folks at Crown Business and was immediately referred to the legal department at Random House, where a very nice woman and attorney named Min Lee provided me with a one-line response to my inquiry. On June 4, 2013, she wrote: “I am in receipt of your letter, and we’ll review your claim and respond shortly.”  I did not hear back from her.

Link to the rest at Hen House Press

From Kristine Kathryn Rusch:

Writers always panic. They finish a book and expect the world to fall at their feet. At the same time, they worry that no one will notice. And, because all writers who are writing today were raised in the traditional publishing model, they believe that if no one discovers their booknow, this minute, if no one hears of them the day of the book’s release, then that book is a failure forever and ever, amen.

So panicked writers behave badly. They promote stupidly. They alienate the very people whom they want to read their books. Tweeting Buy My Book! Buy My Book! twenty-five times per day. Demanding that friends and family “like” said book on Facebook.

The advent of social media hasn’t made this problem worse, although it has made the problem obvious.

. . . .

Many writers, who want their books to get noticed, go with traditional publishers. Traditional publishers do very little work with their midlist titles to get those books noticed. Until earlier this year, traditionally published titles went into a different system at Ingrams and Baker & Taylor than self-published books.  Baker & Taylor brought those walls down hard earlier this  year (see my blog) and now Ingrams is ramping up the competition with its announcement of Ingram Spark.

That distribution wall between traditional publishers and self-publishers is in the process of collapsing entirely.

So bookstores can order any book they want; the key is to make them want that book—without pissing them off.

. . . .

The best way to promote your work is to develop a fan base.

How can you do that with just one book?

You can’t. It’s a rare writer who hits on the first novel, and usually that’s a fluke tied into something going on the culture. You can’t control the culture. You can’t control book buyers. But you can control what you do.

Write good stories. Write great stories. Practice, practice, practice. Publish what you write. Readers will find good books, and they will tell their friends.

. . . .

[A survey of book-buying behavior] said that people buy books because:

1. Personal recommendations (49.2%)

2. Bookstore staff recommendations (30.8%)

3. Advertising (24.4%)

4. Search Engine (21.6%)

5. Book Reviews (18.9%)

6. Online Algorithm (16.0%)

7.  Library visit (15. 5%)

8. Blogs (12.1%)

9. Social Networks (11.8%)

I’m not sure if “author reputation” is missing here because of the way the question was phrased. I suspect that it wasn’t a choice.

. . . .

You can’t control word of mouth. You can start it only by telling your fans, Facebook friends, and the readers of your blog that a new book is out. Repeatedly hammer that point and you turn into Wolowitz. Instead, write the next book and let the first one take care of itself.

That’s true whether you’re an indie writer or a traditionally published writer. I don’t care how much  your traditional publisher nags you to promote, promote, promote. Ignore them. Write the next book and if they don’t buy it (or you choose not to sell it to them) publish it yourself.

. . . .

Back in the early days of self-publishing, a great story hidden in a book with a low price and crap cover could sell. Honestly, that’s how Amanda Hocking’s books sold. That woman can tell a story, but her covers were bad and interiors worse. And she was one of the few people writing good urban fantasy in the early days of Kindle. Readers who spent 99 cents got a good story, so they let other readers know.

. . . .

Nowadays? Unless you’re a reader trolling the 99 cent book ghetto, the bargain bin as it’s called in brick-and-mortar parlance, you’re not going to discover anyone who wrote a book with a great story and a crap cover.

A good cover isn’t just a good piece of art. It’s the right art with the right branding. It’s making sure you have the correct fonts, knowing where to put information, and keeping an eye on genre.

Link to the rest at Kristine Kathryn Rusch and thanks to Ant for the tip.

Book designer Joel Friedlander has his April e-Book Cover Design Awards up:

e-Book Cover Design Award Winner for April 2013 in Fiction

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Simon Jenner submitted Ethan Justice: Origins designed by Ares Jun. “I originally designed my own cover – big mistake. I’m so much happier with this pro version – I think it fits well with the thriller genre and the skyline gives readers a clue that the book is set in London”

JF: Smart move! An excellent ebook cover that touches all the bases. Strong and recognizable imagery, dead center aim on its genre, and a sense of excitement that draws readers in.

. . . .

[Passive Voice regular] Eric Lorenzen submitted Fallen King designed by Eric Lorenzen. “The book is an epic fantasy novel. Cover design by Eric Lorenzen, Cover photo copyright by Ragne Kabanova/ Dreamstime.com”

JF: Very solid.

Link to the rest at The Book Designer and thanks to Eric for the tip.

Passive Guy received a simple question from Amey:

Where does an indie author find cover illustrators online?

She knows about DeviantArt, but finds it too complicated and believes there aren’t a lot of real artists there.

So, what’s the answer to Amey’s question?

From Good Ereader:

Traditional print book covers draw many parallels with billboards and conventional marketing to appeal to casual readers. When you walk into a bookstore and there are thousands of books present, they start to all blur together. Bright colorful images and racy cover art are increasingly becoming more bold to grab people’s attention and hopefully prompt an impulse buy. When indie authors self-publish and release digital firsts, how important is cover art? Weighing in on the issue are some of  the top digital publishing companies and best selling authors.

Self-Published authors are often on a shoestring budget, and competing against the big six publishers with really great art is a hard task. Contracting out the cover art, hiring models, and getting the fonts just right is often out of reach for your average indie author. If you are the type of person that loves doing everything yourself, Book Tango has an excellent DIY Cover Art Generator. Using the Online Cover Designer, you’ll be able to upload your own original image; plus you’ll have access to an ever-growing library of royalty-free images that you can choose from. Once you select your image, you’ll be able to place your book’s title, subtitle, and author name on your cover. You’ll be able to choose from a variety of font, color, and style options to make your text appear however you want. If you’re interested in more advanced cover design options, you can elect to purchase the Custom Cover Design.

Many indie authors often shrug off effective cover art, knowing that readers click on hyperlinks in the table of contents to automatically visit chapter one. Really, in the world of Soundcloud where people comment during the music tracks and .99 cent ebook purchases, is cover art relevant?

Kelly Gallagher from Bowker mentioned that “Consumers are still discovering e-books via non digital ways. They even cite seeing a book in store (especially children’s an YA) before they buy the digital version. In digital only, consumers still buy on impulse about 30% of the time. Less then print but still important when first impressions count.”

. . . .

“It’s key that authors and publishers get their covers right. Cover art is the first thing that a reader sees when browsing a collection digitally and it needs to be thought out in terms of how it looks on a thumbnail in addition to it’s full size. Readers do judge a book by its cover, especially in the digital space,” says Miral Sattar, founder and CEO of BiblioCrunch.

. . . .

One thing that I believe self-publishing has helped bring to the forefront for digital publishing has to do with flexibility and the awareness of such things as changing pricing and changing covers.  Indie authors were among the first to recognize that if a cover isn’t working in terms of drawing their target audience, they can change it.  It’s not as if the cover is locked on thousands of pre-printed stock sitting in a warehouse.  You upload a new cover and it’s done.  One common sentiment I hear from successful indie authors is that they pay close attention to the cover and will react to market circumstances and situations in order to maximize their chances of a customer doing that deeper drill into browsing their books. And a “better” cover isn’t necessarily better art for the cover, which is and will always be subjective, but art that closely matches whatever the target audience is expecting.

Link to the rest at Good Ereader

From The Millions:

“Why are they still bothering with paperbacks?” This came from a coffee-shop acquaintance when he heard my book was soon to come out in paperback, nine months after its hardcover release. “Anyone who wants it half price already bought it on ebook, or Amazon.”

Interestingly, his point wasn’t the usual hardcovers-are-dead-long-live-the-hardcover knell. To his mind, what was the use of a second, cheaper paper version anymore, when anyone who wanted it cheaply had already been able to get it in so many different ways?

I would have taken issue with his foregone conclusion about the domination of ebooks over paper, but I didn’t want to spend my babysitting time down that rabbit hole. But he did get me thinking about the role of the paperback relaunch these days, and how publishers go about getting attention for this third version of a novel — fourth, if you count audiobooks.

. . . .

About ebooks. How much are they really cutting into print, both paperbacks and hardcovers? Putting aside the hype and the crystal ball, how do the numbers really look?

The annual Bookstats Report from the Association of American Publishers (AAP), which collects data from 1,977 publishers, is one of the most reliable measures. In the last full report — which came out July 2012 — ebooks outsold hardcovers for the first time, representing $282.3 million in sales (up 28.1%), compared to adult hardcover ($229.6 million, up 2.7%). But not paperback — which, while down 10.5%, still represented $299.8 million in sales.

. . . .

“Many people still want the portability of a lighter paper copy,” said Deb Sundin, manager of Wellesley Books in Wellesley, MA. “They come in before vacation and ask, ‘What’s new in paper?’ ”

“Not everyone e-reads,” says Nathan Dunbar, a manager at Barnes & Noble in Skokie, IL. “Many customers tell us they’ll wait for the paperback savings. Also, more customers will casually pick up the paperback over hardcover.”

. . . .

A look at a paperback’s redesign tells you a thing or two about the publisher’s mindset: namely, whether or not the house believes the book has reached its intended audience, and whether there’s another audience yet to reach. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s Rorschach. Hardcovers with muted illustrations morph into pop art, and vice versa. Geometric-patterned book covers are redesigned with nature imagery; nature imagery in hardcover becomes photography of women and children in the paperback. Meg Wolitzer, on a panel about the positioning of women authors at the recent AWP conference, drew knowing laughter for a reference to the ubiquitous covers with girls in a field or women in water. Whether or not publishers want to scream book club, they at least want to whisper it.

Link to the rest at The Millions