The old adage is “you don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” but let’s face it. We all do it. If we didn’t, then cover art wouldn’t be such a big deal. The truth is, publishers know people judge books by their covers because like anything in retail, it’s “packaging”. The better adage is “you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” Visual marketing is all about the blink instinct. You are either drawn to or repelled by things you encounter in life thanks to our fight or flight brain response. So in a bookstore (or on the web), you are drawn to certain covers. Why? Here’s a look at the elements of a cover and the “types” of covers out there.
1. Photo or illustration 2. Title of book (and font and size consideration. Caps? No caps?) 3. Author name and placement thereof. 4. Blurb or no blurb? Tagline or no tagline? 5. Colors – for fonts and background. Light, dark, bright?
