Publishers and Self-Publishing

[Teresa Edgerton]

People say that they never pay attention to book covers, that they never buy a book based on the cover, but then they often complain about the book covers on books they've already bought and read.

Apparently, all this not noticing goes on at the point of sale, and the noticing goes on when they've got the book home.

Not much guidance there for artists and publishers, if people really do only care about the cover after the sale is made.

 

[Anne Martin]

I confess, if a cover grabs me, I pick up a book and scan it. If that amounts to buying a book by its cover, I guess I'm guilty. Unless I know the author, the cover is what makes the book stand out, and I think that is rather important. Don't you?

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I do think that. The cover is what makes readers pick up a book they've never heard of by an author they don't know — how else, in a bookstore, are they going to be attracted to a book long enough to find out whether they want to buy it?

Under those circumstances if the cover doesn't attract them enough that they'll take the book off of the shelf and leaf through it, the book has no chance.

That's why, I think, publishers typically don't worry as much as authors do whether the cover art fits the story or not. It's main purpose is to make readers pick up the book and look at it (or more to the point, convince booksellers* that it will induce customers to pick it up and look at it). Selling the book comes in after that, and I don't know whether the art takes precedence there or the cover copy and the first few pages. Ian Whates might be able to answer that question.


*Less important now than it used to be, since there are so many online sources for books — which will list a book no matter how unappealing the cover art — and so many bookstores are closing.

 

[HareBrain]

I confess, if a cover grabs me, I pick up a book and scan it.

Gosh, have scanners really got that portable?

Unless I know the author, the cover is what makes the book stand out, and I think that is rather important.

I agree, to an extent -- though in the case of a shelf of books where you can only see the spines at first, the title might be even more important. With no prior knowledge of book or author, I tend to be attracted first by the title, then check the blurb, then check a sample of the writing. The cover itself, as long as it isn't actually off-putting, might not matter too much if the title is good. On the other hand, a brilliant, intriguing cover, when I can see it, can overcome a dull title.

 

[Hex]

It varies for me. Will admit to first encountering Carol Berg (the Flesh and Spirit/ Breath and Bone covers were gorgeous) and Brent Weeks (the Night Angel covers ditto) by choosing books with pretty covers, so it has worked well in the past. If I'm buying in a book shop, though, a good cover will just encourage me to look at the writing -- nothing can overcome leaden prose.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I certainly looked at Mieville's Perdido Street Station because of the fantastically moody cover painting.

... then I read the blurb, and my fate was sealed.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

This is my favourite book cover but it never scans well and looks awful on Amazon -- also side on it blends into the other books on the shelves.

 

[Anne Martin]

I have this chip in my brain that performs such functions, but that's probably a topic for another thread.

Gosh, have scanners really got that portable?