How important is a book’s cover? Aren’t we taught from a young age that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover?

Do you really need a cover that will knock your readers off their feet? No, you don’t, but it sure helps sales and it might get you some reviews you otherwise would not get.

When I browse in a bookstore, I find my books, first, by looking for authors I enjoy reading (then I look at the titles); next, I examine the books of authors I’ve never read if I’m attracted to their books by their covers (which includes their titles); and, last, I read the pitches or synopses on the back covers of the books I’ve selected after the front covers have reeled me in.

What does this say about the role a cover serves in selling a book? The cover often is the book’s initial point of contact with potential readers and reviewers, and is the first opportunity the author has to present the book to the public by arousing interest and curiosity. Beyond that, although the cover will not provide any information about the quality of the book’s content, a good cover will offer visual clues as to what that content is about.

For example, if you look at the cover of my new mystery novel, MANDARIN YELLOW, designed by a very talented book designer (Claudia Jackson of Telemachus Press, LLC), you will notice five visual clues that suggest the book’s content: A vintage yellow fountain pen; Asian-style typeface; a red wax document seal; an old document as background; and, a subtitle which announces that the mystery introduces a multi-cultural character named Socrates Cheng. These visual attributes suggest that the book will involve a detective who is part Chinese [surname, Cheng] and part Greek [first name, Socrates], and that somehow an old fountain pen and old documents will play a role in the book’s mystery.

These visual roles not only are important in attracting readers, but sometimes affect a reviewer’s decision whether or not to review a book. This is discussed from the point of view of the book reviewer at http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/coverart.htm.

Is a visually appealing cover important for an eBook? You bet it is. Because we still are in the primitive state with respect to formatting eBooks for electronic readers so that eBook content often looks unattractive, just words typed on a page, we need to provide some nexus between the remote, untouchable eBook and our tactile familiarity with print books. This can be provided by a knockout cover that visually serves the book well, a cover that, among other things, is the gateway to the book’s content.

Let me hear from you. I would like to know your thoughts about this. Please Comment in the BLOG.