Buzz - Take Cover
by John Wolf
I was recently accosted by an excited writer that was fired up over her book cover. It wasn't all that attractive, in fact, it sucked. We got into a conversation about how important cover art was for a book.
Well, like all art, the beauty lies with the beholder (I have to name a character Beholder, just to use that line—anyway...) Book cover art can be a major draw, but only if the type of person it appeals to is an avid reader of that genre. But butt ugly is just plain ugly, and that should not be placed on a book.
You notice almost all fantasy adventure books have a dragon on the cover, not just any dragon, but a very well drawn, rich in detail dragon. You can feel the scales if you run your fingers across the art. That type of reader can't put the book down because of the freaking dragon.
Many subtitle stories that are real heady reads have covers that are plain with few words. They are like holding a secret document that doesn't want to draw the attentions of the authorities.
Some books have gold accents on some kind of animal hide texture. These say, 'Don't need to read this; it boring but classic.' These are meant to be seen not read.
My personal favorite that hits the mark is the Robert Ludlum books with the cheesy art of a woman with one arm on her forehead distraught or about to scream, or has just screamed and now near panic. I know this is a murder mystery and involves just as cheesy a detective, as a matter of fact, he's in silhouette in the background under a street lamp.
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My advice, if you are rich enough to work with a professional editor/publisher with an art department, fill the art guy in on the story and see what he or she comes up with. That's their bag. They know how to draw an image that will appeal to the broadest category of reader. It is an important element.
I recently had a cover problem with a part of the art that didn't match the type of person, culture, or even continent that the story was set in. It looked great, but if wasn't going to work. I challenged the art department, and they dropped it in my lap to find the appropriate picture! Well, the lesson learned is you have to get involved, be part of the task, and learn a little about art.
The whole trick, whether it's the marketing angle on the book, or the cover, or the credits and reviews on the back, if it's going to draw enough readers to get a buzz going about the book, it all has to work together.
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John Wolf keeps the kennels clean at the Fox&Quill Hunting Club JohnWolfBooks.com |
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