I really like going to a B&N brick and mortar bookstore. I used to purchase all of my books from B&N. Now, like many readers, I still enjoy visiting a B&N and finding books I would like to read and then go home and purchase the book for less, even with shipping & handling costs, from Amazon. Granted, the books I buy now are almost always used, but still, I save huge amounts of money.
There is no doubt the cover impacts my decision when I can physically examine a book. Depending on the type of book, fiction or non-fiction, the interior design can impact my purchase decision as well. Non-fiction books meant to be used as reference manuals need to have a very user friendly design or I will not purchase the book. Photo books of topics I am interested in need to have a well thought out method of displaying the photos and the content accompanying the photos. I am not too picky about fiction when it comes to interior design, but the print does have to be large enough for me to read with ease.
Do I make the same choices when I look at books on Amazon without first vetting the book at a physical bookstore? I am not sure. I know I rely heavily on the product information about the books content and I always read several of the customer reviews if any are available. But does the cover still have an impact on my decision to purchase or not? What about the interior design?
As I have become more knowledgeable about book production, I have started paying more attention as a consumer. I do look at the cover image and if the option is available, I use the search inside feature on Amazon to check out the interior design, especially if the book is a reference manual or photo book.
Aaron Shepard argues simple covers are the best and his are certainly simple. But if Mr. Shepard were not one of the foremost authorities on self-publishing, using Lightning Source for POD service and marketing on Amazon, would his books sell at the rate they do?
I agree simple is often good. But some covers shout self-published and the same can be said for the interior design of the book. One of my early efforts certainly fits that description. My two best selling books have professionally produced covers and interiors. I wonder if that has anything to do with the sales totals of those books?
As more and more books are self-published and sold on Amazon and as more people turn to Amazon to purchase books, the reading public will become more savvy about the books available on-line for purchase. Self-publishing authors will have to make sure their books are well designed and produced. For many of us, this may mean hiring professionals to do the work for us. I don't have a creative bone in my body when it comes to design or artistic flair.
UPDATE: As luck would have it, I found this instructive and helpful interview with Joel Friedlander about cover design for the self-publisher.
UPDATE: As luck would have it, I found this instructive and helpful interview with Joel Friedlander about cover design for the self-publisher.
I think that good cover design is essential to a book's success. In some ways, it affects marketability even more than the content. It's easier to create "buzz" for a book that looks good.
ReplyDeleteKevin, looking at your Amazon author's page, I can guess which overs were professionally designed. I'm guessing: Game Strategies and Tactics for Basketball: Bench Coaching for Success and The Game of Basketball: Basketball Fundamentals, Intangibles and Finer Points of the Game for Coaches, Players and Fans. Am I right?
As for the other books, you could easily make them more attractive with some cheap stock photography and CreateSpace's cover creator. It doesn't cost much to make a change like that-- I would do it to 2-3 titles and see how that improves your sales.
You are correct!
ReplyDeleteA cover is critically important to book sales. I disagree that cheap stock photography and a template creator are sufficient substitutes for the expertise and training brought to the table by an experienced book cover designer. I've never seen a homemade cover that comes close to what a good designer can create. We make a host of decisions while creating a cover. The finer points of typography and special effects turn an ordinary cover into one with real impact. Amazon has actually made our job more difficult, because now the cover must look good one inch tall as well as in person. Some publishers create two versions of the cover: one for the cover itself, and another intended for online display in small sizes. There's much more to cover design than most people realize.
ReplyDeleteMichele DeFilippo
http://www.1106Design.com
Your book. Designed. With hand-holding.
I disagree with Michele. I'm not selling anything-- I don't have any vested interest either way. But I do know that a lot of people who claim to be "designers" are just using BookCoverPro, which is off-the-shelf software, (which I have also purchased for myself).
ReplyDeleteI think it's a cost-benefit ratio. If a book is selling $300-$500 per month, it's okay to justify cover design. But to justify a $300-$600 cover for a book that sells onlt 10 copies per month isn't really a great business choice.
That being said, I still think that your other covers need help. Using the CoverCreator template will help tremendously. And if you want to do more, then get BookCover Pro.
At some point, professional book cover design is a good idea. I hired Joel Friedlander as my book cover designer for my tax textbook series this year. The series (6 book covers total) grosses well over 100K so the the cover design cost at 1-2% of the gross profit is still a very good deal and a reasonable expense.
I feel that cover design is extremely important, and while some people who are not professionally trained can do covers, I think that this is one of the areas where spending money is really worth it if you don't have a design background.
ReplyDeleteIf you start out not having a professional looking cover it almost becomes a self-fulling prophecy, you won't sell enough so you feel your decision not to spend the money was valid. But if you had spent the money-you might actually start making a profit.
My one upfront outlay was to have my cover designed ($250), and I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I steadily sold more and more books each month. I am now making over $1000 a month-so the money was well worth it.
I know that book store owners shift from being hesitant to welcoming to my approaches to them to sell on consignment when they actually see the cover, and I notice that on those "customer's also bought..." sections my cover stands out from the traditionally published book covers which are often too dark.
Finally my designer has been able to turn the cover into business cards, sell sheets, banners, etc for very little additional outlay-since she already has the design.