The Importance of a GREAT Book Cover

What draws your attention to a book on a shelf? Is it the colors? The font? The cover illustration? The blurb? The author bio? Awards the author/story have won? Reviews? Or a combination of any or all of these?

If your front cover (or the spine) catches a potential buyer's eye, you have about 3 seconds--yeah, that's all--before he/she turns the book over and looks at the back cover. If you lose him/her in that first 3 seconds, your chances of making a sale are pretty slim. But don't give up all hope yet; you still have a chance if the material on the back cover is intriguing enough to pique the person's interest. 

I'm sure you've heard the expressions, "Different strokes for different folks," and "You can't please all of the people all of the time." Truer words were never spoken. That's why it's so important to make sure your book cover is attractive to a wide variety of people--if you want to attract their attention to it so you can make sales.

Earlier this year we covered the art of writing an author bio. If your potential reader can identify with you, you have a much better chance to make the sale. Your blurb (which we'll cover in a couple of weeks) is of utmost importance in snagging a buyer. At any rate, you have to make sure a person cannot possibly leave the bookstore without your book. 

Each printing company has a list of requirements which they call "Guidelines" for setting up your cover. They are not usually in a common vernacular, so it's much easier if you hire a graphic artist to do the setup/layout for you. I have seen far too many really good authors place their books on the market with covers that appear amateurish. And quite frankly, people avoid those books. After all, if the cover doesn't appear professional, how can the interior of the book be any better? 

Author Bio (Short)

What is an author bio? An author bio (biography) is a valuable tool that an author creates to entice buyers to read his/her story. It can make or break an author’s reputation, sales, and acceptance within the literary community. A well developed, creative bio leads to more fans which, in turn, leads to more sales and acceptance. 

How long should my author bio be?  For a short bio you should try to keep it under 150 words.

What is in a short author bio? 

• a brief description of your writing (genre, detail of your title ratings—G, PG-13, R, etc.—what inspires you, who is your target audience, etc.)

• positive things about you (e.g., outgoing, great smile, additional talents, etc.) 

• fun facts about you other than those associated with writing (e.g., favorite food, favorite vacation place, where you grew up, etc.) 

I hate pictures that are taken of me. Do I have to have a head shot along with my bio?  Head shots and author bios go hand-in-hand. If you plan to succeed as an author, you will want to have a head shot to accompany your bio. Always use a true picture of you. Using your book cover, a flower, a cat, or something else that is not you is a BIG NO-NO. It is important for your fans to know you for who you are. Don’t keep changing your photo every time you’re asked to send one. Instead, be sure to use the same head shot each time you present your bio; this allows you to become “branded,” and people will get to know you by your photo first (though you will want to keep it current by updating it every 10 years or so).     

What other changes should be made in an author bio?  As time goes by, authors often branch out into different genres or interesting personal life changes (e.g., a new pet, moving to a new city, becoming a grandma, etc.). These are great attention-getters. Becoming a well known speaker in the literary world is another fine example of what can change in your bio. 

How many author bios should an author have?  An author should have both a short and a long bio that are ever-changing. (Long descriptive bios and vitaes will be covered in next week's blog.)