The Importance of a Book Cover

Whoever says that they don't judge a book by its cover is a liar. What's the first thing you see when you're browsing for books on Amazon? Not the synopsis, the cover. You see a lovely thumbnail of a book that could potentially be your next favorite one. I'm gonna be honest....if I see a book cover that looks hit, I will pass right over it. If by chance I've read the synopsis and liked it then I would consider buying it. Most of the time it's a no unless I've heard good things from other bloggers/readers.

Just because you have Gimp/Paint/Photoshop does not mean you can make a good cover...unless you're professionally trained. I may play around with it but there's no way in hell I'm making a book cover and charging someone for it. There are a plethora of cover designers ranging in different prices that can give you a kick ass cover for your budget. I'll even name a few! Regina Wamba of Mae I Design, Victoria Faye of Whit & Ware, Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations, Alivia Anders of White Rabbit Designs, Eden Crane Design, and Claudia at Phatypuppy Art. I can go on forever but you'd kill me.. I'm sure there will be plenty of people who would wish me bodily harm after reading this post. Anyhoo...there is this great site you can check out that has services for indie authors http://indie-visible.com/.

Here's some examples of what not to do/have as a book cover. I don't want to say that I don't mean to offend people by posting these because that's exactly what it's going to do...offend. I wont ever apologize for my opinion and I'm entitled to my own. I was going to post a bunch that were just terrible but that would be over kill...That would make me a bully. I figured I would post a few and make it a "what not to do" kinda sitch.

There might be a story behind why this cover is so simple, but I think it's boring and the typography doesn't help.

This just looks like CGI Barbie

The smoke/fog whatever just makes it worse

......

I'm all for blending but this just didn't work out. Too much going on

Again with proportions. Would have been a good cover if Hulk wasn't so large

I came across this one in my travels. You can clearly see there was no skill in making this cover. This model is low resolution and still has white background. I'm sure it was supposed to look electrifying but it just looks tacky.

This just looks like a stock photo with a transparent color overlay and simple typography.  There's nothing that stands out about it.

And the dreaded deja vu....it sucks but it happens.

I wont post a cover of this, but the half naked torso?? Please leave that shit alone. I will not buy it for that cover alone....unless it's got some sexy shiz and everyone wants in his pants.

Love everything about this cover EXCEPT the typography.....yes, that ruins a cover for me. DON'T USE IT!!