You can judge a book by its cover

Book covers of all colours and styles have been on my mind recently.?

When deciding on the final design for “Gucci Wars – Jenny Gucci’s Story”, I was faced with an elaborate questionnaire from *SilverWood’s design team together with the message that, most importantly, the cover should match the content of the book. It was as if they knew that I would be tempted to go off piste and select an attention-grabbing but irrelevant design.?

Of course I want my book to stand out on a book shelf, but it should also “fit in” with others of its genre. According to The Book Smugglers blog, 79% of people say that book cover designs play a decisive role in their decision to purchase a book. Added to which we are also making up our minds about which books to buy faster than ever before.?

Since the pandemic began, leisurely trips to the book shop have become something of a rarity. Sadly, most of us no longer set aside hours of joyous escapism browsing the bookstore shelves, so book covers don’t need to translate to a pile on a display table or in a shop window any more. Instead they must??have instant impact as a tiny thumbnail picture on our phone or computer screen. It is a fact of life that Amazon has become a crucial place for authors and publishers.?

Social media in general is now a vital platform to promote new titles and this means that successful jacket designs must have instant impact.

These are the days of Zoom meetings and their backgrounds, Instagram and “shelfies” (publishing pictures of book shelves) so, like it or not, the way our books look is becoming increasingly important. The lockdowns have shone a spotlight on book cover design and even experienced readers are now making a habit of judging books by their covers.?

https://www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk/learning-zone/the-principles-of-great-book-cover-design