I am reaching the point with the third and final instalment of the Prudence series where I need to start thinking about a cover for the book. Actually I've already thought about it and have pretty much decided exactly what I want. The stage I am really at now is wishing I could improve my drawing skills to something a little beyond stick men. Now, I know what you're all thinking, practice makes perfect and all that, but believe me I have tried and stick men are about as good as it gets.
I have been trying to tell myself that it is the content of the book that is important, but as we all know, the hard part is getting the reader as far as actually opening your masterpiece so that they will naturally go on to make this epic discovery. So, is it the cover of the book that makes up our mind to delve inside?
Recently I found myself in the happy position of having some book tokens to spend so I thought back over what had actually made me make the choices that I did on that day. I've realised that, for me there are five things that can influence my choices.
1. The author.
Okay, this may be a bit obvious, but if you have read a particular author before and enjoyed the work why not stick with something you know, especially if the book, or books have been particularly good. Unfortunately, in my experience this hasn't always worked out particularly well. What if your beloved favourite decides it's time to try something new? What if the series you have loved so far suddenly starts to veer off into a totally unexpected direction that sours the whole thing for you? What if they kill off your favourite character? This has happened to me in the past and so now I tend to look less and less at who the author is as a guide for my choices. It may be a consideration, a passing "Ooh yes I've read her/him before", but it won't completely sway my decision.
2. Recommendations
Again this can be dangerous territory. I have a very good friend who, like me, likes to read, but we like completely different books. She'll rave about a book she's read "It's about this woman who was abused as a child, left home when she was sixteen got into an abusive relationship with an older man........................" Okay, I've already switched off. I have no doubt that the story is an inspirational tale about overcoming horrendous hardships, but that's not what I want from a book. When I sit down to read I do it as a way to escape. I don't want to turn the pages just to be reminded of all that is awful with this world, I want to lose myself in something as far removed from reality as possible, whether it be a classic fantasy, a step back in time or a trip into space. We all have to live real life I don't want to be bound by it when I'm reading.
So, if I am going to guided by any recommendations it will be from those that I know like to read the same thing as me - like my mum! Although some of her choices can be a bit bloodthirsty for my tastes. I'm still not sure about the Deathstalker series!
3. The blurb
Obviously an integral part of the decision making is the book blurb. This really is one of the main weapons the author has to hook the reader; they've actually picked the book up off the shelf, now you've got to persuade them not to put it down. If you're a new author the reader is not going to know your name, nobody is going to recommend you; this is where you have to sell your work. So it needs to be good. One of the books I picked up on my aforementioned shopping trip was called 'Stranger of Tempest' by Tom Lloyd, not an author I have read before, but the blurb on the back of the book started like this:
"For a damsel in distress, she was rather more spattered with someone else's blood than Lynx had expected. And naked. Very naked............"
I didn't put the book back down! Still haven't read it yet, but will let you know when I have and what I thought!
4. The title
Book shops; wonderful things! You step into a cave full of shelves with row upon row of book spines facing you. All you can see is the title and the author's name - what do you go for? We've already established that the author's name is not always a safe option so the title needs to do the selling; the title needs to reach out and grab you. The title needs to entice, intrigue. It needs to stand out, be a little unique - it needs to outsmart all the other spines you're looking at. Easy, right???????
5. The cover
Finally, we come to it; do we judge a book by its cover? Okay come on admit it, yes we do! You've looked at the rows of spines, an author or title has enticed you to take one from the shelf, do you immediately turn to the blurb or look at the cover first? You may not consciously do it, you may not say to yourself 'hmm that looks interesting wonder what the cover is like', but I bet 99% of the time you subconsciously glance at the cover before doing anything else. And, of course, when you're shopping on line, scrolling through endless lists, the visual effect of the book definitely needs to be more striking, more eye-catching. It doesn't have to be fussy; it doesn't have to tell the whole story in one image, again it just needs to entice.
So, for me getting the cover right is important. My name is not well known enough, I have not sold enough books to rely on recommendations therefore the title, the blurb and yes, the cover need to be right. you never know one day people may say 'oh look, Kim Watts, her last one was really good!'
For now though I'm back to the drawing board! Well, I'm off to find someone else to get back to the drawing board for me - Stick men just aren't going to cut it!
Happy reading everyone!
Kim
