It’s All About the Book Jacket, Stupido! From No-Seller to Best-Seller
How important is the book jacket for your book? Critical, I’d say. If you are an unknown writer, your book must practically leap off the page and jump into the Amazon shopping cart all on its own. Of course, if you are a writer with a following and have cajoled all your colleagues into writing glowing testimonials about your book for the cost of a glass of Chardonnay, the jacket-as-sales-tool isn’t quite so critical since readers take endorsements seriously — at least until they’ve read the book.
Book Jackets That Look Pretty and Do Nothing.
I particularly enjoy clicking over to lulu.com, one of the printers for self-publishers and independent publishers, to check out the top 100 books listed (most of which are nonfiction, by the way). Here is an example of a perfectly beautiful book jacket for Understanding Business Statistics by Ned Freed that is lovely to look at, but next to worthless as a sales tool. The Wicked Witch of Publishing has suffered mightily through advanced probability and statistics (and received an A, thank you) and for all the world cannot detect any correlation between this beautiful cover and the book’s 604 pages of content.
Book Jackets that Demand — at the Very Least — a Peek or Sneak Peek!
Here’s one that is ranked #2 on Lulu’s top seller list for all time, How to Become an Alpha Male by John Alexander. “Dubbed ‘The lazy man’s way to easy success with 20 or more 
women a month,’ How to Become an Alpha Male is the no-risk, never-fail blueprint on how to ‘magnetically’ attract an endless flow of beautiful women to you . . . without ever having to play their games or deal with rejection.” [$48.80! WWof P is guffawing madly. What planet is this author from?] The cover says it all — 270 pages of “how to” you-know-what with a luscious-lipped woman making heavy eye contact instead of reacting to the reader in person by running away screaming or frantically dialing 911.
Book Jacket Design Be Damned, I Say.
Do not leave the book jacket design 100% up to the designer and don’t design the book jacket by yourself, even if you are working from a book jacket template. I can’t over emphasize how important it is to have a book jacket that SELLS your book at a glance from bookstore-table-to-eye or computer-screen-to-eye. I need to collaborate with someone whose synapses fire more rapidly on the right side of the brain (creative) to offset my rapidly firing left side of the brain (practical). That said, when push comes to shove, I will not sacrifice the sales element to the design element. When I hear the synapses of my left brain crackling away, I listen.
Here’s a book jacket I am growing to love. Yes, it is my revised and updated version of Overcoming Jet Lag (originally published by Berkley Books), now called The Cure for Jet Lag (officially published by Back2Press Books in about two weeks).
Think. Think. Think.
Working with my graphic designer (who overruled me on several harebrained graphic suggestions, Kris Warrenburg of Cyan Design and I strove to add eye-catching visuals, combined with compelling text and tables, while not losing the “feel” of the well-known, original jacket. Thinking, thinking, thinking. I, as the author, also tried to plan defensively in order to counter skeptics’ questions as they came to mind while holding my book in their hands or when relying on my product presentation and sales pitch online at www.thecureforjetlag.com. In addition, I made sure to run the cover by several unbiased, third parties. (Remember, all children/book jackets look great to their parents!)
Yes, this book is nonfiction, but I contend that the same questions and thought process apply to fiction jacket covers. The image on the cover and the title and the text have to work together to sell the book concept.
Questions I asked myself while working on my book jacket:
Jacket Front:
- Is there an image on the jacket that speaks to the book’s subject or storyline without the reader having to think much, or better, at all? [Airplane]
- Is there a concise, snappy title that tells the reader what the book is all about in ONE line? [The CURE for Jet Lag]
- What on the front jacket lends my book credibility over other books about the same general subject? [Reference to US Army Rapid Deployment Forces, my coauthor’s Ph.D., the words “international bestseller.”]
Jacket Back:
- What have I offered to convince the reader that the book’s content is legitimate? [Three great testimonials from credible sources and an Argonne National Laboratory table proving the effectiveness of The Cure for Jet Lag 3-Step System.]
- Have I provided readers with design elements reminiscent of the original bestseller so they recognize the book easily as a revised, updated version? [Color scheme: red borders, blue background, yellow airplane and use of the original verbiage in the red block at the bottom of the page, some of the original testimonials and a new one from the Washington Post. Not a big departure from the original in feel, which is what I wanted to accomplish, but definitely much, much stronger visually and in sales content.]
- How does the book jacket look as a thumbnail? How does it look on the The Cure for Jet Lag Web site? Bright? Cheerful? Eye-catching? Convincing?
And you wonder why I haven’t been blogging lately? Busy. Busy. Busy.
September 4th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Wow! A new blog, at last. But not mentioned by Sarah Palin last night.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): Oh, no! It’s you again! Howdy, and great to hear from you Mr. Curmudgeon.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Nice to see you again, Wicked.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): Thanks, Bernita. I just clicked over to your beautiful Web site. I’ve been out of it for a while and forgotten how nice it is to click around my blogger pals’ Web sites to see what’s goin’ on! [Bernita is a non-fiction writer, poet, and author of romantic suspense and magic realism. She lives in Ontario, Canada. Her blog,”An Innocent A-Blog—Journal of a Barely Post-Luddite Miranda,” has been up since 2005 and is excellent.]
September 4th, 2008 at 11:08 am
See, this is why I have RSS, so you’ll pop up again someday.
A very nice post on book covers. They’re so very difficult to do right, and so easy to get it wrong.
While the Seduction book has a bright, active cover, I wonder if I’d want to be seen buying that. I certainly wouldn’t want to be reading that on a park bench, although if you’re the kind of guy who buys that kind of book, you’re already deadheaded enough not to care.
There was a similar book recently by a guy who, for awhile, shacked up with a bunch of guys and trained them in the technique. That book had a cover that resembled a bible, down to the satin bookmark. Very subtle and rather appropriate, in a sacreligious way.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): Thanks for dropping by, Bill, and leaving a comment. The WWofP lives for comments! It’s been a long, hard few months doing what I said I’d never do again — get involved in writing a book. Having written THREE, I know the drill. But the pain of writing a book must be like the pain of childbirth; you forget it once you see the baby and realize he or she might actually support you in your old age! I’ll try to post more frequently as I venture into the world of independent publishing. [Bill is a mystery writer and book reviewer. He has been blogging since 2004.]
September 4th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
I do like your cover, but I thought on the gold seal you were supposed to put something like “One Million Copies Already Sold In 40 Languages!
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Thanks for the compliment re the cover. I was back and forth with the designer quite a bit! I think she did a great job. It’s true that millions of people have used the system in the old edition, Overcoming Jet Lag. And the original version had quite a few foreign language editions. [Under the pseudonym, “Jerry Jimston,” Andy O’Hara publishes “The Jimston Journal, A Publication for the Arts,” a free on-line literary journal for writers and photographers from around the world.]
September 4th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
So, would you rather be working on the book or outwitting a bear who wants an early copy, and is willing to go into your yard to get it?
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): Too, funny. Thanks for dropping by, Susan, and leaving a comment. Yes, that bear needs to be arrested for breaking and entering! And he’s a big guy — 400 pounds. And thanks for giving The Cure for Jet Lag a read. Your edits were great. Having a “fresh eye” makes all the difference. Has everyone read this posting: Manuscript Rejected Repeatedly? Find a Fresh Eye to Review Submission Package
September 4th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Wow! Great to see you back! I thought you had forgotten about us here, with all your publishing and such. I’ve gotten into the publishing game lately also, so I can understand just where you’re coming from about covers and what they need to accomplish.
Since this is all new to me, I sure hope you post a lot more about the aspects of publishing! Great to see you again! And I hope your book is a runaway best seller!
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Bonnie launched Christian Fiction Online Magazine in July, 2008 and has already had “28,000 pageloads.” She also writes action/adventure fiction.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
[...] And finally, some tips on how to make your own book cover look not awful. Philip Roth obviously didn’t read this, and it once again brings up the craw-sticking point of why don’t book covers look better or more interesting? Did you see McSweeney’s 28? Holy crap, people. I won’t butcher the idea by poorly describing it, but it just shows how literature can be packaged in phenomenal, dazzling ways. Those other fools should be ashamed of themselves. Not just for that, but it’s a big one. [...]
September 5th, 2008 at 9:54 am
At larger companies, it’s usually not the editor who writes the flap copy, but the editorial assistant. Generally it is regarded as an onerous task. That said, I’ve seen some really good flap copy!
And MANY designers (jacket and interior) read big chunks of the book in mss form. Maybe I’ve been lucky and just worked with a great, dedicated group of designers who genuinely love books. Why else would a designer choose to work in book publishing if not because they love books? They would make more $$ in advertising or web design.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: The reason writing jacket and flap copy is considered an onerous task is because the person asked to write it doesn’t “get” sales copy, and that’s what jacket copy is all about — sales. Jacket copy, particularly in fiction, should not be a synopsis of the book aka a “spoiler”; copy should be a teaser that makes the book irresistible to buy. Book Jackets Sink or Sell a Book! Editors Should Not Write Jacket Copy! What’s With Those Bogus Book Reviews? Rate the Jacket Copy!
In my experience, book jacket designers are given the book jacket copy by those overworked and underpaid editorial assistants. Also, it is the rare book designer who is also the book jacket designer.
September 5th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Good article…thanks.
Yes, those tight enticing or boring bits of condensation of all our work — of our years, rewrites, ponderings, insights, fights. Make or break. Grab or re-shelve. Sigh or desire.
If your novel doesn’t somehow work when cruelly shoved into in a few hungry lines that go on to deserve that precious half a day or more… a week … of a reader’s free time and perhaps his/her soul during those hours ….then perhaps, dear writer, you should reconsider.
September 5th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Oops.
I think I put my comment in the wrong place.
Agree with you on covers. I used raised printing and lots of colour for my first novel, The Black Icon. Worked fine. Got an Ontario Arts Councile grant and placement in Canadian libraries.
Just got a cheque from the Newmarket Public Library, Ontario, for having replaced copies of The Black Icon which had become somewhhat tattered with use.
Ivan Prokopchuk
September 6th, 2008 at 7:26 am
~turning pink~
Thank you, Wicked, for that nice comment.
September 7th, 2008 at 6:40 am
Just curious where my cover fits in on the Witch-o-Meter…
Glad your new venture is keeping you hopping.
I’m hoping — with the new emphasis on energy issues — that my insider novel of nuclear power Rad Decision will be noticed by someone of influence (like your close friend Alec Baldwin, etc.) This book is the best explanation of electricity production in the US that does not also induce sleep. Readers seem to like the story, judging from their homepage comments. It’s a nice change of pace for both techno-thriller and enviromental readers.
Jim
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): I’d like to see the phrase “techno-thriller” somewhere on the cover. I’d like to suggest you have an exciting line like: A dark tale of a man who believes it is his destiny to destroy [...]. (I found that line on your Web site.) Instead of the rather blah “A Novel of Nuclear Power.”
What is that image on the cover? It looks like it is turned 90 degrees.
And, of course, I had to think about what RAD meant, and it took me too long to figure out it meant radiation … but that’s me.
Anyone else have an opinion about this jacket?
September 7th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Welcome back. It’s the Publishing Princess and the PEA! Because of my color blindness, I rely to some extent on the kindness of strangers when it comes to designing book jackets. I think mine have worked out pretty well. And it can be — should be, sometimes — a lot of work for the author to come up with a good image. For my next book, “The Last Stand of Fox Company,” in stores in December, I spent countless hours searching through photo archives . . . and ended up going with one of the first images I saw and that the Atlantic Monthly Press liked. I accept as fact that for many consumers, you can judge a book by its cover.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): September 17, 2008 Publishers Weekly: The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat Bob Drury and Tom Clavin. Atlantic, $24 (288p). The authors of the bestselling Halsey’s Typhoon do a fine job recounting one brutal, small-unit action during the Korean War’s darkest moment. Using extensive interviews with survivors, the authors tell the story of one 234-man company ordered to secure a rocky promontory overlooking the legendary Chosin Reservoir. Although aimed at military buffs, the closeup views of individual marines tested to their limits will engage any reader curious to learn how brave men fought a conventional 20th-century war. 100,000 announced first printing; 12-city author tour.
September 8th, 2008 at 11:13 am
There is a world of difference between your cover, the Alpha Male cover and Understanding Business Statistics. The blue cover with no explanation about the book’s contents will be a hard sell, especially with that esoteric title. Great blog, WW, and welcome back.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): Katy is a former news editor at InfoWeek and currently a writer at The East Hampton Press.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:36 am
The yellow against the black on the cover is dramatic and the image pops, but unless the copy on the back of the jacket is dynamic, I would not buy this book based on the cover.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
FYI: The background of the Rad Decision back cover is black, with the text alternating between a muted orange-yellow and a muted yellow as each subject is presented. (Not able to scan at the moment.) The description and author note are roughly the same size as the author name on the front page, the endorsement is in a box in slightly smaller type, and the other quotes are a bit smaller yet. I took pains to make sure the type was clear and readable in passing with sufficient spacing to make each line stand out. The book is 348 pg.
RAD DECISION BACK COVER TEXT:
A tale of espionage and disaster within the real world of atomic energy.
James Aach has worked in the U.S. nuclear power industry for over twenty years.
“I’d like to see Rad Decision widely read.” – Stewart Brand, Founder of The Whole Earth Catalog, internet pioneer and noted futurist.
Unsolicited praise for Rad Decision from independent readers:
“….I couldn’t stop reading the thing, I was rude to company I had over and snuck a few chapters at work. It was a definite “thriller”….” K.
“I started readng Rad Decision because of my interest in nuclear power — then found I could not put it down!” G.L.
“I’m diggin’ it. What a cool way to learn about nukes.” – J. L.
“This book shows you can have an edge-of-your-seat read without rewriting the laws of physics.”
September 17th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Explain to me what is so beautiful about that Understanding Business Statistics cover. I must be missing something. It’s a title and author name, too small to read, that’s framing a great blue void. It’s not even a good blue for print, it looks pretty RGB to me. The image could be from istock or perhaps the designer made it herself, but honestly, if my daughter had come up with this for her grade-school project, I would have been greatly disappointed in her. It looks like someone opened Photoshop, managed to find the gradient tool and called it a cover.
Alpha Male is no better. Terrible font choices and no imagination at all. It also has no flow between elements, color or within the layout. Your eye doesn’t follow anything, it’s just a mishmash of glyphs and cheapo images.
The hard edge on the spine of Jet Lag is going to cause nothing but wrap problems and how much effort would it have been to kern that G? Seriously?
I realize you’ll have to delete this because of my anonymity, but I can’t really post with my real name because I work with these people. I just can’t always manage to keep quiet. /vent
September 17th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
I’m sorry, but the RAD Decision cover leaves me cold. It looks like it will be a rather dry history of nuclear power. I think it’s a combination of the title needing to be jazzed up — as WWofP says: a thriller comment and perhaps a color change.
What about using yellow/orange background to shout: CAUTION! READING THIS BOOK COULD BE DANGEROUS AND EXCITIING! Perhaps adding some diagonal black lines above and below the title?
And Witch in the Art Dept is right, the G should have been kerned.
My bad!
September 18th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Thanks! Keep the good ideas coming, WW fans!
September 25th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
A thumbnail with white knock out text on a red background. Are you nuts? Are are you just trying really hard to make sure that not one word of that copy is readable? Readable thumbnails are about science — there’ve been lab tests of what print gets read and what does not, including point size, color, font, etc. This is stuff that anyone doing thumbnails (or Web marketing of any kind) should know by heart. I would boot that cover back to the art department for a reality check.
By the way – a rule I made in my own publishing company for years — thumbnails DO NOT have to be pure and simple squished down versions of the actual cover. They do need to resemble the cover and maintain brand colors/loyalty. But thumbnail art is made for looking at as a thumbnail. It should look like a book, but be readable as a thumbnail. That can change typeface, line breaks, type placement, amount of type, etc.
It’s worked for me like crazy – millions of dollars sold online crazy.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): I agree with you, Anne, that a thumbnail should be a readable variation of the actual book jacket. If you go to my Web site for The Cure for Jet Lag, you will see that the cover of my book is not thumbnail size at all. Your advice is spot-on for most Web sites with jacket thumbnails, though not so much for Barnes & Noble and Amazon because if you click on those thumbnails, they enlarge.
October 4th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
For some reason my jacket cover wasn’t considered “appropriate” for trade distribution, so I was told. Major derailment. Smoking ruin. I cannot properly recount my marketing misfires without sad music playing in the background. I have Book 2 entering production in a couple of months and I must stop visualizing a train approaching with this first wreck still uncleared. Pile-in!
Well, as they say “there’s no crying in publishing.” Okay, they don’t say that and there’s a reason dammit. It’s a hell of a ride anyway, ain’t it?
October 8th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Here is the cover of my latest book, HANDLE TIME: Under the criteria you present, I hope this cover does the trick.
The photo depicts the subject matter
The title is to-the-point and catchy
the PARENTAL ADVISORY warning is present, but not glaring
The border is graduated; and matches the model’s eye color
the title gradient matches the color of the model’s sweater
The typefont indicates that the novel is a fiction book
The yellow in the title pops the cover right off the shelves
Image truly counts — whether we like it, or not. Hmph. LOL
November 8th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Many of the self-published authors at Lulu have already gone through so much writing, formatting, proofreading, and marketing their books that they forget how critical an enticing cover is to make that whole process worthwhile. It’s hard to wear all hats and that’s what self-publishers often have to do. Hiring a good cover designer in my opinion should be just as an important part of your budget as purchasing a Library of Congress listing and ISBN number.
Felicia
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): I’m with you 110%, Felicia.