What About Book Covers?

Guest Post by Cindy Bellinger

As the book reviewer for a statewide magazine, I’m besieged with new titles. Especially as indie publishing takes off.  Especially with hardcopy venues for reviews dwindling. It’s quite a job choosing which books to review. How do I do it? Easy. By the covers.

As much as we like to think otherwise, you really can judge a book by its cover.  

What Covers Reveal

Covers announce the amount of time spent designing it. They’re either thought out or thrown together. They’re either original or eerily familiar. For me some covers even inspire an instant let down. These are the ones clearly designed as attention grabbers. You’ve seen them: dramatic action-packed images on a full-bleed background of brilliant orange or purple or chartreus. These don’t say ‘read me,’ they ‘scream buy me.’ I lay these aside.

These books are usually from ‘author service’ publishers, and I suspect that unsuspecting authors are swayed because they’ve spent so much time writing the book that a flashy cover feels appropriate. They want it to stand out. One book sported so many different font faces, so many converging images that it made my knees weak. Tucked inside was a personal note explaining we had a mutual friend etc. I laid it aside. Not because of the note, but because I somehow knew this book.

Too often these ‘author service’ books follow the trend of using bright white paper for the interior; it’s too glaring and not easy on the eye. Often the text fonts (some are actually curly-cue sans serif, and how can that be?) are a real turn off and, again, not easy on the eye.  Then the margins are too tight all the way around, scrunched into a mold and most uninviting. I lay these books aside.

Think in Thirds

When planning a cover, think in thirds, that magical geometry that exudes a safe balance. Give a third to the image, a third to the author’s name, a third to the subtitle. But don’t make those thirds equal. Asymmetrical arranging is pleasing to the eye. Think of how the Japanese prune trees--irregularity to achieve evenness.

Underplay the cover. Stay away from that cookie-cutter genre. Subtlety suggests intrigue. Use subdued colors; use gradients. Use fonts that aren’t a cliché. Remember in the ‘90s when Mystral was vibrant and alive? Then it got used to death. Then there was Lucida. Used to death. Medieval style fonts try too hard. Script asks too much. Use sans serif for display text and then consider using the same font, maybe in italics, for the subtitle. Make sure the subtitle condenses the heart of the book. And of course the title needs to be a gem.

Don’t let too many ideas ramble on the cover. Keep it simple. The most outstanding cover I’ve seen is Simon Mawer’s Gregor Mendel, Planting the Seeds of Genetics. It’s clean and simple. When I came across this book, it easily stood out from the crowd because it wasn’t trying to. Mostly white, the cover was restful and immediately roused my curiosity.

Think of the Feel

One way to set a book apart is using the new matt laminate for the cover, though in time this paper will become ho-hum too. French flaps are truly a nice touch, but usually reserved for offset runs and they do escalate the price. Stunning hardbacks with dust jackets are becoming rare because they’re expensive to produce. In the end settle on a book that just feels good to hold.

When swinging by the office for more review copies, I’m always excited to see what’s new. And I’m pleased to report another growing trend. More and more the indie presses are assuming some care with packaging. Many of these books are so well produced, so well designed that I can’t wait to dig in.

 Cindy Bellinger, an author and long-time journalist, began designing book covers four years ago. She is active with the New Mexico Book Association and her sixth book is due out this spring. Visit www.cindybellinger.com.