3 ms·

I actually like the final covers more for most of the examples used here. This made me think about the cover design process for indie genre fiction. The common

I actually like the final covers more for most of the examples used here. This made me think about the cover design process for indie genre fiction. The common advice is to create a grid of 10-12 best-selling titles in the specific genre and niche that your book is in, and use that as a guide for your cover. Are the fonts sans serif of serif? What are the most popular colors? Are most of them object covers or do they feature detailed characters? How many characters, and how zoomed-in are they? Where is the author name positioned and how large is it? The thinking is that your own cover should fit perfectly into that grid. For new indie authors this can seem counter-intuitive, because the urge is to _stand out_. They think if they stand out, readers will be more likely to notice them and buy their book. In reality, the safest bet is to only stand out _a little bit_ while still fitting in the aesthetic of successful books in the genre. Because genre fiction readers know what they like, and they'll look for covers that look like what they'll like. It can be a tricky balance: be _too_ generic in an oversaturated niche and you'll seem bland. But stand out _too much_ (to the point of not slotting nicely into that grid) and you'll be too weird for readers to click on. They'll go click on a cover that looks more like that other book they loved instead. Some authors luck out or have such an established reader base that they'll buy any oddball cover - and they could even set the trends for future covers in the niche if so. But most of us small-fry can't afford to take that gamble if royalties are the goal, and the safer financial decision is usually to fit in.

thaumasiotes 3y ago
> In reality, the safest bet is to only stand out _a little bit_ while still fitting in the aesthetic of successful books in the genre. Because genre fiction readers know what they like, and they'll look for covers that look like what they'll like. I would expect more that genre fiction readers will be browsing the section where all of the books are in their genre, and the cover will completely fail to carry any further information about the genre. There's a semi-recent trend in fantasy novels for the cover to have an abstract image instead of art. (Compare: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/91Qb2WtpE4L._SL1500_.jpg https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/... for a "modern" cover, or https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/91-9C0ewxjL._SL1500_.jpg https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/... for a "traditional" cover.) Art is better. You're better off with a cover that appeals to the reader, not a cover that looks like the cover on other similar books whose covers were chosen for reasons other than reader appeal.
- drakonka 3y ago
  > I would expect more that genre fiction readers will be browsing the section where all of the books are in their genre, and the cover will completely fail to carry any further information about the genre. Yup, readers do definitely browse the section where the books in their genre are like you say. They also see book covers on Goodreads, TikTok (BookTok), YouTube (BookTube) Facebook, Instagram, book shelves, and a bunch of other popular places where they congregate. Whether they're browsing a dedicated section or not, if they're an avid reader of a certain genre or niche, they likely have expectations for what they want to read. Aside from a strong recommendation from a trusted source, the cover and blurb are the first things that will either catch their attention and communicate that this is a book that looks similar to other books they loved, or have them move on to another one that does. > There's a semi-recent trend in fantasy novels for the cover to have an abstract image instead of art. (Compare: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/ https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/... for a "modern" cover, or https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/ https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/... for a "traditional" cover.) Art is better. Yup! The "abstract image" is what I meant by object cover. I disagree that object cover is better by default. Though I agree the specific _example_ of the object cover you linked is better than the specific example of the character cover you linked. You'll also note that the character cover you linked is for a book from 1994. That cover likely fit in very well with that niche at the time. What's "better" ultimately depends on the goal and the market: if the goal is money and character covers are at the top of all the charts in those genres, a (more modern-looking) character cover will likely be "better". Right now there is definitely an object cover trend! Alternative covers are also popular in some genres now, like romance. In steamy romance, "manchest" covers used to be (and still are) especially popular, but some readers love to have a more tame paperback version with a nice object cover. This lets them take the book on the train or coffee shop without feeling awkward :)
- araes 3y ago
  The general issue is the same as fast food. McD does not in any significant way care about any of the 8,000,000,000 humans food preferences. Only aggregate. If your market is selling billions of something, making niche stuff that sells 10,000 barely registers. With a market cap of $212.5B a 1% daily shift is $2B. Those sales don't register. It's the same issue it always is with capitalism. You think it's supposed to result in something, it doesn't. Strategy: Make a cover that appeals to the broadest demographic blandly, yet appealingly. Don't insult anybody. Don't use imagery / technique / layout that drives away buyers. Don't appeal to any single individual's tastes, unless they drive huge sales. Effectively, SEO optimize your covers.

thaumasiotes 3y ago

> In reality, the safest bet is to only stand out _a little bit_ while still fitting in the aesthetic of successful books in the genre. Because genre fiction readers know what they like, and they'll look for covers that look like what they'll like. I would expect more that genre fiction readers will be browsing the section where all of the books are in their genre, and the cover will completely fail to carry any further information about the genre. There's a semi-recent trend in fantasy novels for the cover to have an abstract image instead of art. (Compare: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/91Qb2WtpE4L._SL1500_.jpg https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/... for a "modern" cover, or https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/91-9C0ewxjL._SL1500_.jpg https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/... for a "traditional" cover.) Art is better. You're better off with a cover that appeals to the reader, not a cover that looks like the cover on other similar books whose covers were chosen for reasons other than reader appeal.

drakonka 3y ago
> I would expect more that genre fiction readers will be browsing the section where all of the books are in their genre, and the cover will completely fail to carry any further information about the genre. Yup, readers do definitely browse the section where the books in their genre are like you say. They also see book covers on Goodreads, TikTok (BookTok), YouTube (BookTube) Facebook, Instagram, book shelves, and a bunch of other popular places where they congregate. Whether they're browsing a dedicated section or not, if they're an avid reader of a certain genre or niche, they likely have expectations for what they want to read. Aside from a strong recommendation from a trusted source, the cover and blurb are the first things that will either catch their attention and communicate that this is a book that looks similar to other books they loved, or have them move on to another one that does. > There's a semi-recent trend in fantasy novels for the cover to have an abstract image instead of art. (Compare: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/ https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/... for a "modern" cover, or https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/ https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/... for a "traditional" cover.) Art is better. Yup! The "abstract image" is what I meant by object cover. I disagree that object cover is better by default. Though I agree the specific _example_ of the object cover you linked is better than the specific example of the character cover you linked. You'll also note that the character cover you linked is for a book from 1994. That cover likely fit in very well with that niche at the time. What's "better" ultimately depends on the goal and the market: if the goal is money and character covers are at the top of all the charts in those genres, a (more modern-looking) character cover will likely be "better". Right now there is definitely an object cover trend! Alternative covers are also popular in some genres now, like romance. In steamy romance, "manchest" covers used to be (and still are) especially popular, but some readers love to have a more tame paperback version with a nice object cover. This lets them take the book on the train or coffee shop without feeling awkward :)
araes 3y ago
The general issue is the same as fast food. McD does not in any significant way care about any of the 8,000,000,000 humans food preferences. Only aggregate. If your market is selling billions of something, making niche stuff that sells 10,000 barely registers. With a market cap of $212.5B a 1% daily shift is $2B. Those sales don't register. It's the same issue it always is with capitalism. You think it's supposed to result in something, it doesn't. Strategy: Make a cover that appeals to the broadest demographic blandly, yet appealingly. Don't insult anybody. Don't use imagery / technique / layout that drives away buyers. Don't appeal to any single individual's tastes, unless they drive huge sales. Effectively, SEO optimize your covers.