A Book Is Bought By Its Cover

by Reem Yassine

Fri, Mar 19, 2021

"A book should not be judged by its cover, but is surely bought according to it!" Imagine yourself going out on your first date. You will put on your favorite outfit to draw your partner’s attention. Despite the fact that your character might be wonderful enough to impress him/her, you still do your best to look as beautiful from the outside. Same goes for books. A book’s cover is that “first-date-outfit”, which draws the reader’s attention to explore and know more about its inside. The English famous idiom “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” is not the case here because as a matter of fact, it is hard not to. Book covers are the first sales pitch. If it is not prominent enough to grab attention, it will be overlooked for something more compelling. In the self-publishing world, especially if you are a new author wanting people to take a chance on you, you need to have a great cover. The cover isn't just a board for the book, rather the principal page of the story, since it is here that the book can convey a bit of the style and mind-set of the author and the content inside. A dull cover, with many shadows, for example, can suggest a horror or sad story while a splendid colorful or white cover can suggest an inspirational textbook. This is significant in light of the fact that it addresses the feelings of the reader, drawing in them on a more profound level, and along these lines possibly securing a book sale, yet making way for whether they will like the book in any case. A study done on 616 people showed that to 79% of them, covers play a decisive role in their decisions to purchase a book. Moreover, 40% of them considered a book cover as the sole driving factor in their decision to purchase a book. Consequently, covers act as a marketing tool that have a major effect on your sales and are the artistic representation of the book where they should accurately represent a book’s genre, tone and characters.  There has been a notion that book covers were not key for eBooks, however the rules that apply to a bookshop are almost the same for online retailers too.  The initial segment of data you are given online about a book – regardless of whether it be by means of email newsletter, or on a writer's social media account – you are still given a cover, or arrangement of covers, before you read the synopsis.   Tips! Unfortunately, many authors, particularly in the MENA region do not invest in their book covers and neglect their importance in the sales process. Consequently, here are some tips to make the best out of your cover. Use the cover to reveal the theme of your story in a unique manner. Be careful, however, from revealing too much! Also, through your cover, give a brief look about key data contained in the book by conveying a cover that gives a realization into the idea of your center message. The cover of your book ought to convey the format of your story. Remember, your book cover is among the best marketing resources you can put efforts into on the grounds that you will require it all over the place. Select fonts in a manner that catches the attention of readers. As for fonts, try selecting them in a manner that grabs the attention of readers. Go for colors that pop and complement each other, as colors have a major effect when it comes to covers design. Think of your covers as a mirror reflecting all the hard work you put in your book. Dare to be different, and let the book cover speak to the reader’s soul. Cover design creativity is the main reason a costumer clicks on a book or adds it to the cart. Almost all e-books’ covers in the MENA region are too main stream, with no “out of the box” product to grab a reader’s attention at first sight. That is why Arab writers should invest and place more effort in their book covers for that would definitely be a game changer to their marketing and sales process. Happy designing!