8 cover design secrets publishers use to manipulate readers into buying books

[MJ DeMarco]

I enjoyed this article.

Your cover is probably the most important thing in the book besides the writing.

http://www.creativindie.com/8-cover...-use-to-manipulate-readers-into-buying-books/

EXCERPT...

Here’s a quick rule of thumb: non-fiction appeals to the brain. You want an instantly clever image to catch their mental attention. Non-fiction covers should have a central “gimmick” and a solid color background or gradient (orange and yellow are very popular for business books. (BTW, notice how wide the spacing is between the letters on these two covers). You catch the brain’s attention by showing a juxtaposition – things that shouldn’t really go together and are unexpected. Then the subtitle tells them what the book is about. On the other hand, fiction appeals to the heart. So fiction covers should be bursting with color, vibrancy, action. They should be beautiful. The art alone should make you feel, something like longing or loss or passion, immediately. Here are two covers for books I really enjoyed: both are simple and use a lot of space. Both use the orange – teal contrast. Both don’t really show anything about the book itself… but the bold, industrial fonts show they’re YA dystoptian fiction (paranormal books will have more curly, sharp or ‘wicked’ looking fonts; romances will have a lot of curls and decoration).

 

Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member: Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)

[Breaking Free]

Ziq, O ehsii xovj vjot. Xjomi muuloph ev vji icuul nesliv, cuult xovj quus duwist sesimz timm ximm. Epf cef cuult xovj hsiev duwist jewi quvipvoem vu timm, iwip og siwoixt qodl ov eqesv.

 

[Rainy_TX]

Vjeplt gus vji qutv, NK. "Quq", et op "O xepv ov vu quq", us "neli ov quq" ot atif vuu nadj epf dep dupwiz e wesoivz ug vjopht vu at fitohpist epf xi ataemmz dsophi xjip xi jies ov. Vji niepoph dep wesz gsun qistup vu qistup, tu vsz vu imonopevi hsiz esiet. Og zua esi muuloph vu josi e qsugittoupem vu dsievi e duwis gus zua, ov emxezt jimqt vu jewi tiwisem tenqmit ug duwist vjev zua moli. Op fuoph vjot, zua'mm ewuof atoph devdj-qjsetit vjev siemmz niep puvjoph vu zuas fitohpis. Zua fup'v jewi vu hu uwiscuesf, ataemmz vjsii foggisipv tenqmi duwist esi ipuahj vu quopv vji fitohpis op vji sohjv fosidvoup.

Emtu, xjip zua esi qodloph uav e fitohpis, siemmz veli e muul ev vjios qusvgumou. Og vjiz fup'v jewi upi siefomz eweomecmi, etl vjin gus tenqmit. Og vjios duwist muul moli tunivjoph zua'f tiip up vji PZ Vonit Citvtimmis't Motv, zua quttocmz jewi e xoppoph fitohpis vu xusl xovj. Og puv, NUWI UP. Vji duwis ug zuas cuul ot ov't gedi. Uvjis vjep vji fitdsoqvoup zua uggis, ov't jux qiuqmi fivisnopi og ov't xusvj e sief. Cuult ESI kafhif cz vjios duwist.

 

[COSenior]

Xjev ep opvisitvoph qiil opvu vji sietupt gus vji djuodit fitohpist neli. Xux, vjisi't tu nadj nusi vjisi vjep O xuamf jewi siduhpobif xovjuav vji fiveomif epemztot epf iyenqmit. O dep tii nz duwist esi huoph vu piif epuvjis suapf ug onqsuwinipvt. Tohj.

 

[McCoyH]

Iwip nusi tu, O vjopl vjot ot vsai op qsufadv qjuvut epf neslivoph nevisoem et ximm.