Indies Unlimited

Once you accept that you are now in the throes of marketing a consumer product, the first thing you need to do is get to a bookstore. Several bookstores. On the street, or online, preferably both. Booksellers are the front lines where the battle is met. How books appear “clearly” out of a jumble in the stacks, how special titles jump out at browsers and how they turn browsers into buyers is not magic. It’s careful, calculated packaging design. It is a science that has been around for quite a while now, and even a new author can make use of some of the most important precepts, learning how to be conversant in the lingo.

An effective cover is rarely chosen at random because it’s a nice picture that “reminds me of the story.” Your book is competing with hundreds, even thousands of titles in your genre and reader niche, and sometimes, only the cover will stand between a sale and an unmotivated browser. Continue reading “Book Cover Design 101 – by Richard Sutton”