Cover Design - The number 1 thing to get right

Don't judge a book by its cover, they say. Unfortunately for writers, we all do! Hours, weeks, months, years poured into writing a book and the most talented writer in the world can go completely ignored. Why? Because the book didn't jump out at us. No matter if it's a post on facebook, on an amazon e-shelf, or in your favourite book shop, we all look for a cover that grabs our attention. So why's it important and how do we get it right, especially since the majority of us will be handing this incredibly important task over to someone else.(  

Why its important 

You need two things to sell books, people who are interested and a product that appeals. No person can see your whole story, but they can see how you choose to portray it in a cover. Book buyers do three things, before they go to the till. 
1. They usually head straight for their favourite genre. (Either your book is that genre and you've won step one, or you need to hit hard in stage two).
2. They scan covers and look for the image that interest them the most; or the image that feels familiar to something they have seen, read and enjoyed before.
3. They read your blurb.
4. Then they buy your book.  

That's three ways you can fall down before you even get someone to open page one and start reading. Today we're concentrating on step 2, the cover. 
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Beautiful covers win sales. They grab peoples attention, whether its in a post on the internet, as they scan down their twitter profile, or on shelves. And don't under estimate the power of adding pictures to your facebook/twitter statuses, by the way, it makes people stop and read. 

Take these two examples (above and to the right); great books, amazing authors, but importantly - amazing cover design. Check them out by the way - the images link to more info! 

So how do you get it right?

Don't look for a cover designer as your first step! This is what people usually do. They go searching around the internet looking for a designer who's done cool stuff before. Why is this bad? Because you need to start with your book. Do you know what genre it is? Do you know what feel you want it to have? Do you know what the covers of other books in your genre look like and do you know what your favourite ones are? 

If you don't, this is the place to start. Once you know what a professional cover looks like and which ones you would buy, save all the images and put them together. I don't care if you print them and stick them to a piece of paper, if you stick them on a word document, or if you spend hours on photoshop creating a professional mood board, but you need to have these covers together.

Then you can go look for a designer. When your doing this you want to look at a few things:

1. Have they designed a cover for the genre you've written before?
2. Do you personally like the style of their existing work, and do your friends and family?
3. Do they have an eye for layout, as well as image?
4. Does the text remain prominent against the image? (Remember your book title and your name are important and shouldn't get lost).

When you've got all this right, approach the designer and tell them what you've written. Tell them the genre and the atmosphere of the book; tell them who you think will buy it (teens, Mum's, 18-35 year old sci-fi readers). Be as precise as you can. Then share your collection of other book covers. Your not saying 'I want something exactly like these', you're saying 'this is the feel I want my book to have' and 'this is the market I need you to help me access'. 

Finally a few small thoughts about what to avoid.

1. Don't be over descriptive. Your using a designer because they are a professional. Listen to them and make comprises. If you give them freedom they will make you something better than what you can envisage you want. 
2. Ask for drafts and show them to your family and friends for feedback.
   
3. Check all the text is clear.
4. If you really don't like it, or have a problem, do not be afraid to say so.

If you're reading this, I guess you've either got a finished book, or one that isn't far from it. In which case CONGRATULATIONS and good luck. :]