Book Covers & Boots
by Bethany Maines
Author’s Note: I will not be writing about 9/11. I think we’ll probably see enough of that elsewhere today, so I will be writing about something much more fun – book covers.
Just as it is a truth universally acknowledged that a rich
bachelor must need a wife, it also known that a book cover can make or break a book.
But what makes a good book cover?cThe easy answer is that a book cover should clearly state
the title, author, and give a visual impression of the contents in the simplest
possible manner. Easily said, but not so easily done. Capturing the tone of a
book, much less a central theme, and an idea of characters or plot, in one
single graphic image is incredibly difficult.
As the release date for my new collection of short stories,
Tales from the City of Destiny, approaches I find myself once again fascinated
by book covers. From Romance novels with their assortment of bare-chested
heroes, to the illustration covered sci-fi/fantasy novels (see examples below), to Contemporary
Fiction with their photo based covers of women with no heads (yes, headless
woman books are a thing – check out this slideshow) each genre appears to have
their own language for how to speak to their audience. And that’s what I find
interesting! All of these books have targeted a specific audience.
Tales from the City of Destiny, approaches I find myself once again fascinated
by book covers. From Romance novels with their assortment of bare-chested
heroes, to the illustration covered sci-fi/fantasy novels (see examples below), to Contemporary
Fiction with their photo based covers of women with no heads (yes, headless
woman books are a thing – check out this slideshow) each genre appears to have
their own language for how to speak to their audience. And that’s what I find
interesting! All of these books have targeted a specific audience.
Ask an author who their audience is and nine times out of
ten we’ll fumble around and say “lots of people.” If we’re really on the ball
we can probably narrow it down to half the population – ie men or women. But in
all honesty, authors write for an audience of one, themselves. Perhaps,
afterwards, they’ll be able to narrow it down to a more specific genre, but thinking
about our work like that forces us to turn our precious creative effort into a
commodity, not just in the real world, but also in our own heads. Believing in
the reality of our characters is part of what makes writing fun, and without
that, what’s the point?
ten we’ll fumble around and say “lots of people.” If we’re really on the ball
we can probably narrow it down to half the population – ie men or women. But in
all honesty, authors write for an audience of one, themselves. Perhaps,
afterwards, they’ll be able to narrow it down to a more specific genre, but thinking
about our work like that forces us to turn our precious creative effort into a
commodity, not just in the real world, but also in our own heads. Believing in
the reality of our characters is part of what makes writing fun, and without
that, what’s the point?
And there’s the dirty little secret of writing: sometimes
marketing kills the fun. Which is
why it’s nice to have someone else do it for you, or at least to have a team
supporting you. So to all of those authors who grit their teeth, put on their
big girl boots, and go out and market their books, I salute you! And as I reach for my own boots, here
is a sneak peak at the new book cover for Tales from the City of Destiny.
marketing kills the fun. Which is
why it’s nice to have someone else do it for you, or at least to have a team
supporting you. So to all of those authors who grit their teeth, put on their
big girl boots, and go out and market their books, I salute you! And as I reach for my own boots, here
is a sneak peak at the new book cover for Tales from the City of Destiny.
Bethany Maines is the author of
the Carrie Mae Mystery series and Tales from the City of Destiny. You can also view the Carrie Mae youtube
video or catch up with her on Twitter.
the Carrie Mae Mystery series and Tales from the City of Destiny. You can also view the Carrie Mae youtube
video or catch up with her on Twitter.
