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Why Book Covers Are So Important
Book covers give potential readers a taste of the book before they turn to the first page. They can set the atmosphere, intrigue the potential reader, and in the case of self-published authors indicate how much effort the author has put into creating a finished product. While the old saying may be “don’t judge a book by its cover” we all do it. If a cover grabs our attention we might read the blurb, or the first few pages and decide if we want to read further. If we look at a cover and it’s badly composed or not to our taste then we’re less likely to expend effort reading further.
There are some hideous book covers out there, both for traditionally published and self-published books, although with self-published books the chance of a poor quality cover is somewhat higher. The first impression given by such covers is that the author/publisher couldn’t put the effort into creating an attractive cover or perhaps didn’t feel the book was worth the time, money and effort it could take to produce a good looking cover.
The industry is flooded with book covers made of stock images or designed to look like every other book in a specific genre. How many katana wielding, tank top wearing girls show up on the covers of urban fantasy? How many bare-chested men do we find on the covers of paranormal romance? That’s fine if the message you want to give to your readers is that your book is fairly standard urban fantasy or paranormal romance, as long as your book does what it says on the tin then it might not be a terrible idea to follow a well used formula for your cover. However, if you have other themes or want to stand out from the crowd then stock images and formulaic covers of leather clad women and oil drenched men may not be the approach for you. It really depends on your needs, but the point is authors/publishers should think about it. Generic is not necessarily bad, and one of a kind is not necessarily good, but it’s necessary to spend some time developing a concept that works for a specific book.
It was one of Twilight’s strong points that the covers were different, unique, although now the industry is flooded with copycats. There was another book, Pure, which had awesome covers. One was solid black with the text written in gloss black rather than a colour. It was quirky, different, and the book was also available in white. I haven’t finished the book yet, but I presume the two colours represent the two types of people the book focuses on. I own the book, one of the last hardcopy books I bought, purely because the cover called to the designer in me.
In a way I’m lucky, I’m a designer in my day job and my husband is a photographer, so with the help of a performance trained model I created my own covers. Between the three of us we had enough experience to create covers which didn’t include irrelevant stock photos and photoshop abuse. However, the process took hours of concept development, prop organisation, photography and editing and design, it was a process that could cost thousands for those without industry contacts. Even for me I had to buy props. Many authors don’t have design training, and may not have contact with photographers and models or illustrators. In such cases it is important for authors/publishers to hire the appropriate professionals in order to obtain a cover that does their book justice.
LAUNCH DISCOUNT: THIS BOOK WILL BE ON SALE FOR A REDUCED PRICE THROUGHOUT FEBRUARY 2014 TO CELEBRATE ITS LAUNCH.
Allegiance: The Vampire Alliance Book Two
Eve hadn’t wanted a second marriage, she wanted to remain happily unmarried rather than curse another good man to Rob’s fate. If only Tul had listened to her protestations. Instead the Senate are intent on making her relive her own personal hell. Worse, the instrument they seem intent on using to bring about her suffering is the creature, the merciless drone they’d created from all that remained of Rob.
The world seems to be conspiring against Eve and the Alliance, and even among Johan’s band of rebels not everyone is happy to have Eve as part of the group. With Tul missing and friends few on the ground, Eve begins to slip back into the pit of despair which had once consumed her and that may just lead her to behave more recklessly than ever before. Mistakes have consequences however, and for Eve the consequences of her actions may just decide the course of the future.
Is there a way to save Tul? Does anything of Rob remain in the Senate controlled puppet his body’s become? More importantly, why are the Senate determined to take control of Eve and just how far will they go to gain possession of her?
Praise for Allegiance*:
“Wow! I have loved reading this series. You have done such an amazing job writing it Loved the storyline, and the characters. Cannot wait to read the next one.”
“Wow! I have loved reading this series. You have done such an amazing job writing it Loved the storyline, and the characters. Cannot wait to read the next one.”
“Both books are amazing!! I have read them both in less than 24 hours!! Can’t wait to read Antithesis.”
Praise for Absolution*:
“I enjoyed every chapter haven't stayed up so late for a book in so long I just couldn't put my phone down. Great book.”
“I enjoyed every chapter haven't stayed up so late for a book in so long I just couldn't put my phone down. Great book.”
“Wow! It's a nice change to read something in the vampire category with a more mature storyline. Your story was interesting and had me captivated from the beginning until the end. It was beautifully written, and falling in love with the characters was easy. Great job absolutely loved it!”
“I have thoroughly enjoyed this book! I think this has been one of the most original, mature vampire stories I have ever read... The lives of your vampires are fully realised, their abilities are believable, and the twists in your story are sublime.”
*All comments are from readers.
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Genre - Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Rating – R
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