Evan: With so many books out there, there are just too many options, and a lot of times readers can’t get to them all. A lot of times, the conventional wisdom is to judge a book by its cover because we are naturally wired to think that if it’s a really good cover, it’s going to be a good book. But we’ve all heard the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
I’ve had to think long and hard about that. While there are lots of books out there where the information is incredible but the cover is awful, we are in such a competitive space right now. You have to take the book cover for what it’s worth. If you look at movie posters or YouTube thumbnails, they work. The successful channels and movies put a lot of effort into making their displays incredible. Authors need to start adopting that. If you’re going to put this much effort into writing your book and take pride in your work, you have to start taking pride in the cover you create. Not everyone is a graphic designer, but there are more than enough affordable graphic designers available. What are your thoughts on this?
Nathan: I agree to a point, for sure. Taking my own experience, if I go to a bookstore looking for something to grab my attention, the cover, the graphics, the illustrations, and the colors absolutely matter to a degree. If you just have a boring black book with gold writing on the front, honestly, who is going to pick that up? The presentation on the front of the book is important because it needs to grab our attention, especially in an age where a book is a consumer product. You go to a store as a consumer to buy stuff, so it has to be attractive.
But there are two other things I do when I’m browsing in a store. I’m not necessarily on a mission to find a book on an exact topic, but I’m looking for something to grab my attention. I look at the cover, but then I look at the back to see what the reviews have been. After that, I’ll crack it open and read the first three or four pages of the prologue. I definitely encourage anybody going to a bookstore who doesn’t know what they want to pick up to try this. Reading just two to three pages of the prologue will give you a sense of the book. The cover is important, but what’s more important is what’s inside.
Evan: Right. So you’re going on the premise that the cover is supposed to catch your eye, get your attention to take the book off the shelf, and then you suggest reading a few pages—or even a whole chapter if you have time.
In a good way, covers are getting even more competitive because the space is just so crowded. How do you stand out in a sea of thousands of books? The advantage of a good cover is that it could get you noticed. The old saying still holds true that you should not judge a book by its cover, but you really have to step up your game now. The resources are there. I would just say to authors: don’t cheap out. Get a graphic designer. If you don’t know what you’re doing, hire a professional. There are so many people in the digital design and marketing space creating graphics right now that there’s almost no excuse.
Nathan: There’s almost no excuse, exactly.
Evan: If movies are putting so much effort into movie posters, and Netflix or YouTube videos rely on preview thumbnails to help you select what to watch, books have to do the same.
Nathan: The same goes for e-books, which are massive nowadays. A lot of people have a Kindle or an e-reader. When you go onto those digital stores, even though a lot of e-readers display everything in black and white, you can still tell that the author hired someone who put effort into the cover. It is important. Authors should put effort into their covers, but maybe consumers and readers also need to put effort into actually taking the time to look inside. Don’t just look at the front page and throw it out.
