An author might spend many months or even years working on a book. Didn’t Emily Bronte take thirteen years to finish Wuthering Heights?
Say what you like about Emily, she certainly had staying power. I digress, sorry, back to my point.
Having worked hard and any of my readers, who has written or is in the process of writing a book, novel or non-fiction, will know just how hard it really is.
You can forget these ‘How to write’ books that tell you that it’s simple, just sit down, plug into your Muse and away you go. No, not quite.
The writing has to be backed up by good quality research, even fiction, especially fiction if readers are to believe in its truth.
After the book is finished, comes the proofreading and editing, a huge task, even with a small book.
Along the way there are so many choices, what needs to go in, what should be left out? In order to let the work breathe and in doing so benefit the book.
When it’s finished, being a book, it will need a cover. And here all too often is the big problem.
Why do so many people who have worked so hard and for so long, throw any old image on the book and call it a cover?
In this time of E-books, especially when it comes to Amazon Kindle books, covers are not just important, but vital in getting your work noticed.
I have seen books in the crime and thriller sections, which feature obvious pictures of pets. I’m not kidding, dogs and cats and a title and author name.
Remember that if your book comes out on Kindle, it will feature on The Kindle Carousel, once downloaded. The quality of the cover along may decide on that book being flicked past, deleted or opened.
When it comes to my hard work, I mock up all of my covers first and then send them to a designer. My book represents not only my hard work, but also my Author Brand.
I want to be able to stand behind each book proudly. I also want them to look good as both thumbnails and full size.
In an Amazon search, potential readers must be able to read the title and see the cover image, at least reasonably enough to decide if it might be of interest to them.
Remember that they’ll only get to read the blurb, as amazing as it might be, once they click through from the thumbnail.
I like to have my covers before my books are written. That might seem odd and maybe it is. To me, it helps keep me on track.
It also holds me to account, because if the cover exists, the finished book has to follow. My thinking is like that great movie with Kevin Costner and Burt Lancaster, Field of dreams.
The quote from that movie was
‘If you build it, they will come.’
Now if you missed that one and I’d be surprised. The theme of the film was about believing in yourself and knowing that if you do what is right for you deep down in your heart, everything will work out.
So my covers are like that, I get them and the books will come. It works for me, but we’re all different and that’s what makes life so interesting.
pr hilton 