How important is your cover art and book blurb?

He Said: It’s critical!

Your cover art and book blurb is what is going to attract your potential readers to buy and read your book. As such, they need to do several things

 Cover Art:

• Attract attention. You want your cover art to pull the readers eye to it.
• It should give a ‘one picture’ snapshot of what your book is about.
• It should tell a story. Your story. Or, at least, the start or a part of it.
• Make the reader want to know more and direct them to the blurb.

Sounds impossible? Not really. You, best of all, know what your book is about. Hunt through as many pictures as you have to until the one that tells your story jumps out at you. Do not compromise! This is what is going to sell your book. You’ll know it when you see it so, have patience.

Book Blurb:

• Continue to hold the reader’s attention.
• Make them want to read more.
• Make them ask questions. Where is this book going? What’s going to happen to the characters?

Again, have patience. Write and rewrite this until it is a capsule of your story. Make sure it plants questions in the reader’s mind as you go. Do not just use the first chapter or a part of your book! You need to tailor this to its purpose: To grab, hold and pull the reader into your book. To make them want to buy it.

Okay Ash. I think we agree on this one. Do we?

She Said…

I have a bit of a different opinion as I see things from a reader’s standpoint instead of a writer’s view, which my dear friend has the experience of.  Just wait, one day I can speak from that point of view as well.  Anyhow, here we go.

I think a bit differently about cover art because I don’t necessarily feel like your cover needs to encapsulate your story.  Sometimes I think something more abstract attracts me to certain books.  It definitely makes me curious as to what’s inside; therefore, directing me to the blurb.  Be creative.  An example I can use from a recent review is Jason Huffman-Black’s Snakes Among Sweet Flowers.  The front cover features the back of a man with a tattoo of, well, snakes among flowers.  That isn’t what the book is about, but the cover itself caused me to want to read the blurb and see what the book was all about.  This can be said about D.J Donaldson’s books as well.

Now when it comes to the blurb, I think you’re talking about one of the most important parts of the book…aside from the actual story of course.  As a reviewer, I ask that when someone requests a review that they include the blurb so that we can determine whether or not we will accept their book for review.  The reason the blurb is so important – to us as well – is that it is a glimpse into the soul of the book.  And frankly, when I’m searching for a good book to read, I want to take a look at the soul.

I can tell you my pet peeve when it comes to blurbs is when authors basically chock the blurb full of snippets of other people’s reviews.  Hmmm…instead of telling me, a perspective reader, about the book let me read the opinions of other people I typically know nothing about.  So let’s take an imaginary book named “Heart’s Target.”  I look for the blurb and instead of learning about the book I am left with, “So and so is such an amazing author.  The imagery is just splendid and left me wanting more.”  And then, “I just love reading So and so’s books.  You should definitely pick this book up.”  Now, as a reviewer of course I think reviews are important, but where is the peek into the book?  From the title it could be a love story, or a murder mystery.  How the heck do I know when all you do is give me snippets of reviews??

Breathe Ashley, breathe.  All I will say is please tell me a little about your book so I can see if I’d like to read it.  I don’t care what three other authors have to say about it.  I mean heck, it may not even be a genre I’m interested in. That’s all on that!