Why Book Covers are So Important
by Arthur J. Gonzalez
Before I published THE PHOTO TRAVLER, I scanned aisles upon aisles of book stores, as well as countless pages of websites until I was able to decide what I personally liked (and didn’t like). The thing is … the book cover is the first impression for any potential reader. It’s what they see before they decide to give your book an extended shot and dive into a synopsis (or even continue to skim over your blurb). Think of your own purchasing behaviors. Would you even consider watching a movie whose poster was tacky or completely contradicted your taste?
Probably not.
Don’t settle on cheap, mundane covers. If a reader doesn’t like the cover, and/or it looks like a self-published piece of work…well, you’ve just lost a reader. And as it is, finding new readers and retaining them is a difficult task in itself. So don’t make it harder on yourself.
Go above and beyond for your book cover. Your cover needs to be of professional standard. Save up for this. This will set you aside from the thousands of already self-published novels. It also gives the reader an idea of what the book is about and who it’s marketed towards.
Some of my favorite reviews for THE PHOTO TRAVELER are in regards to how much people enjoy the cover, and their insistence on how sleek and professional it appears.
If you are tight on a budget, don’t become overwhelmed or discouraged. There are plenty of great websites that will resolve this problem. Initially, I used a website community for graphic designers, 99designs.com (there are many others just like it!) I paid a small fee and had over 300 customized designs to choose from within two to three days – without paying anything upfront! I was given access to inform designers what I wanted, and as they provided samples, I was able to direct their attempts. I will be honest – some of the submissions were pretty rough, but others were absolutely fantastic. Some designers provided over 20 covers each, based on my recommendations.
Eventually I found the perfect cover. Even more so, I formed a relationship with my cover designer, whom I now use for EVERYTHING!
To find out even more, ask additional questions, and/or sign up to my mailing list for upto-date information, exclusive reads, cover reveals, and special giveaways, go here:
www.arthurjgonzalez.com/contact
Seventeen-year-old Gavin Hillstone is resigned to being miserable for the rest of his life. Left alone in the world after his parents died in a fire when he was four, he was placed in foster care, which for him meant ending up in an abusive home with an alcoholic adoptive father.
Gavin’s only escape is in taking and creating images. His camera is his refuge from the unending torture and isolation of daily life in his “family.”
Until he learns by accident that he isn’t alone in the world after all. His father’s parents are still alive and living in Washington DC.
When he takes the plunge and travels 3,000 miles to find his grandparents, he learns that they—and he—are part of something much bigger, and more dangerous, than he could ever have imagined. Something that has always put his family at risk and that will now threaten his own life, while forever changing it.
He learns that he is one of the last descendants of a small group of Photo Travelers—people who can travel through time and space through images. But his initial excitement turns to fear, when he soon discovers that he and his grandparents are being pursued by the fierce remnants of a radical European Photo Traveler cult, the Peace Hunters. What Gavin has, they want!
His adventure will take him to past eras, like The Great Depression and the Salem Witch Trials. Gavin will have to discover who he really is and must make choices that spell the difference between life and death for himself, for the relatives he now knows and loves, and for the girl he will come to love.
For Gavin, life will never be the same.
Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre - Young Adult Science Fiction
Rating – PG
More details about the author
Connect with Arthur J. Gonzalez on Facebook & Twitter
Website http://www.arthurjgonzalez.com/
a Rafflecopter giveaway
0 comments:
Post a Comment