Oh?
Don't lie: we all judge books by their covers. A visual expression of the story, a standalone piece of art and a marketing tool all in one, book covers are absolutely important in the process of selling books.
I mean, who hasn’t saw a book cover and paused?
The unexplainable, instinctual joy I feel when I see an amazing cover, without much knowledge of the story. The deepening appreciation of the effort if I read the story. The bone-shuddering cringe when I see a cruddy cover (even with open-mindedness towards the size of the publisher, the possible budget allocated and genre conventions). The horror that drains all life from my face when a book cover poorly represents the story.
How is it one face of a book has so much responsibility? Is able to elicit so much within me? It just does. It’s art. It’s business. It’s so much more.
As an avid book lover and a hobbyist illustrator with marketing/advertising knowledge, I can’t help but notice book covers. It may as well be one of the perfectly complementary intersections of the two worlds. Rave with me about book covers every other week.
Psst, for my written musings on art and books, check out my other newsletter, Art Nuggets!
