COVER ME, I'M PUBLISHING A BOOK!

The first point of sale for any book is its cover, and the three most important sales elements of the cover are: the title, the graphics on the front and the information on the back. A book's cover is like the bread of a sandwich, while the pages in between are like its meat. Left unadorned, the ingredients of the sandwich may not look so appealing when lying on a plate without a way to hold them. Bakers do not consult butchers as to the type of bread to use in making a sandwich but both play an integral role in the finished product. So too is the relationship between a writer and a cover designer. The writer delivers the finest product and the designer packages it for consumption.


A good cover design on the front of a book should catch the potential reader's eye like an illuminated sign on a dark highway. It should be both artistic and promotional at the same time. The front cover will serve as an unofficial trademark for the work after publication, so it is important that it is done professionally. Writers may give their suggestions initially but then they must step back and let the designer have the freedom to interpret their vision of the story. Like an editor, a cover artist is a separate set of eyes seeking to enhance the work. The cover of a book can be simplistic or ornate but it should never be dull.


There is an old adage that says: "You can't judge a book by its cover." But there is a place where a book is actually judged by its cover and that place is the back cover. Once a reader has been drawn to the book they will invariably pick it up and turn it over (or read the dust jacket if it is a hardcover). This is the most important moment for both the reader and the writer because this is where a connection is made or lost. Many writers and publishers make the mistake of ignoring the importance of the back cover. Instead of a synopsis they will place either a large photograph of the author; a string of one or two line passages from book reviews; or a vertical line of single word adjectives like "Magnificent", "Thrilling", and "Suspenseful" followed by an inordinate number of meaningless stars. True, it might be interesting to know what the author looks like, or that the story is worthy of all those wonderful accolades, but what is really nice to know is what the book is about.


The only time a book can avoid placing a synopsis on the back cover is when the title says it all. A History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides needs no explanation as to what it is about. Whereas, Nick Flynn's profanely lyrical title; Another Bulls**t Night in Suck City alas, should probably include a synopsis as well as an apology. There is a lot of leeway when choosing a title for a book. It does not have to be catchy, poetic, or even informative but it should make a reader want to learn more about the subject. One thing a title should never be is an inside joke or a pronouncement of the author's intellectual superiority. Case in point: One of the original titles considered by F. Scott Fitzgerald for what would become The Great Gatsby was Trimalchio in West Egg. Though this title may have made sense to the peers of Fitzgerald who studied classical literature and carried Ivy League diplomas, the average reader would have no idea that Trimalchio was a decadent character known for his lavish parties in Petronius Arbiter's Satyricon.  Fortunately, wiser heads prevailed by the time the book went to press.


The cover of a book, its graphics, its title, and its back cover are all important parts of a successful marketing strategy, but the real artistry should always be in what lies between the covers. Good writing can never be diminished by a bad cover and amateurish writing can never be elevated by a great one.


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