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Judging a Book by its Cover

     Okay, confession time. How many of you choose a book just because you like the cover? Well, apparently a vast majority! A book's cover is the author's sales pitch to the reader. It must grab the potential buyer's attention and outshine the millions of other covers out there. No pressure!
     I am also learning that there are many, subtle indicators, to readers of particular genres, about what they can expect to find inside a book. If your cover promises something that the reader does not actually find within its pages, you can lose a reader. The opposite is true too. If your cover does not suggest 'PG 13' rated content within, but the book contains it, you can offend your reader. Wow, it's a minefield!
     Research of other covers in your particular genre is a very important place to begin.
     I self-published my first book and created the cover myself. I was new to the industry and had no training. That was probably not a good idea and when I ever get back to that series, I will change the covers of the first two in the series, to align with other children's historical fiction books. Updating covers of older books you have written can be well worth the investment - I have heard many anecdotal stories of new covers boosting the sales of previously published books.
     I have learned a lot since that first book went live. Now, I would only have a professional create my covers.
   So in this instance, people don't follow the conventional wisdom - they definitely DO judge a book by its cover!

Author of The Secret of Haversham House
https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Haversham-House-Julie-Matern

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