- Monday - Background Colors
- Tuesday - Background Pictures (Photo vs. Art)
- Wednesday - Font
- Thursday - Layout
- Friday - Cover Series
- Saturday - My favorite book covers.
Part One - Background Color
Black Covers
Note to authors considering self-publishing: consider a plain black or white background with a simple drawing or photo. It looks professional and it's easy. Below is a cover I did for one of my first books. Although it's not a mystery, as you can see, it's easy and neat.
White Covers
Blue Covers
I don't normally like blue on mystery covers but it's becoming really popular. Many of the new mystery books are blue. To me, they look so calm and peaceful. Perhaps they are meant to throw you off guard. Bang, a murder!
Red Covers
I like red. It's like blood. It symbolizes the craziness within. Not as many people go with red but especially this color, it can be very powerful.
Yellow Covers
What!? Why this color? I think there are a few reasons to go with yellow, for me, it symbolizes crazy. Perfect for a psychological mystery.
Pink Covers
Now this is just wrong! However, if I saw a pink book in the mystery section, I might pick it out because it's just so different.
What would I choose? For my debut mystery novel, I'd probably go with a standard black or white background. But who knows...it's really up to my publisher to decide.
What would you choose? Does color matter to you? Do you judge books by its cover?
I had not thought of what a cover may lead me to think about the book. I think you are right that black is a can't go wrong background...
ReplyDeleteYes, colour definitely DOES matter to me. When my publisher and were working out the details of my cover, the original blue she used was really quite pastal-like. Too lovely dovey fairy coloured. I said I wanted it to be more of a grey-blue to suit my MCs personality. It worked much better. So yeah, even different SHADES of a particular colour makes a difference.
ReplyDeletecovers are extremely important, sometimes even more important than the quality of the book itself when it comes to selling it.
ReplyDeleteI actually translated BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP for the readers in my country and the publisher still doesn't know what kind of cover to make, eventhough I translated it last winter, since the story is so difficult to illustrate and it's rather boring.
Covers are huge. I'll be here every day reading this series. You're so analytical - and I'm so glad! I'm going to need a cover and have no idea of the direction to go in.
ReplyDeleteWow, until this post, I'd never given the color of covers much thought. Now I will.
ReplyDeleteLooking at my YA books, the beach reads and romances are light colors (i.e. summer colors) and the paranormals are dark. Makes sense.
I like what you've written about white covers.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I do judge a book by its cover, especially when I see something that just looks off.
ReplyDeleteYour examination of the background colors for mystery novels raise some valid points. I think that one does get sense of what lies between the pages when looking at the overall background color. Black and red certainly spell dark and savage. I always expect the mystery within to be quite violent and terrifying.
I've noticed a lot of blue lately as well. I'm especially fond of the twilight dark blues. They leave you with a similar impression to the black. So shades of a color are just as important.
Looking forward to the rest of the week.
@ Jessica, you're right about the hues. I think just hues alone can make a cover. It has to match the book.
ReplyDelete@Dez, hey, I heard that book is really good. What a privileged to translate it. I want to pick it up. THis may be a stupid question but into what language did you translate it?
@Carol or Stina, I never thought much about it either until I had to design my own. Then a lot went into it.
@Suze, white is the new black! ha ha. NO, not really. I just wanted to say that.
I think it's really important, no matter what genre you write, you need to anaylize what other writers (in the same genre) are doing. Obviously the big publishing companies put a lot of thought into it, if you just copy their ideas (not actually copy the cover) on color and font, you should do well.
ReplyDeleteI think my grandson managed the background of my latest book very well this time. :0)
ReplyDeletePink!!! Pink!!!! I'll choose pink especially if its in the mystery section cos I'll be thinking oh how mysterious and intriguing!! LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteTake care
x
I think the cover is very important! Black is always a safe bet, unless it's a happy story. Then that would just be odd.
ReplyDeleteI think that's true, to an extent. I don't give a rat's patootie about cover colors (and, it means even less with a Kindle), if there isn't a decent synopsis to check out. The cover could be in puce, for all I care; but, with a decent blurb about the contents, I'll take it hands-down to a pretty visual that's marketing geared to hit the buy button is customers.
ReplyDeleteNow, you have to understand that I'm the lady who'll walk into a furniture store or car dealership, ready to pay cash for a new vehicle or houseful of furniture, in my jeans, old boots, and sloppy top, just to see what happens. There. The secret's out. Come visit when you can.
Your cover looks great! I tend to like a lot of color on covers. Deatiled artwork on a science fiction or fantasy book will always catch my eye.
ReplyDelete@ Sharlene, to an extent, you're right. However, even if you buy for Kindle, you have to hear or see the book somewhere online (a blog, amazon, a website) and so cover still matters. I think we have the example of Talli's book. When she changed the cover, the sales increased as well.
ReplyDeleteThis was such a fun post! I loved seeing all the different colors and how I reacted to them--totally interesting!
ReplyDeleteClarissa - Such an interesting question about colour! For me, colour does matter. a colour that's too muted or too dull doesn't get my attention, or gives me the message that the story is going to move a little more slowly. Colours that are bright (I don't mean neon) or have impact tell me there's more action in the novel.
ReplyDeleteI get a sense of sparse prose, edginess and noir sensuality just from the sight of a white cover with restrained minimalist graphics! Its amazing when you think about it, covers are so strong in creating an impression! Great post, love 'The Snowman' cover.
ReplyDeleteI do judge books by their cover - especially if I'm in a serendipitous mood. And colour is huge...Let's see - for The Rock Walker - I want a very light grey background colour - then my photo of the rocks at Peggy's Cove will POP. For True - I think it will have to be a shade of greyish blue and the letters in turquoise. I like covers with orange backgrounds too...
ReplyDeleteDid you ever read the John D. MacDonald Travis McGee novels? Each title had a different colour in it...loved them to bits.
If the cover doesn't get me I'll never make it to anything else. For me it's all about the artwork (everything that makes the cover).
ReplyDeleteColours are not the only factor so I might be persuaded to pick an orange or pink book, but if you want to be on the safe side, try to offer me something else ;)
ReplyDeleteI love neat black or blue covers, but as you say, black is not the obvious choice for a cosy mystery.
Great new feature; it will be interesting to see what you come up with the next days.
Covers are important and for that reason, for god sake if you're self pubbed either have a professional do it or take care in the design. That's been one of my pet peeves--lack of professional look to self pubs.
ReplyDeleteGood covers make you pause and at least pick it up and read the blurb. Sometimes I'll admit it's an omg, wtf is this? *crinkled brow. Your cover might get me to pause but if the cover blurb doesn't catch my interest, forget it.
As Jessica mentions, there are all sorts of shades of a color that makes the cover good.
Sia McKye's Thoughts...OVER COFFEE
I do think color matters when it comes to book covers. I've been known to judge novels by them--and if it's a book I've never heard of or seen before, it's even more likely to influence what I think.
ReplyDeleteI do judge a book by its cover. Not completely, but it does matter to get it right. I like the cover to say something about the novel content.
ReplyDeleteI prefer dark blue covers, but will buy anything that is intriguing :)
Sounds like this is going to be a cool series.
........dhole
I like dark covers. They usually strike my eyes first on a book cover. Red is good too, particularly when the story is about murder and mayhem. Will be following this series.
ReplyDeleteI definitely check out a book's cover first and it has to be at least somewhat attractive.
ReplyDeleteI've had three different covers on my first book and think the last one is the best. It's yellow, and some people said yellow was too happy of a color for a psychological suspense, but it's an ominous yellow, not sunny yellow. Second book is black with orange/yellow flames.
"@Dez, hey, I heard that book is really good. What a privileged to translate it. I want to pick it up. THis may be a stupid question but into what language did you translate it?"
ReplyDeleteit's a bad book, it has a very good (although not that original) idea, but it also has a very mediocre and extremely cheap ending so it's kind of an anticlimax :(
I translated it into Serbian off course :) I'm from Vojvodina, remember? :P
You are soooo right--covers do matter! I pick random books--whether in the library or the bookstore--based on cover, if I'm just perusing with no specific author or referred novel in mind. The ones with striking or gorgeous covers always get my attention first.
ReplyDeleteI'm very curious as to the rest of your series. Excellent post!
btw, I like the cover you made. I didn't know (at first glance) that YOU made it. ;)
For a mystery I'd go a dark colour like a black or a midnight blue OR I'd go white as long as it had a splash of red.
ReplyDeleteThe covers I liked best were dark horse and portobello, especially that dark red.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post and I'm looking forward to the rest of the week. I had to stop and think about colour. For me it's the pictures that attract me first, rather than colour. Having said that though, I don't like white or black backgrounds. They're not rich enough for my liking. It's my one grumble about my eReader: the black and white covers.
ReplyDeleteI've never even thought about background covers except when the cover didn't fit the novel. There are a few out there with dark covers that are much more lighthearted in content. This is great!
ReplyDeleteCovers do matter. That's the first thing that catches your eye. I just listened to SAVAGE NATURE without knowing anything about it simply because I liked the cover. I was pleasantly surprised by it.
ReplyDeleteMason
Thoughts in Progress
Freelance Editing By Mason
AH, color. Being someone who has to pick color for living and your living room, I can honestly say it does matter.
ReplyDeleteI would go with black or white with a spot of color to catch the eye. Simple as you said. Imagine a black spine with a simple red blood drop. :)
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow
I love your week long feature. I used to prefer the black but I am really drawn to the white covers, especially if blood somehow is included.
ReplyDeleteYellow seems to be becoming a popular choice also.
When I see blue, I just assume water has something to do with the story.
Hi Clarissa .. this is going to be so interesting .. the cover has to look dangerous somehow .. your examples are great ..
ReplyDeleteColour and the cover definitely do matter - as everyone agrees ..cheers Hilary
What a fascinating & helpful series! I like how you present the covers by color & how they pertain to your fave genre. I also laughed when I saw the pink cover as I automatically think of chick lit.
ReplyDeleteFascinating post, Clarissa.
ReplyDeleteI like the blue or red covers best. Black or white next. The yellow or pink covers don't do anything for me.
Donna V.
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