In the final instalment of this series (Authors’ Main Aim Pains) of articles (so far notably encompassing Quality Output, Author Royalties, Advertising and Marketing, and Distribution), we discuss the issue of Cover Design.
And perhaps most excitedly, this relates to one of the most fundamental stages of book-publication.
Furthermore, book cover-design tends to be one of the stages achieving the most attention from writers, with 83% of published writers involved in a recent survey* stating that they felt their cover had been afforded ‘adequate time, attention and creative consideration’ and that their cover was ‘professional’ and ‘a good representation of the book’.
Notably, however, 73 out of the 80 books documented through the survey sold fewer than 20 copies to members of the public since publication (which notably ranged from between 3 months and 5 years), and 77 out of 80 did not conform with Notebook Publishing’s unique and exclusive Cover Creation Code.
Coupled with potentially lacking advertising and marketing efforts and exposure, we, at Notebook Publishing, are willing to make the following statement with 100% certainty:
The cover is a huge contributory factor in the failure of a book.
And, yes, we were taught not to judge a book by its cover, but the fact is: we all do.
Readers browsing a book store or searching through Amazon for their next read are all influenced and, in many cases, ‘put off’ by unappealing book covers.
And in many cases, a book cover can be hugely influential in enticing a reader to buy.
It was in mind of the above that Hayley Paige, through Notebook Publishing, devised the Cover Creation Code in line with her extensive experience and research in this arena.
The Cover Creation Code acts as a blueprint, guiding our designers in the completion of cover design, with attention centred on a number of key, oftentimes overlooked, elements. The blueprint is implemented across all books whose authors publish with us from late-February 2019.
And it’s available nowhere else.
This ensures that the final key obstacle facing writers in the publication and success of their book is firmly overcome.
It has always been, and continues to be, one of the predominant challenges experienced by independent writers, as is evident when examining the services available across the industry.
As examples, AuthorHouse simply follow the writer’s lead in their cover design, meaning no professional directs their eye in consideration to whether or not the book cover can actually appeal to the correct reading audience.
And worse still, they keep all rights to the book cover design.
And then there are the free platforms, including Create Space and Lulu, for example, which require that the author simply upload their design (unless opting to pay some $600 for a Lulu-created one or perhaps a Fiverr-recruited one). Again, there is no emphasis on the formula of book cover-design.
Hayley Paige has invested a wealth of time and energy, research and experience into the Cover Creation Code. This is now something all of Notebook Publishing‘s publishing authors** benefit from.
Through this professional blueprint and adherence to this unique and exclusive formula, we are laying every single stone needed in order to allow our writers to walk a well-designed and professionally laid path to achieving success.
*Notebook Publishing, 2018, conducted a survey involving 80 published authors, each with 1 published book (n=80).
**All writers publishing with Notebook Publishing from February 24, 2019.
