Ebooks sales spiked more than 145 percent last July. And that’s despite that fact that many of the titles don’t even have covers—or, at most, feature generic images with little pain taken with design.
Are “naked” books the new design trend? Is it about budget? Technology? Or will book covers go the way of album covers of yore, a small afterthought rather than a means of expression?
Think about it: Would Tina Fey’s book “BossyPants” have done so well without the mashup cover of female celebrity headshot and big-man arm muscles? Or how about the runway bestseller, “Go the F*ck to Sleep”? Would it have had the same impact without its charming cover and well-placed full moon?
With ebooks, the shift is not away from packaging design; it’s the change of what constitutes the actual packaging. Where there used to be graphic artwork or gorgeous fonts, now there’s a Kindle, a Nook or an iPad. But is it enough?
It might be. Currently design dominates much of product development. According to Arash Amel, a digital-research director at IHS Screen Digest, in a recent article in Time magazine, “Apple decided early on that devices drive consumption. That mantra evolved into an entire ecosystem reliant on Apple devices.” So the iPad looks fabulous so your book cover doesn’t have to.
Opinion about how ebooks without covers could impact sales and influence is mixed. Donna Miller, a renaissance figure when it comes to the book industry, conducted a random sample of about 100 teens regarding cover and what she found surprised her. Only 18 percent considered the cover the most important factor in selecting a book to read. What had more weight were the book summary and recommendations of friends and librarians.
This feedback tracks with what Alan Lange, Editor of YallPolitics.com and co-author of “Kings of Tort,” observes. “In my experience, the covers mean something, but in the end analysis, not that much. Books are sold by word of mouth or via influencers (reviewers). It is still very much hand-to-hand combat. It’s like a restaurant. It may look neat, but you are much more likely to patronize it if you (1) know someone who has been there and said it was good or (2) read a review from someone you trust.”
Read the whole post here. IndieReader.com
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