Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

Life's too short to play it safe

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Freeways to Flip-Flops
    • My Gutsy Story® Anthology
  • Media
    • Press Kit +Videos
    • Print Media
    • Awards-Reviews-Testimonials
    • Sonia’s Blog Tour
  • About Sonia
  • Contact
We Travel With A Purpose

Choosing a Book Cover That Sells

August 7, 2014 by Sonia Marsh 8 Comments

22
SHARES
ShareTweetGooglePinterestLinkedinMail

Book Cover RED #1Some of you know that I take great pride in my book covers, and don’t like to skimp on quality.

 

My Gutsy Story® Anthology # 2: Inspirational Short Stories About Taking Chances and Changing Your Life

Book cover  #3

I love the professional work done by Michele DeFilippo and Ronda Rawlins at 1106 Design. This year, I almost decided to SAVE MONEY and go with a cheaper design for our 2nd  Anthology in the series, but I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to skimp on quality.

Why?

Because I believe book design experts know more about book covers,and what sells a book than I do. Here’s a post I wrote on how to choose a book cover that sells based on  the first Anthology in the series:

My Gutsy Story® Anthology: True Stories of Love, Courage and Adventure From Around the World

has won 4 Awards, including the prestigious:

My Gutsy Story® Anthology: True Stories of Love, Courage and Adventure From Around the World, has been named a 2013 Benjamin Franklin Award Silver Honoree Winner.

Benjamin Franklin Awards

Is the cover important?

I just found a blog post on this topic by Cathi Stevenson on “What Sells a Book.”

She mentions an interesting case of where a book cover was redesigned, and it actually became a big hit after that. (see the quote from her post below.)

“In the March 2006 meeting of the Association of American Publishers, Marcella Smith, director of small press relations for Barnes and Noble, discussed the remake of the cover for The Little Book That Beats the Market (Wiley, 2005).

In the March 24, issue of Publisher’s Weekly Daily, Smith is quoted as saying the original book jacket was pale blue and featured a dollar sign. After discussing the cover with buyers, the publisher decided to change the book jacket to a more classic dark blue with white lettering, which they felt better suited a traditional business audience. It became a hit and the jacket was credited with the book’s increased popularity.”

 

Stevenson explains that most indie authors aren’t in brick and mortar bookstores, but sell online. So she then goes on to ask the question:

 

“So, do online covers matter? I’d have to say yes. First of all, it’s quite easy to weed out books that are self-published when the cover is obviously amateurish. One can only assume if there was no effort put into professional design, then there probably wasn’t much effort invested in editing, or layout or even research and story development. The cover is a necessary bit of polish, like a well-pressed suit.

Since covers are often only displayed at one or two inches online, a book cover is pretty much at the mercy of good advertising techniques to get the click-through on a page filled with similar books. An easily-read title and strong use of color are going to play a role.”–Cathi Stevenson

Stevenson stresses how a good blog and a professional product is going to help the indie author sell his 2nd book.


 

Look at our 1st Anthology cover (top cover) and decide which of the 2nd covers (below the butterfly cover) we should go with for our 2nd Anthology to be published this Fall.

MGS FINAL COVER Small
Our already published Anthology # 1
Book Cover #2
Would you buy this one? # 1


MGS FINAL COVER Small
Our already published Anthology # 1

Book cover  #3
Would you buy this one? #2

PLEASE  HELP ME  BY VOTING FOR THE COVER THAT WOULD MAKE YOU BUY THE BOOK.

(PLEASE WRITE YOUR ANSWER IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW AND SHARE WITH FRIENDS)

ANSWER # 1 RED COVER

ANSWER # 2 PALM TREE COVER


 


VOTE BE GUTSY BADGE
VOTE for your favorite JULY 2014 “My Gutsy Story®” ON THE RIGHT SIDEBAR.

You have from now until  August 13th to vote on the sidebar, (only one vote per person) and the winner will be announced on August 14th, and will select a prize from our generous sponsors. 

READ ALL STORIES HERE

 

Filed Under: Book Promotion, People, Writing & Work

Comments

  1. Java Davis says

    August 7, 2014 at 1:43 pm

    Hi, Sonia. I like Cover #1 better, but I choose Cover #2 because the colors coordinate better with the first edition’s cover. Either way, you can’t go wrong :-).

    Reply
    • Sonia Marsh says

      August 7, 2014 at 1:45 pm

      Java,

      Thanks. I find it tough myself to decide. I agree with you though.
      Sonia Marsh recently posted..Choosing a Book Cover That Sells My Profile

      Reply
  2. Rob-bear says

    August 7, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    The red cover is a delightfully upbeat. It is a nice complement to the blue you have already been using. Unless your goal is to have a constant colour and design that is readily identified as yours.

    But what do Bears know about anything, really?

    Blessings and Bear hugs
    Rob-bear recently posted..IN WHICH BEAR ENCOUNTERS SOMETHING STRANGEMy Profile

    Reply
    • Sonia Marsh says

      August 7, 2014 at 8:38 pm

      Bear,
      I love the red, but many prefer the palm tree. Very confused!!! Thank you for running over.
      Sonia Marsh recently posted..Choosing a Book Cover That Sells My Profile

      Reply
  3. Michele DeFilippo says

    August 7, 2014 at 7:12 pm

    Hi Sonia. Thanks for your kind words. We’re delighted that you came back to 1106 Design for this cover.

    Let me start by saying that either cover is “safe” in the objective sense. The title is clearly visible and the typography is well executed, so you can’t make a mistake.

    We like Cover #2 best for a purely subjective reason: mood. In #2 the color harmony “hangs together” from top to bottom, imparting a more tranquil feel than #1. But…perhaps you don’t want tranquility!

    It will be interesting to see which cover wins out in this social media “focus group.” It’s wonderful that this sort of research, once available only at high cost to ad agencies, is now at our fingertips. Good Luck!
    Michele DeFilippo recently posted..Five Simple Steps to Test Your Book’s Salability FactorMy Profile

    Reply
    • Sonia Marsh says

      August 7, 2014 at 8:39 pm

      Michele, Yes, you’re right. We can poll people more easily. Love both covers myself.
      Sonia Marsh recently posted..Choosing a Book Cover That Sells My Profile

      Reply
  4. Nancy Wolter says

    August 8, 2014 at 5:27 am

    I like #2 also! More in line with previous covers.
    Red Gutsy is sort of ‘shouts’.

    Reply
  5. Jennifer M. says

    August 8, 2014 at 12:05 pm

    I like the 2nd choice best. The red is indeed pretty, but the palm trees are keeping more with what I personally perceive as your “brand.” I think Michele DeFilippo expressed it perfectly.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Sign up for my Gutsy Updates

Come on over to see my new blog: We Travel With A Purpose

Welcome!

Welcome!

Click the cover to buy on Amazon

Recent Posts

  • After Lockdown: My New Adventure In England
  • How I Cope During Lockdown
  • My way of staying positive during these difficult times?

Archives

  • ►2021 (1)
    • ►April (1)
  • ►2020 (3)
    • ►April (2)
    • ►March (1)
  • ►2019 (1)
    • ►April (1)
  • ►2018 (10)
    • ►December (1)
    • ►November (1)
    • ►October (1)
    • ►September (2)
    • ►July (3)
    • ►May (1)
    • ►January (1)
  • ►2017 (9)
    • ►August (1)
    • ►June (1)
    • ►April (2)
    • ►March (1)
    • ►February (3)
    • ►January (1)
  • ►2016 (40)
    • ►December (1)
    • ►November (4)
    • ►October (5)
    • ►September (4)
    • ►August (4)
    • ►July (3)
    • ►June (3)
    • ►May (4)
    • ►April (4)
    • ►March (3)
    • ►February (1)
    • ►January (4)
  • ►2015 (60)
    • ►December (3)
    • ►November (3)
    • ►October (4)
    • ►September (3)
    • ►August (6)
    • ►July (5)
    • ►June (5)
    • ►May (3)
    • ►April (5)
    • ►March (8)
    • ►February (8)
    • ►January (7)
  • ►2014 (105)
    • ►December (9)
    • ►November (8)
    • ►October (9)
    • ►September (9)
    • ►August (8)
    • ►July (9)
    • ►June (9)
    • ►May (9)
    • ►April (8)
    • ►March (9)
    • ►February (8)
    • ►January (10)
  • ►2013 (104)
    • ►December (9)
    • ►November (9)
    • ►October (9)
    • ►September (8)
    • ►August (9)
    • ►July (9)
    • ►June (8)
    • ►May (9)
    • ►April (9)
    • ►March (8)
    • ►February (8)
    • ►January (9)
  • ►2012 (112)
    • ►December (10)
    • ►November (10)
    • ►October (9)
    • ►September (8)
    • ►August (10)
    • ►July (9)
    • ►June (8)
    • ►May (9)
    • ►April (10)
    • ►March (10)
    • ►February (8)
    • ►January (11)
  • ►2011 (105)
    • ►December (10)
    • ►November (8)
    • ►October (9)
    • ►September (9)
    • ►August (8)
    • ►July (8)
    • ►June (10)
    • ►May (9)
    • ►April (8)
    • ►March (9)
    • ►February (8)
    • ►January (9)

Also Available At:

Sign up for my Gutsy Updates with Holden Safaris.
Travel with me to Africa as I share my life-changing experiences.

Latest from the Blog

  • After Lockdown: My New Adventure In England
  • How I Cope During Lockdown
  • My way of staying positive during these difficult times?
  • How to Keep Your Mind Off the Coronavirus
  • Follow Me to Dubai on My New Travel Website

Copyright © 2017 — Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living • All rights reserved.
Site customised by Peace of Africa Designs