Wendy Lou Jones - Author
  • Welcome
  • About
  • Titles
  • Reviews
  • Blog
  • Say hello
  • Extras

A picture paints a thousand words.

25/5/2016

20 Comments

 
​I could probably talk about covers all day. The way they go with the trends and which I like best. And it has been a real quandary for me too, recently, having branched out into self-pubbing.
    I had the opportunity to design my own covers and personally believe they go well with the stories and my style. I wanted them to be pretty and romantic and English as my books are English romantic reads. BUT this does mean they do not fit with the norm for my genre – a risk in anyone’s books. No half-naked ripped guys here, I’m afraid. No drawn cover with some relevance to food. No. Hmmm. And has that lost me valuable sales? It probably has.
   The dilemma.
   When I walk into a book shop and look at the covers, it’s the colourful romantic ones that draw me in, so I guess I’m creating these covers for me. Maybe I’m not your typical romance reader, but I'm probably not your typical romance writer either and there have to be others like me out there, surely? So niche may be my fated position; I can live with that.
   Recently I asked a group on Facebook about my first cover and it was amazing the variation of the replies I got. Lots of people didn’t like the photography style (like mine), yet they are the ones that appeal to me most. In my defence, it did seem to be split. I wonder if this is a genre thing or it's universal.  I rarely even pick up a drawn cover. Not to say that the book inside isn’t fantastic, but judging a book by its cover??? GUILTY! I can’t help it. I decide just from looking at it if I’m likely to want to read it or not. Then the blurb and then the first few paragraphs. Doesn’t everyone? If I’m on-line, the reviews don’t bother me much, as I like to make up my own mind, but maybe that’s just me being cussed. ;-)
   Someone said my first cover reminded them of a sympathy card and I thought, given my tendency to write weepies, that that was hysterical. What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you judge a book by its cover?

​Thanks for reading! 
To return to the FICTION WRITERS BLOG HOP on Julie Valerie’s website, click here: http://www.julievalerie.com/fiction-writers-blog-hop-may-2016
20 Comments
Erika link
25/5/2016 02:29:06 pm

I absolutely judge books by their cover! Have I missed out on great reads that way? Probably. But there are just so many to choose from, I can't feel too guilty about letting an attractive cover help me decide which to pick up when I am browsing. (and yours are lovely, by the way!)

Reply
Wendy Lou Jones
25/5/2016 03:45:21 pm

Thanks Erika, good to know it's not just me.

Reply
Marie Lewis
25/5/2016 04:58:58 pm

Unless a book comes recommended I normally judge whether to pick a book up off the shelf by its cover. I must have missed many a good novel solely by not liking the cover.
The cover is extremely important when choosing a new book.
Loving the ones of Nutt Hill though.

Reply
Wendy Lou Jones
25/5/2016 05:10:36 pm

Thanks Marie. It is, isn't it? Rightly or wrongly, we read a lot into a cover.

Reply
Julie Valerie link
25/5/2016 05:40:40 pm

I definitely judge a book by its cover. And I have no qualms confessing: I've purchased books because their covers were so beautiful - knowing I may not read the book. I just found the art of the object so enticing I wanted it for my collection.

Your covers are GORGEOUS, Wendy! OMGosh. I love them!

Reply
Wendy Lou Jones
25/5/2016 05:53:36 pm

#TeamJudge. I know. If they're really pretty, I feel certain the inside must be good too. Definitely drives sales for me. In these days of digital books, to have a pretty one on your real shelf is a must. :-)
Thanks, Valerie. x

Reply
Wendy Janes
25/5/2016 06:25:16 pm

Yes, I definitely judge a book by its cover. I'm drawn to the photography style, too. If I'm online, it's cover and title first, then blurb, then reviews.

Reply
Wendy Lou Jones
25/5/2016 06:31:58 pm

And only if there are many bad reviews would they put me off if all the rest was right.

Reply
Tracy Krimmer link
26/5/2016 12:31:17 am

Yes, I look at covers. There are so many books to choose from these days. I love the new trend which is more artsy than anything.

Reply
Wendy Lou Jones
30/5/2016 03:43:07 pm

That is the trouble. There're SO many!

Reply
Michelle James link
26/5/2016 02:22:58 am

Covers play an incredibly important role in my selection of a book. It's the first thing you see whether you are shopping in a bookstore or online. If it doesn't draw me in, it's a pass for me.

Reply
Wendy Lou Jones
30/5/2016 03:46:28 pm

Me too. Guilty. :-/

Reply
Jayne Denker link
26/5/2016 04:08:01 am

I used to be heavily swayed by covers...until I ended up with five books with covers that absolutely did not match the stories inside. Now I'm much more sympathetic! LOL! By the way, your covers are exactly on trend for women's fiction--flowers and a pastel background. They're lovely and perfect!

Reply
Wendy Lou Jones
26/5/2016 09:39:39 am

I'm on trend??? Wow. :-) There's a first for everything. Thank you.

Reply
Sandie link
26/5/2016 10:30:39 am

We all judge a book by its cover, whether we like to admit it or not. Cover, then title, then blurb.

For what it's worth, I LOVE your covers (I've told you this before). Like you, I don't like drawn covers, and if yours had the half-naked ripped guy on front, I wouldn't be interested. But yours make me want to dive right in.

Reply
Wendy Lou Jones
26/5/2016 03:10:15 pm

Thanks, Sandie. Then I have to think I've got them right. People know what sort of thing they like, don't they? And those who are looking for stories about bulging biceps probably wouldn't be interested in mine, anyway.

Reply
Sandrine Piat link
27/5/2016 12:56:42 pm

I definitely judge a book by it's cover. It's the first thing that draws me in, then I read the blurb. I don't really care about the title actually as long as the cover and blurb are to my liking. I find illustrated covers fun, because I like chick-lit, light and funny reads. 'Now I'm going to go and have a look at my bookshelf and see how many books I've bought - if there are any - with covers I don't like :-)

Reply
Wendy Lou Jones
27/5/2016 03:12:30 pm

I have a few that have been given to me that I wouldn't have picked. I guess if we have them, we must have liked the book and so forgiven it its cover.

Reply
Suze link
30/5/2016 03:01:00 pm

I love your covers. They're really pretty and they suit your stories. Roses represent romance for me. I've seen more books in your genre that have covers that don't have (semi) naked men on them and maybe it's something that's slowly gaining popularity? I really hope so. I love variety and like beautiful covers, but I usually buy a book because of the story, the cover is just a bonus.

Reply
Wendy Lou Jones
30/5/2016 03:45:19 pm

Thanks Suze. Also nice to know there's someone out there who chooses by the story and not just the cover. We can't all be Magpies, thank goodness. Oh, shiny!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Wife, mother, lapsed doctor. Hopelessly in love with every hero I've ever written.

    Archives

    June 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.