Judging a book by its cover?

Well, we'd have to know the storyline. Perhaps.

I can't give away the actual story but its meant to be a light book, vaguely humorous, easy to pick up and read on a journey. Its absolutely No Shades of Grey btw!
As its clearly light fiction I wanted a drawn rather than photographic effect. Sorry for this am just rambling to myself (as usual!)

I don't think the cover influences me much at all. I go for the content and type size - for some weird reason I don't like larger type! I presume because I feel I get more for my money when smaller type used
Definitely larger print puts me off regardless of the content......

I would suggest visiting bookshops and looking at books of all genres, but particularly falling within the genre that you have identified as being the one that your book most closely falls within. Compare "your" genre with other genres and see what the differences are.

Look on Amazon for these authors - who I think fall into the lightly humorous category you describe - and you can view the covers of their books:

Mavis Cheek - her covers often contain one smallish, simple illustration;

Gervase Phinn: I think he writes books, containing lightly humorous anecdotes, that are easy to read at leisure. His cover illustrations are more detailed.

Joshua Ferris wrote a very funny novel about office life called "Then we came to the end". The cover contains several small illustrations. It's a quite engrossing read - not a "pick up and put down book" - but the cover might give you some ideas.

As someone who spends more time thinking about writing than actually doing it, I'm enormously impressed that you've actually finished a book. I wish you lots of success with it.

Thanks. I've spent so long looking at covers in shops and online that I'm completely confused! I think I'd prefer a drawn cover instead of a photographed one but that's as far as I've got. I read voraciously myself and really don't know how I choose. Eloethan just do it! Once I know what I'm writing about it gets hold of me and I can't wait to see what comes out of my head. Its addictive! Quite hard too. Turning it into an actual book is the hardest part I've found. Editing, being edited is not necessarily easy but is good for the soul! Now back to my cover cogitations!

Oh gosh, not sure what prompts me to pick up a book - a bit of a mixture really, of the title, the colour and the font used! Don't forget that often all you see in a bookshop, if you're selecting from the stacked bookshelves, is the spine of the book. Obviously displays will show the front cover, but it's often the spine that we see first, so I guess that's why I say the font is important.
A quirky, curly font tends to put me off because I associate it with chick-lit. But if that's what your book is, then that's the kind of font you may need.
And it might be an idea to look into colour psychology (sorry, am I getting a bit weird now?). For me, colour can be important. Put simply, I may pass over a pink book but reach for an eau-de-nil, pine green or deep mauve one.
As for the actual design, it's quite difficult to imagine what this might be without knowing the storyline.
But well done, how marvellous to have written a book! You must let us know when it's published - and just think: it might end up as a GN recommended read!

Thanks. Good suggestion. On thinking about it I don't like curly writing either. My books not chick lit. I love Alexander McCall Smiths writing and the sort of thing Barbara Pym writes. Its the characters that I enjoy so I've developed a location where lots of peoples stories can be explored. I also agree re colours. Currently my cover looks a bit dark and serious. I'm thinking about lightening it but without trivialising it. Good suggestion re the spine too. This has helped me to focus my thinking. Thanks again.

Ah, then I have a vague image in my mind of overlapping pencil-sketched characters - you know, the mysterious, elegant woman, tall and with a large brimmed hat; the pontificating know it all fellow, balding and rotund; the bird-like twittering little woman, a gardener maybe, who sees everything that goes on; and the out and out gossip, arms folded across her chest, who has an opinion on everything.

Whatever disparate characters are in your book would maybe look intriguing to anyone picking it up, wondering how they all fit together?

Personally, I would think that the title itself, and what it expresses, is more important than any pictures, typefaces or design. But I am probably in the minority.

For example, I like everything on my screen (laptop, phone, etc) to be in an alphabetical list, but the tendency these days is more and more to little undecipherable pictures, so apparently this is what people want.

When I get an e-mail with the Kindle special offers, I choose entirely on the basis of the title which of the 20 or so alternatives I might buy at 1 Euro a go. A well-known author would be my first criterion, followed by a title which clearly states what the book is about. If it doesn't then there should be a tag line which does.

The last half-dozen books I chose based on this system were all good reads and quite up my street.

As I say, this is a personal opinion and I suspect that I am in the minority. However - do consider the title very seriously before you incorporate it in your design.

Oh - and if you are thinking of publishing as an e-book, remember that with most models, you only see things in black and white. So the effect a striking red picture or writing would be lost completely on someone viewing on one of those devices.

Snow Falling on Cedars - take a look at that cover. It is reckoned that, until it became popular for its content, people bought it just for the cover - a great piece of design.

I know you don't want a photograph, but when I worked as a photographer, taking pics to represent articles in magazines, I had to read the article and decide what the essence of it was and take a pic that would make that clear. The same principle applies to any illustration - pare your text down in your mind to one or at most two words, then base your cover on that and that alone - find a designer who is prepared to be clear rather than cluttered, which is the worst thing you can do, especially on the small canvas of a book cover.

Good luck with this!

I wish I could post the latest version on here but I know I can't! I'm not trying to advertise as its not ready yet. This is a brain picking exercise! Writing the blurb for the back is equally hard! The current image is simple and the font is lovely incorporating a visual joke (but don't worry its still very clear). I looked at Amazon on my kindle and found myself much more drawn to the titles than the thumbnails. Everyone seems very keen on the title. I've had a lot of input from "beta readers". My key demographic is middle aged ladies who like a story but also a bit of a wry smile at times. Sounds like GNers!

Jane10 Although they will want your input, won't your publishers make the final decision re cover and blurb?

Yes and we are all discussing it. I just wanted to clarify my own thoughts so I can contribute usefully. Its still my baby although subjecting it to others editing has been good for my soul (and probably the book!)

With me, it's what I am NOT attracted by. Lately there has been a trend towards suing photographs on book covers that would formerly have been drawings or paintings. They aren't books that I would buy anyway, as they are usually what my grandma referred to as 'bodice-rippers' but to me, they just look cheap and lurid.

So I was very relieved that you wanted a drawn cover.

I'm not keen on pictures where you can see the faces. I think we all have our own ideas of what people in books should look like. I like the covers of the Driving over Lemons series, to name but one. So I looked them up, only to find that the latest editions have a photo now... This is one of them in its old format

www.amazon.co.uk/The-Last-Days-Bus-Club/dp/1908745436/ref=pd_sim_b_4/275-4666652-3293541?ie=UTF8&refRID=1HJ4N8XXM6X2S4MAJQTZ

I think the cover is very important. Which is daft probably, but yes, when I go through all the Amazon deals I click on the ones with covers I like.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004TLNO9K?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o01_

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004ZMWUCU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o09_

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BS030RQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o07_

I was looking at the scarily vast selection of books I have bought from Amazon, and I was wondering why I was attracted to some covers and not others (bought because of book club) and realised that I like books that when I leave them lying around, they are still attractive to me. They are not cheap and gaudy looking. I had never even thought about it before. Now I am wondering if I am weird!

No you're not weird or if you are then so am I! I like the bus one in the link you sent. Its simplicity is good and says a lot. Thanks.

I like the bus one as well - the style reminded me of those old fashioned British holiday posters. I also liked the cover of the Misremembered Man - but because of the solitary setting of the cottage, to me it had quite a serious - rather than a humorous - feel.

A book cover is important to me too and some books - those with pastel pink or lilac covers or a misty photo of a young woman - wouldn't attract me at all.

Oh yes, pastel pink and misty puts me off completely! At the moment we have a strong image but how to present it confuses me. At least its not down to me to finalise it. Maybe I'll be more relaxed about it all for book 2! Doubt it somehow.

I have to say that I like to read the same book many times, and do not often venture into modern books. I figure that if I am going to spend time reading, I want to make sure I enjoy it !! the more I enjoy the book , the more i will read it. And if it is the latest book in a series, I will read the bewginning of the series all over again, before I read the new one.

So if I have read it before, or recognise the author as one I have reasd before, that is usually enough for me.

crazy but true-does anyone else do this ?

There are certain authors I like, such as Anne Tyler and Sarah Walters, and I have re-read some of their books.

Exciting times for you Jane.

Just a few tips for you to consider from the mum of a successful children's author.

Keep the cover simple, definitely not busy.
Look at a variety of fonts on books and choose one that appeals.
Decide where your name is placed and make sure it isn't swallowed up by the picture/ drawing.
Let the cover reveal some of the story - I presume it is fiction ?
Put your draft book in your own bookcase and see how the spine looks and if it can be read easily.
Get a professional editor not a friend to edit your book.

Best of luck.

Thanks all. I've got professionals involved but just want to be involved myself. That started me thinking about why I choose the books I do and struggled a bit. Your responses really helped: Colour, image, font,title etc and I do find it easier to know what I don't like than what I do. All sorts of things to think about and new things to learn about and new people to meet. One minute its just me and my desktop (and the cat) and the next its all this! Thanks GNers you've given me lots of useful insights.

For what it's worth, Jane,my tip would be to stay with your instinct. The cover is very important; it's the first thing that a potential customer sees. If they like it, they pick up the book. Then they read the blurb-- also very important, it is the moment when they decide if they really want to part with money to be entertained or enlightened.

What follows depends upon the quality of the work, although of course, readers' views differ as to what is good. Once a reader has opened a book to start reading, there is really only one reason he/she would stop. Readers stop reading when they are bored.

You know your story better than anyone else, so if you feel that a purpose designed piece of relevant artwork is right for the book, you are probably correct.

Good luck with it.