Self-Publishing The importance of a good cover

[JohnBertel]

Reedsy published the result of an experiment where they redesigned book covers of different genres and measured the difference in the numbers of clicks on BookBub adds. The largest increase was 164% (!) on a fantasy book.

https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/book-design/redesign

 

[Jake E]

Reedsy published the result of an experiment where they redesigned book covers of different genres and measured the difference in the numbers of clicks on BookBub adds. The largest increase was 164% (!) on a fantasy book.

https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/book-design/redesign

Unfortunately, Reedsy also charge 164% the price to make a cover.
Seriously. The lowest quote I had for a fantasy book cover was £1200.
I had 10 quotes back.
The most expensive was £4000.

 

[MattScho]

Unfortunately, Reedsy also charge 164% the price to make a cover.
Seriously. The lowest quote I had for a fantasy book cover was £1200.
I had 10 quotes back.
The most expensive was £4000.

So this is a study conducted by a group that benefits if the study turns out the way it did? I am not sure I buy the results.

 

[Hannah Faoileán]

So this is a study conducted by a group that benefits if the study turns out the way it did? I am not sure I buy the results.

Yeah, like a drugs company giving you the scientifically tested and statistically significant efficacy of their own drug. You can do anything with statistics - you just have to find the statistical solution that proves your case. Or utitlize an already skewed demographic. Or use a non-blind procedure.

 

[Pamela Jo]

Yeah, like a drugs company giving you the scientifically tested and statistically significant efficacy of their own drug. You can do anything with statistics - you just have to find the statistical solution that proves your case. Or utitlize an already skewed demographic. Or use a non-blind procedure.

There's lies, bloody lies... And statistics.

 

[MattScho]

Yeah, like a drugs company giving you the scientifically tested and statistically significant efficacy of their own drug. You can do anything with statistics - you just have to find the statistical solution that proves your case. Or utitlize an already skewed demographic. Or use a non-blind procedure.

Back in the day, an editor with whom I never saw to eye to eye, dropped a press release on my desk and said, "give me a quick 700 on this, might even be worth page one." The release said that 75 percent of all youth sport coaching constituted child abuse. I thought, 75 percent is really high, so did what you do, expert check, and everyone said that's a bit crazy. Checked into who did the study. It was a Not For profit, which makes it sound noblish, but look into that NFP and it is operated by a single organization, the organization that controlled about half the youth sport coach training in the US. So, yeah, child abuse in coaching is bad, but vastly overstating the occurance is not good.
We all know that a good cover is a good thing. However, in an age of electronic book purchasing (even of paper books), is the cover the first thing we see, the thing that pulls us in to take a look? Or is it the first line or two of a blurb, or what?
Research in this area would really be valuable. Scams are not needed.

 

[Jake E]

Back in the day, an editor with whom I never saw to eye to eye, dropped a press release on my desk and said, "give me a quick 700 on this, might even be worth page one." The release said that 75 percent of all youth sport coaching constituted child abuse. I thought, 75 percent is really high, so did what you do, expert check, and everyone said that's a bit crazy. Checked into who did the study. It was a Not For profit, which makes it sound noblish, but look into that NFP and it is operated by a single organization, the organization that controlled about half the youth sport coach training in the US. So, yeah, child abuse in coaching is bad, but vastly overstating the occurance is not good.
We all know that a good cover is a good thing. However, in an age of electronic book purchasing (even of paper books), is the cover the first thing we see, the thing that pulls us in to take a look? Or is it the first line or two of a blurb, or what?
Research in this area would really be valuable. Scams are not needed.

I definitely judge a book by it's cover.
If it looks low effort, then i assume the writing is low effort too

 

[JohnBertel]

Thanks for your input, everyone.

I was under the misconception that I was sharing well-documented research from one of the self-publishing world’s most trusted players.

But you proved it to be a scam. Partly by sharing the information that they charge for their services, and partly by pointing out that bad things have happened in the medical industry.

All we can do is hope someone else does the same research. Preferably someone who is not involved in the publishing industry at all.

 

[SusanT]

I like the old fashioned plain covers with nothing but the title, author and publisher on. Probably because they look tidier on my bookshelf.