by Daniel Lamparelli
Every author wants to be a best seller. What most of them don't realize is the two things that separate bestselling authors from the rest of the pack isn't just prose, it's also presentation. That's because many bestselling authors have the backing of publishing houses that employ an army of editors, designers and publicists who are there to position and promote client books. This process begins with cover art designed by a professional graphic designer.
You Can Judge a Book by its Cover
Image courtesy of GoodBooks.Online |
Unfortunately, many authors
fail to understand the major impact that hiring a graphic designer can have on book sales.
Looking to cut costs, they may think that using stock images and free online book cover software will get the job done. It's only after the fact that they start wondering why sales of their book are lackluster, failing to connect cause and effect.
What
is a Graphic Designer?
A graphic designer is a trained professional
who understands the nuances associated with assembling images, typography, and color in order to maximize the aesthetic appeal of a book. A designer can make your brand stand
out in a crowded market, make it appear more professional, and open your
books to entirely new audiences. Graphic designers are often
mistakenly thought of as artists, which makes business owners and authors alike wonder what an
artist could possibly add to their skillset. But the purpose of a
graphic designer is completely different to that of an artist. Where a fine
artist creates work that is left to the viewer to interpret, a graphic
designer’s work should require no explanation at all. Graphic designers are some of the best
communicators in the world, and if people are interpreting their message in a
way that is not intended, the graphic designer is not doing the job properly.
What
can a Graphic Designer Do for Your Business?
If you're an author, then your books will become your brand. Unless you only intend on writing one book, you want your readers to be able to identify you from thousands of other authors vying to get their attention.
In business, a brand is made up from common elements such as the way the phone is answered, to customer service policy, to the company's name. A professional graphic designer is able to expertly manipulate these elements to ensure that every customer perceives a client in the best possible light. A strong brand is memorable. It builds trust and encourages positive referrals from customers. A weak brand is instantly forgettable.
Everyone knows that FedEx is synonymous with overnight delivery. But did you ever take a close look at the FedEx logo? Did you realize there is an arrow embedded between the E and the x. That logo was the brainchild of Lindon Leader, senior design director in the San Francisco office of Landor Associates. In a quote from a blog entitled, "The Story behind the Famous FedEx Logo, And Why it Works:"
"Back then, the company was still officially Federal Express," he recalls. "The logo was a purple and orange wordmark that simply spelled out the name. Although there was enormous cachet around the term, a global research study revealed that customers were unaware of Federal Express’ global scope and full-service logistics capabilities.
"People thought they shipped only overnight and only within the U.S.," Lindon explains. "So the goal was to communicate the breadth of its services and to leverage one of its most valuable assets—the FedEx brand." Lindon remembers that FedEx’s CEO, Fred Smith, placed high value on design and had an intuitive marketing sense: "Any designer worth a lick will tell you great clients make for great design. He said okay to a brand name change and authorized a new graphic treatment. He said do whatever we wanted, under two conditions. One was that whatever we did, we had to justify it: ‘You can make them pink and green for all I care; just give me a good reason why,’ he said. The second one was about visibility. ‘My trucks are moving billboards,’ he said. ‘I better be able to see a FedEx truck loud and clear from five blocks away.’ That was it! So off we went."
By we, Lindon was referring to several teams of designers working on the logo. This resulted in nearly 200 design concepts. While tweaking the company's color scheme to make their namemark FedEx orange less red and the purple less blue, Lindon started squeezing the spacing between the text until he noticed a white arrow begin to appear between the capital E and the lowercase x. And the rest is history. So revolutionary was the design that over the years since its inception, the logo has garnered more than 40 design awards and was ranked as one of the 8 best logos in the last 35 years.
You Only Get One Chance at a First Impression
Image courtesy of Danial Lamparelli |
Ensure
your Message is Consistent
In business, an inconsistent message makes a company appear unprofessional. If you have several different logos appearing in different sizes across your book and website, all of which use different fonts and layouts, your message is going to come across as confused as will your design. Likewise, an
inconsistent cover design is not a good way to inspire trust
among your readers.A graphic designer can create cover art which will help you get the reader's attention and make them want to read more. He or she will also help you convey your book's theme before the reader even has a chance to check out your blurb. They can also help you create an author website that wows readers. Different designers will be meticulous when it comes to ensuring that all the elements associated with your books are consistent with their content. They’ll also be more than happy to let you know when it’s not. (That's why consulting with a graphic designer can be one of the most important things you can do when it comes to selling your books.)
You Can Make Book on That
With so much at stake when it comes to promoting your book, it would be foolish not to improve the odds by getting a graphic designer involved in the mix. As communication becomes increasingly visual and graphic design becomes increasingly critical to success online, you need every edge you can find in order to make your book a success.
Daniel Lamparelli is part of the Dream Team who works with GoodBooks.Online
To see some samples of his covers and arrange a free consultation click on the link.
If you want to be treated like a bestseller, you need to ACT like a bestseller. Don't short sheet your book's marketability by creating a cover yourself. After all, if the cover doesn't grab the reader, don't expect them to take the next step. Daniel did a bang up job on the cover for my upcoming cri-fi novel Chinaman's Chance.
ReplyDeleteGood design is important. This was a helpful post.
ReplyDelete