Frustrating as it is that this probably won't help to curtail those annoying emails, I'm glad we got a bit of a glimpse into the thought process behind your cover designs. Your reasonings for going your own way with them strike me as sound, and I'm definitely inclined to agree that the covers of many books out there are far too alike in their appearance.
I have never published a book, but I've done artwork for periodicals, including their covers. I think there is something to be said for creating your own cover art, and that would be, to keep the vision complete.
Two of the biggest reasons behind all the covers looking similar:
1. Traditional Publishing would set the "fashion" for covers, just like the yearly/seasonal looks for fashion you wear. So, the weird covers of the 70's the painted "Vallejo" or "Fabio" style of the 80's, etc. When Indie/NewPub came along, in order to look "professional" they had to copy the current style of the TradPub. So, yeah, everything started looking the same in order to get the readers attention that was trained on TradPub cover styles. Which was all about marketing. Blue/Purple/Pink? Cyberpunk or Urban Fantasy, Teal/Gold? YA, Purple/Blue/Orange? Sci-Fi, etc.
There is starting to be a slow movement away from that as NewPub is gaining traction with readers, but the "fashion" for TradPub is changing for it's decade shift, too, so things will start to look the same again. (Time for bellbottoms to circle around again!)
2. The pervasive use of gAI in cover creation. Guess what? It was trained on all that stuff above in #1. So, as it's a "predictive model" (i.e. guess the next thing), it is going to use the "rules" of covers from the last 10 years (maybe 15-20, but doubtful).
As a cover designer, I have to walk the balance for my clients of being "same enough" to signal genre for marketing, so that it fits with "professional" in the reader's eye. But also, to find those things which can make it different and stand out when the readers are doing their "5-second" scroll on tiny screens. But if I'm designing for one of my own stories, then I can be a little more daring, because I'm the only one hurt by that if it flops.
There is a drift back towards 80's style "tell a part of the story" covers, and there is a drift back towards "fairy tale" covers that I've seen recently (in the fantasy genres - which I specialize in along with Sci-fi) with fancy/intricate frames and a picture or symbol in the center of the frame with the title and author name more prominent.
Mystery and Thriller are much slower to change and will likely be some riff of the same for a long time. Same for Westerns. Romance is another one that is very traditional and doesn't change a whole lot. These genre readers know what they like and want to find it fast.
I hope that adds a little bit to the wonderful essay that our hostess provided.
You've done a great job with those covers. They're all very unique and interesting to look at. I do my own, too. Just very simple things, though. Personally, I think the most important thing is choosing the right colours. That seems to be what attracts readers most when they're scrolling through things quickly, and makes them stop to check something out. I always have fun making them, and it definitely makes a book feel more special when you've done everything yourself... 😎
Great work on your covers!
Frustrating as it is that this probably won't help to curtail those annoying emails, I'm glad we got a bit of a glimpse into the thought process behind your cover designs. Your reasonings for going your own way with them strike me as sound, and I'm definitely inclined to agree that the covers of many books out there are far too alike in their appearance.
Actually, now I’m getting hounded by people claiming they can increase my books “visibility” (as if the book are invisible or something). Har!
Right?! I'm probably getting those emails 4-5 times a day! Very annoying.
Thank you for the mention. I agree. Keep things simple. I hate a cover that's too busy. A single image is much more eye-catching. Great post.
I do mine too. I don’t know what I want until I’m done with it.
I have never published a book, but I've done artwork for periodicals, including their covers. I think there is something to be said for creating your own cover art, and that would be, to keep the vision complete.
Hats off to you.
I appear to be doing everything wrong.
So sorry. Creative writing is not an easy career, and marketing is a separate career altogether, sadly.
I agree. At least there is something to be said for not knowing what one is doing and having no fear.
Yes! You might even stumble upon something better than the "normal" advice!
It's so wonderful to have the talent to pull together not only an enticing book, but also a complementary cover.
Two of the biggest reasons behind all the covers looking similar:
1. Traditional Publishing would set the "fashion" for covers, just like the yearly/seasonal looks for fashion you wear. So, the weird covers of the 70's the painted "Vallejo" or "Fabio" style of the 80's, etc. When Indie/NewPub came along, in order to look "professional" they had to copy the current style of the TradPub. So, yeah, everything started looking the same in order to get the readers attention that was trained on TradPub cover styles. Which was all about marketing. Blue/Purple/Pink? Cyberpunk or Urban Fantasy, Teal/Gold? YA, Purple/Blue/Orange? Sci-Fi, etc.
There is starting to be a slow movement away from that as NewPub is gaining traction with readers, but the "fashion" for TradPub is changing for it's decade shift, too, so things will start to look the same again. (Time for bellbottoms to circle around again!)
2. The pervasive use of gAI in cover creation. Guess what? It was trained on all that stuff above in #1. So, as it's a "predictive model" (i.e. guess the next thing), it is going to use the "rules" of covers from the last 10 years (maybe 15-20, but doubtful).
As a cover designer, I have to walk the balance for my clients of being "same enough" to signal genre for marketing, so that it fits with "professional" in the reader's eye. But also, to find those things which can make it different and stand out when the readers are doing their "5-second" scroll on tiny screens. But if I'm designing for one of my own stories, then I can be a little more daring, because I'm the only one hurt by that if it flops.
There is a drift back towards 80's style "tell a part of the story" covers, and there is a drift back towards "fairy tale" covers that I've seen recently (in the fantasy genres - which I specialize in along with Sci-fi) with fancy/intricate frames and a picture or symbol in the center of the frame with the title and author name more prominent.
Mystery and Thriller are much slower to change and will likely be some riff of the same for a long time. Same for Westerns. Romance is another one that is very traditional and doesn't change a whole lot. These genre readers know what they like and want to find it fast.
I hope that adds a little bit to the wonderful essay that our hostess provided.
You've done a great job with those covers. They're all very unique and interesting to look at. I do my own, too. Just very simple things, though. Personally, I think the most important thing is choosing the right colours. That seems to be what attracts readers most when they're scrolling through things quickly, and makes them stop to check something out. I always have fun making them, and it definitely makes a book feel more special when you've done everything yourself... 😎
Fabulous!