Lorilyn Roberts came to me with a book cover re-design project and her current book cover was not all that bad. I think I mentioned that the font was kind of “masculine” (Meaning boxy and dated) and she mentioned that the girl on the front needed some hair AND some CLOTHING so she didn’t look naked.
I didn’t find much magic in the image but there was still something about what WAS there that created interest so I gave her some clothes, reduced the length of her hair, gave this bird more of a ‘wing’ to show it moving, tweaked the color to allow it more depth, and put in another image in the background to open up a whole new world that made one want to enter into it. I put gold in the water (according to the story) and an updated and contemporary feel for the font treatment, a few more sparkles and tweaks and this is what we ended up with.
From the moment Lorilyn updated the cover it started to make sales. Where Lorilyn’ s OLD design was selling an average of 29-30 books a month, this new cover design sold 384 copies in 17 days! That’s an increase of 1200%
Not only that but THE DOOR (at the time of this article) is the #1 BEST SELLING CHRISTIAN FANTASY BOOK ON AMAZON!
My next project came when the author was told that a “homemade” cover that he designed himself needed tweaking because “professional covers have bleeds” and not all the square cuts that he came up with.
I was grateful to get my hands on it and then the author said:” I need to create a book cover that has such a visual impact that it doesn’t need words to say-Heal Your Childhood Wounds. A book cover that is so visually powerful that no one can possibly not want to buy it. “
A tall order, for sure but we came up with the perfect image which was in keeping with the child that he wanted to show, and then I created some drama with the lighting and the font that included some child-like text, hopefully, to reach out to the inner wounded child in MANY of us. We pray Bruce’s sales reflect the time and effort that many have poured into this soon-to-be-released book.
So how much influence can a cover have over the sales of a book? A TON. While this isn’t a hard and fast rule, it’s certainly one we strive for. Inside and out, your book should speak of the excellence that we should all strive through, in and through Christ who supplies all our needs and supplies the gifts to glorify Him.
Guest blog … Lisa Hainline is a designer and has been a strong advocate of WHY a cover design makes a difference in sales. She designs under her names Lionsgate Book Design and Lisa Hainline. Knowing “who” you book buying market is will create the “hook” for the design to develop the magnet you want your book to be. Her website is www.Lisahainline.com. Based in California, she’s an active participant on the Author U LinkedIn group. Lisa’s phone is 909-436-9025 and email LHainline2@gmail.com.
Please see my Christian Book Cover Portfolio for more examples of my cover designs and contact me at lhainline2@gmail.com or lisa@lisahainline.com to discuss your project and how we at Lionsgate Book Design can help make your publication gain all the advantage it deserves.
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