Judging a Book by Its Cover

One of the worst sayings ever is 'Don't judge a book by its cover.'  Well, I've known many book cover designers in my life, and let me tell you, they take their jobs seriously.  So actually, you really should.  One of the biggest things that people were afraid of in the transition to eBooks over print, buying online instead of browsing in a real bookstore, was the power of the book cover.

Interesting that we still put so much into creating a selling image for a book, even though it's an eBook downloaded digitally directly from the Web onto a device.  We've even maintained close to the standard sizes and dimensions.  I am one of those people who doesn't believe the physical book is going to disappear anytime soon, but I love that even eBook exclusive originals have covers that are in a 6x9 perspective.  Really, what are the dimensions of an eBook?  But you know what?  We still need a visual image to market and sell the book.

So the cover remains.  And it's more important than ever.  Even if you're self-publishing, direct to eBook, I really urge you to put a cover image to your book.  It's your opportunity to create a selling tool, paint a picture of your story.

Now we're supposed to be talking about erotica on this blog, so let's talk about hot naked man torsos!  I may be extremely biased here, but it really is all about the pectorals and the abs and the inguinal ligament, isn't it?  Or big giant biceps wrapped around a woman with ecstasy face.

There are so many standards in book cover design depending on the genre.  From man with briefcase running.  Wrought-iron fence at an interesting angle.  Adirondack chairs at sunset.  In erotica, you got the hot man torso or the hot woman with man torso.  There's man in cowboy hat leaning on fence.  Why do the cowboys always lean on fences?  There's the black and purple lit torso.  There's the realistic photographed torso.  And now there's the article of clothing on black background.  Just about the only no-no is the all-text cover.