RIGHT TITLE, RIGHT
COVER
As a writer (11 books
so far, all self-published) I'm hardworking and I put a huge amount
of my time into planning, outlining, writing and rewriting my novels,
but as a self-promoter I'm lazy. Really lazy. I have Facebook,
Twitter, Link accounts and I have a blog. With each book I finish I
promise myself that this time I'll pull out all the stops to
publicise it, but most of the time I just can't be bothered. All I
want to do is write.
Which is why it's so
important to have the best cover and the best title you (or someone
else) can design, so that your book may get noticed in other ways.
There are others who,
like me, are attracted to obscure titles and intriguing cover designs
that don't actually tell you anything, but I think we're in the
minority and perhaps it's better to say on the tin exactly what it
does inside.
My most successful book
has been THE MYSTERY OF CRAVEN MANOR (for children 9-14) which has
sold nearly 9000 copies since Autumn 2015. I
have two other books for the same age range but they don't sell
nearly as well.
I
think CRAVEN MANOR is a good adventure story (well, I would, wouldn't
I?) but I think the main reason for its success is that it's very
clear just what it is. The title is self-explanatory, the house I've
pictured is spooky, it's dark, with just a few windows lit up, and
even the font I chose for the title (AR
CARTER) which
has little white spots scattered around it, adding to the atmospheric
night sky) adds to the effect.
If
you self-publish like me, you have the choice of hiring a designer
for your cover or designing it yourself (I taught myself to use
PAINT.NET which is a free graphics programme), but whichever method
you decide on, ask yourself whether your cover is saying what it does
in the tin.
