As days, weeks and months race by at alarming speed, the deadline for the publication of Silent Thunder looms ever closer.
It’s not just the words, sentences, paragraphs and chapters that make up the book, to say nothing of the plot, the characters, the required tropes, the nuance, the ingenious twists etc etc. There’s a whole bunch of stuff that has to be done to get it on the bookshelf (or your favourite online portal). And top of that list is the cover. You can and do judge a book by its cover. And that makes it something of a priority.
I read somewhere that potential readers scanning shelves of popular books will unconsciously be drawn to the ones they like by the colours, font and imagery on the cover, and then only if it jumps out at them in the second or two their attention dwells on the book. There are unwritten rules for every genre of book and while they may change slightly over time, the basic theme of the genre will remain constant.
As a reader you will know what you are looking for and you will instinctually be drawn to what you like and you’ll discount everything else. The exception to this rule is if you recognise the name of an author you follow, the more well known they are, the more their name takes priority over the books title. If it’s the latest book by (insert your favourite author here), you will at least pause to consider it without noticing the title.
So when, as an unknown author, I’m thinking about the cover for Silent Thunder or the previous two books, I have to consider two things – 1. Does it fit in with others in the same genre – a thriller with a central hero figure, and 2. Does is stand out enough for grab the attention of potential readers. There is a third factor, applicable to a series. Does each book have a common theme, sharing a repeating image and font/title style. There’s also the question of how does the front cover image relate to the story itself. It doesn’t have to portray a scene from the book, but it should give a hint to the nature of the subject.
So…with all the above in mind, and with a few more months to go before Silent Thunder is released, this is a sneak preview of the cover.
Without giving too much away at this point, Silent Thunder sees Susie Jones investigating suspicious incidents within the energy industry. As she digs deeper, a conspiracy comes to light, with corruption and cover-ups hiding criminal activity and the self-interest of powerful forces.
The cover has yet to be finalised. Once I’m happy with it, the next job is the blurb, but that’s a subject for another day.
