Above you see a link to the RWA's readership survey for 2011 and the results were somewhat surprising. I did notice that covers were important to the reader in deciding if they want to purchase a book--the back cover.
Makes you think about your blurbs, doesn't it?
For me, I'm a sucker for a pretty cover and that's what draws my attention first. If the cover leaps out at me, I'll click on it or pick it up and read the first page--of the fifth chapter.Which I do for one reason, and one reason only. I want to know if the entire story will engage me. Too many authors put so much focus on the opening they forget about the rest of the book. If you want to know if the writing is consistent, go to a later chapter and check out the opening page. If that interests me, I flip to the back and read the blurb. Do I like it? Now I go back to the book and ask myself, is this part of a series or does that author have other books. If not, it doesn't stop me from buying it, but it might affect my searches for e-books by this author in the future (You want to be on the future buy list). As with most readers, I like the adventure to continue, and continue, and continue.
Back to the covers. So if most romance readers place little stock on the cover, why should authors get all worked up when a cover goes wrong, mind you, this has never happened to me yet, but I have seen poor authors receive some ugly and just plain horrible covers.
Well, my mind is on covers because I have two in production I'm waiting for. Now, I know Decadent does pretty covers, so I'm not worried, just antsy because I want to show everyone the covers for my upcoming stories.
So while I wait for covers for my science fiction romance, let me show you a few that I just love.
The Scarlet Empress/Cover has changed
Okay, I'll leave you with one last bit of artwork, the new banner on my website, because hey, the survey says...
Have a great weekend,
D L
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