Why Most Book Covers Fail (and How to Fix Yours)

Hoo boy. This is a big topic. So big, that I think we’ll probably revisit it a second or even third time.Book covers are SO IMPORTANT.In this episode, we dig into why covers can make or break a book before a reader ever reads a word. We talk honestly about covers we loved that failed, covers we did not personally like that sold extremely well, and the hard truth that your book cover is not art or self expression. It is a marketing tool.Spoiler alert: Tara doesn’t love all of her book covers. And that is OKAY.We get into genre signaling, reader expectations, ego traps, budget realities, when to hire a designer, when not to, and how to actually look at what is working in your category without losing your mind. If you are an indie author who has ever stared at your cover and thought, I love this but no one is clicking, this conversation is for you. If you’re a new author and wondering where to begin with covers, this is a great starting point. Services mentioned:The providers listed are not affiliates; we only talked about the particular services we used. Most offer more services than we have tried.K-Lytics: Genre-specific reports showing tropes, ranks, keywords and book covers of the top selling books on AmazonCanva: A low-cost option for ebook covers and reader magnets, with caveats for print and audio.PicMonkey Sometimes easier than Canva for handling multiple cover formats.WHAT WE’RE READINGFinlay Donovan Is Killing ItA masterclass example of a cover doing its job. Bought on sight, sets tone and expectations perfectly.Stranger Things: One Way or AnotherOfficial Stranger Things mystery novel written by a screenwriter from the show, discussed in the context of cover expectations and audience.Thanks for reading YOU SHOULD TOTALLY WRITE THAT! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit youshouldtotallywritethat.substack.com