Saw these book covers, all on the same table in Waterstones and I couldn't resist putting them next to each other. This whole ‘silhouette of a person running/escaping/fleeing for their lives' thing is totally overdone. I guess it sells books though. What do you think – should we use a recognisable, visual trope as a signal to the reader, or should we strive for originality and take a risk? Comments welcome from writers, readers, cover designers and everyone else.
I feel like almost everything is a trope. Just some are use more often than others. Going with what’s tried and true, it works, sells pretty well, but if you do something more original, I don’t think it will hurt you, not if it fits your book and sells your idea. Then of course all it would do is help you.
Thanks for commenting. I know what you mean about tropes – sometimes everything feels like a reference. Cover design is fascinating and much harder to get right than most people think. People often choose the familiar over the strange, so an element of reference is useful just to orientate your readers. But I like the cover of ‘Wool’, and there’s not much of a clue there.
I’m a big fan of minimalist covers. I think they grab attention better because they do stand out, and make a pretty bold statement, “The cover can be simple because the content is anything but.”
Thanks Matt. Yes, I’m totally with you there. I just can’t buy a book with a fussy cover.