I was recently invited to do a podcast interview with another author. But, when I tried to give her some kind critiques of her book cover (something I do as a paid consultant all the time), she turned me off completely. She decided not to interview me and essentially stopped talking to me.

I didn’t mean to offend her, but I obviously did. I was just trying to be helpful.

There were what I considered major problems with her book cover.

* The cover design was not related to her topic. It didn’t address the expectations of her target audience. You would not know what the book was about by glancing at the cover. My advice: Meet the expectations of your target audience.

* It violated a basic principle of cover design by having each word of the title single file down the front cover, making the title hard to read at a glance. My advice: Make the book title easy to read.

* The colors of the cover were not dynamic. The cover would fade into the background in any placement of books on a shelf. My advice: Don’t let your book cover fade away.

* The typeface was not a strong display typeface. My advice: Use a strong display typeface.

* The book title was not brandable or memorable. My advice: Whenever possible, create a book title that is memorable and brandable.

I would have been more gentle in critiquing her book cover if she had been willing to listen. But the above critique features advice that any author should follow to create an effective book cover.

As it is, she has done some great book marketing, so I hope the book sells despite the cover.

The above, of course, is not the actual book cover I’ve been discussing. It’s just a place holder.

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