By definition, trends come and go, and people do, in fact, judge a book by its cover. If you are at the formatting stage of publishing, it’s important to research the trends.
No doubt you’ve noticed the shift over the last decade from glossy paperbacks to the current soft-touch lamination. My first few books had glossy covers, but the more recent ones have that suede-like feel. It used to be only for high-end books, but now you see it everywhere.
Another trend that I barely noticed until recently is how the size of paperbacks is changing. Most of my Agatha Christie collection consists of paperback editions. I have a few from the 1940s and 1950s that are shortish – 4 by 6 ¼ inches – but most were published in the 1970s and are a bit taller, 4 by 7 inches. If you hadn’t heard, some major distributors announced last year that they were phasing out that familiar “pocketbook” size. Trade paperbacks today are 5 ½ by 8 ½ inches or 6 by 9 inches, a more generous format.
I’ve read different reasons for the change. An aging population of readers with vision limitations. More ebook readers. The popularity of audiobooks. Probably all of these are contributors, but whatever the reason, any book you’re publishing now needs to fit in with the current trend.
Then there’s cover art.
When I was a teenaged girl, Gothic romances were all the rage, and I spent many hours engrossed in books with covers featuring a young woman (usually the governess!) running from some moody castle. Remember those?
By the 1980s, “moody” was replaced by buxom heroines tumbling out of their ripped bodices, accompanied by a muscular pirate or highwayman. Later still, there was the “headless” trend. I remember seeing every book on a store shelf showing just a well-dressed torso, cut off at the neck. Today’s romance book covers are less people-focused and often have colorful, cartoon-like graphics.
Agatha Christie’s book covers have changed with the times, too, of course. A common complaint is when the cover gives too many clues, ruining the mystery story inside. I like the ones with people on them because they reflect the era in which they were issued through clothing and hairstyles, but maybe that’s a turn-off for people who aren’t into the historical aspects. Which is a reminder to reissue your self-published books occasionally, to keep up with the trends.
After Kenneth Branagh made his Poirot movies, those books came out with film tie-in covers. The same happened with the Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney movies in the 1970s, and also with the 1960s Miss Marple movies starring Margaret Rutherford. The problem is that the books are frequently different from the film. Someone reading A Haunting in Venice is bound to be surprised by Hallowe'en Party!
In his book Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert on Wickedness, Dr. Mark Aldridge shares a story from Agatha herself on this problem. Rutherford starred as Miss Marple in a movie called Murder at the Gallop, which was loosely (extremely loosely!) based on After the Funeral. Her publishers released a new copy that featured Margaret Rutherford on the cover. Of course, After the Funeral is a Poirot book, a bit of a bait-and-switch since Miss Marple never appears in it at all. Dame Christie was exasperated and embarrassed by her readers’ reactions to this marketing effort.
Which illustrates the whole point of book covers. To attract book buyers, a cover should convey familiarity so readers know what they’re getting, but also display novelty to pique a reader’s interest, be on-trend for today’s customer, but not cookie-cutter, which gets lost in the crowd. All that and look fabulous, too!
It’s a good idea to use your computer to read up on trends, but when you’re planning your book cover, take the time to actually browse through a brick-and-mortar bookstore. You’ll get a wider view of what’s out there than you will online. Let the shelves inform and inspire you!
Photo by Marta Dzedyshko