More books are being produced than ever before. That’s good — and bad. If you’re a book buyer, the choices seem to be limitless. But if you’re a book publisher, that means the competition for readers’ eyes and wallets is keen.
Today’s savvy publishers are looking for covers that are not only graphically arresting but also appeal to the sense of touch so that once a book is picked up, a sale ensues. Using metallic inks and lenticular printing, publishers are pushing production to deliver books that appeal to buyers on many levels. And given the popularity of online book sales, today’s jacket designs must also effectively convey book contents as small, low-resolution JPEGs.
It’s a tall order. But, as this story from BookTech magazine reveals, the combination of good design and innovative production can make book covers stand out in a crowd.
We’ve posted this story as a PDF file. All you do is click this link “Cover Story” to open the PDF file in your Web browser. You can also download the PDF to your machine for later viewing.
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This article was last modified on January 11, 2022
This article was first published on January 14, 2004
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This PDF was very worthwhile and is much appreciated. As a freelance illustrator (my clients include HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, American Media, Fort Ross, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and many other publishers and self-publishing authors), I am amazed at how rapidly things are changing in the book cover marketplace. Articles like this are a big help in keeping on top of things.
–Duncan
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See my book cover illustrations and cover designs at: https://DuncanLong.com/art.html