A library in Cumbria is wrapping books in plain paper, to encourage readers to expand their choices and pick up something they wouldn’t normally read. It’s not a new idea (Google ‘blind date with a book’, and you’ll see what I mean) but it’s a great one.
Covers are hugely important. as I write this, designers are working on the cover for I Let You Go, my début psychological suspense novel. My editor has seen some initial concepts, but nothing ‘quite right’ yet, and so she’s keeping them under wraps for now. I am itching with impatience. Will I like it? Will it feel right for the story? Will it – like almost half the books on my ‘to be read’ pile – feature a girl in a red dress?
Directing Chipping Norton Literary Festival has had a hugely positive effect on my reading. I try to read books by as many of our authors each year as I can, which means stepping firmly outside my comfort zone. The more often you pick up a book you don’t much like the look of, only to be surprised by the contents, the more likely you are to do it again. Reading outside one’s preferred reading list is a wonderful way to discover new authors or genres.
I find it hard to analyse what I like in the covers to which I am instinctively drawn. Bold colours make a difference, as do unfussy designs with strong lettering and simple imagery. I’m not drawn to glittery covers or swirly writing, but I’m not put off by high heels, if that’s the type of book I feel like reading.
I can’t wait to see the cover of I Let You Go. I imagine it will be dark and a little foreboding, perhaps with car headlights, and the shimmer of rain on tarmac; or a child holding his mother’s hand. I can’t imagine what it will be like to see my name across the spine, but I can’t wait to find out!
What draws you to a cover?