Nice jacket! What makes a good book cover?

At what stage do you like to see cover designs from publishers?

The first time we generally see a jacket design is at our “six-monthly” meetings. We look through what the publishers are planning to publish in the next season, and we get an insight into what they’re thinking of design-wise per book. Sometimes they can change quite radically from that time, or sometimes not at all.

Do you have much influence in the area? Have you ever encouraged a publisher to change a design because you think the book will stand a better chance with a different design?

I hope publishers find feedback from booksellers generally useful; many of the publishers that would show us artwork would be UK-based, so they’re not only getting a sense from us, but from other markets also. They’ll give us a synopsis of a book and if we don’t think that’s reflected in the jacket, it’s worth saying it. There aren’t really any hard and fast rules – we just try to be as clear and constructive as we can as to why a jacket might not work. We have encouraged publishers to change a design a few times, but, to be honest, sometimes changing just a tiny element can make a big difference.

How much do you think cover design influences readers’ impulse to pick up and buy a book? Is it more important than, say, reviews or blurbs? Or placement in the shop?

I think the jacket can draw you in if it appeals, certainly, but I wouldn’t say it’s always the deal-breaker. It may encourage you to pick up the title, but then you’ll read the blurb to see what the book is actually about. Ultimately, I think it’s the story that draws you in. Sometimes the simplest designs contain the strongest messages.

There are obviously trends in cover design that reflect genre – so, crime novels tend to look similar to other crime novels; contemporary women’s fiction has a similar feel; literary fiction too. Do you think these distinctions are helpful for booksellers and readers? And have you noticed any trends recently?

I think it can be useful in some ways to help a reader easily identify the type of book they’re looking for, but it’s important that designs not become too similar. If jackets in one particular genre all begin to look the same, readers might feel that they’ve read that book before. It’s all about subtly reinventing what’s there to look fresh, but not to alienate the audience either. Of late, I think The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window… has had quite an effect, not only from a design point of view but in creating a market for quirky, translated fiction. That blocky, cartoony design has appeared in a few places since!

Can you think of a jacket that perhaps began a trend? Or one that changed what we thought was possible with covers?

The most recent trend has probably come post-Fifty Shades. Before Fifty Shades, erotica had been very upfront and not particularly sophisticated about what it was about. The EL James jackets of the subdued grey tie, mask and locket key led that market to have jackets that featured just one single object, but with different colours, against a simple background. It really worked for publishers and authors. Each of the books was able to look different, while still communicating the type of book it was.

Overall, jackets are becoming increasingly complex – there’s all manner of laser cuts and lamination that can be done to make a book really stand out; there have even been virtual and enhanced reality jackets that you can look at online.

What are the elements that you, as a bookseller, think go into excellent cover design?

For me, it should tell you a little bit about the book plot-wise, but not too much – for example, whether it’s set in the modern day or it’s a story from the 18th century. More importantly, though, it should pitch the tone of the book more than anything else, and how you might feel as you read it. A positive quote from a similar author is often a huge help also, because it helps position and steer the book towards a particular audience.

And can you name a few (fiction) titles that have had covers you really loved? And maybe explain a little bit about why?

A jacket I really love at the moment is the cover of Anne Enright’s The Green Road. I think you only really appreciate the jacket once you’ve finished the book – it gives a perfect sense of place, and hints at the loneliness that runs through the story. It’s a beautiful image, and the book itself is a lovely object to have.

I love the jackets that Tom Gauld drew for Jose Saramago’s books, Seeing and Death at Intervals in particular. With very simple line drawings, he manages to capture the confusion and the black humour of the books’ surreal situations.

Finally, I thought the cover for Timur Vermes’s Look Who’s Back was particularly clever, and the very essence of what a very simple jacket can do. Clearly a book that skirts a very delicate issue, but with tongue very definitely in cheek.

Sarah Bannan is author of Weightless (Bloomsbury Circus)