Would you like to judge my book by its cover?

[NewAuthorInTraining]

I’m not quite ready to self publish on kindle, but I’m almost there.

I’ve designed my front cover (though obscured my name for now). It has been created in black and white as that’s how most kindles present the books, and I think it’s kind of atmospheric.

Would the cover tempt you to buy it? What would you think the genre was? Any other feedback?

Thanks in advance.

I think the text placement is wrong in relation to the image beneath it.

Honestly OP, a few hundred quid on a freelance graphic designer will be money very well spent. And they will give you a few options to choose from.

I assumed Victorian Gothic novel from the cover.

If it’s really about conversations with people before they died rather than a crime/murder book about the dead giving clues as to who did it then I think you need to make it clearer as to why it’s showing a church yard given that most people in this country are now cremated. Is it historical fiction or non-fiction?

Did you know, most authors don’t get to choose their book title, far less the font?

They find a publisher who then choose a title that will work for the genre, regardless of whether the author agrees or approves - not relevant in my case, but I was astonished when I learned it.

Agree with others - a more zoomed out image of a graveyard would be better and text placing doesn't look great. I'd put the text along the top.

Good luck!

I want to read it ! When does it go on sale?

And this end up with books that sell. Perhaps you should give us a synopsis and we can suggest titles and cover photos

Ah, my favourite response, thank you.

Probably a few months from now.

Honestly OP, a few hundred quid on a freelance graphic designer will be money very well spent. And they will give you a few options to choose from.

Self-published on kindle may not recoup that kind of layout though - or not for some time. OP may also not have the spare cash for that right now.

I don't choose books on my kindle from the cover alone. It's mostly the blurb, recommendations from others etc. My kindle is black & white so colours etc wouldn't stand out.

I'd never buy a self-published book no matter what the cover looked like!
And I use the Kindle app on my phone, all covers show in colour. As do the covers on Amazon while you're browsing. A black and white one is going to look very out of place.

I'd possibly buy it depending on cost. The title makes me think it'll be true stories about ordinary dead people, and I love history so would be interested. My kindle is b&w but I don't buy books through it but on my phone instead. The covers aren't normally the thing that attracts my attention, like a pp it's the title, or link from another book, or the blurb.

I think it needs a subtitle to help a casual browser know what it’s about eg:

Conversations with the dead: How to contact the deceased in 10 easy steps

Conversations with the dead: The shocking true story of the church killer

Conversations with the dead: An Inspector Murphy Mystery

currently it looks like non- fiction but there are no real clues what genre it is. The newspaper type font does hint at true crime. Choosing the right font is key as it works as a shorthand to tell readers what they can expect from the book - it sets the ‘tone of voice’. So a serif font often hints at classic or softer content, or misery memoir when used with a tinted photo. Serif could also mean romance, cosy crime etc. A San-serif is often more ‘business like’ and depending on the font can hint at all sorts of content.

l’d have a look at bestsellers from the big publishers in the same genre and take inspiration from their covers and in particular the fonts.

I don't mind the writing. Or the placement.

The photo, however, looks like it's from GCSE photography. You need a better (more professional) image.

Excellent feedback everyone, thank you

I like it, it does look like you've knocked it up on your computer, but I love that about kindle books, in that you can get such a diversity of authors that never would have been available in print. I've read some great stuff.
Unsure about the genre from the title. Either a ghost hunting type thing, or a spooky dark humour.

I like the picture - it reminds me of when publishers like penguin re release the old classics or their range of modern classics. I agree with the others that the text looks off, but the title, combined with the picture, is intriguing and I'd scroll down to read the blurb

Liking the title and picture, yes I would be interested to read it, not that I read as much as I used to. I also agree, smaller title to not obscure the image as much. Xx

I would think it was a book by a psychic. The cover is horrible - sorry. The text is too big and in the wrong place. No, I wouldn’t buy it because the cover makes it look amateurish.

They find a publisher who then choose a title that will work for the genre, regardless of whether the author agrees or approves

That's because the publisher knows the market and knows what will sell, better than the author.

Did you try and get an agent or a publishing deal OP? Is that why you are self publishing?

I’ve not attempted to find a publisher for several reasons, one of which is self awareness that it is a very niche genre with not much wild appeal

I'm going for a cheap copy of 'Silent Witness' cold case autopsy crime genre.

The fonts certainly stand out 🤣

I always read the blurb and ratings though so... 🤷

I would guess (gothic) poetry from the cover and title.

The lettering doesn't stand out very well - it needs something to unify it - sorry, I can't offer any constructive suggestions as I know nothing about typefaces!

Photo is a little dull - it isn't arresting in any way. I would choose a starker image.

I don't think it would leap out at me but I might have a quick glance to see what it was about.

Sorry to jump on fhe criticism of the font but just to let you know as a partially sighted person that title is extremely hard to read on that background

Too much detail and not clear on genre