Book Decisions: Titles and Covers

While the saying goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, I think when it comes to a literal book, we tend to judge. Let’s face it, if we see a book cover and it’s something that doesn’t intrigue us, chances are we won’t even flip to the inside or to the back to see what the reading material is all about.

Believe it or not, Rest in Piece was not my first idea for the title of my book. In fact, upon just counting, I had ten other ideas! Ten! Finally, after resting (no pun intended), it just kind of came to me – Rest in Piece!

I really do think that the title of the book is important. After all, it’s the first thing the reader sees along with the cover. The title grabs your attention and it makes you curious about the rest of the book. Maybe when you saw the title Rest in Piece, you thought ‘Hmm, this story must be about death in some way. But wait, peace is spelled ‘piece’. Well, that’s interesting…’

Another important aspect of a book is the cover. You probably notice the cover design even before you notice the title. The cover should, like the title, draw the readers’ attention and should make them curious about the plot of the book. It should make them pick it up off the shelf or look deeper into the description. Without a good cover and good title, the reader will most likely just pass the book on by.

When I was done writing my book, I probably sketched out (poorly, mind you, I’m not the best artist) about four or five ideas for the cover of my book. Eventually I got a pretty cool idea and asked my mom to draw it for me. I must say I’m very happy with the cover she designed.

I’ve never really been one to buy a book just because it’s cover looked nice or cool, but I think we all have to admit, that it helps if we like the cover and find it interesting. The same thing goes for the title – you want to look at the title and say, “Hmm, I wonder what this story’s about”.

If you’ve written a book, or plan on doing so, remember that although it’s not the most important thing, the title and cover design do matter. Yes, readers care most about the content of a story and nothing is better than a good book, but titles and covers still need to catch their eye.

I wish everyone the best in their writing journey!

Rest in Piece title and cover design. Cover Design: © D. Ginsburg