Author speaks on why African literature books should be more creative with their covers

Popular author, writer and librarian Dumebi Ezar Ehigiator, in an interview with Pulse speaks on why book cover design should be taken more seriously.

She said: "I think covers are extremely important. The cover of your first book is like your wedding dress if you’re a woman: You want it to represent who you are, but you want it to make you look much better than you normally do. I can’t think of an apt metaphor for men. Your first book cover is like… I don’t know, your first car? This is a futile exercise in gender normativity, anyway, the most important thing is for your cover to be different and creative."

She added that "the cover of a book plays an important part in the buying process. It is the first thing a potential reader sees and it can make a lasting impression. "

"Our brains are wired to process images faster than words. When we see an image, it makes us feel something. A great cover can help the reader instantly recognize that this book is for them. If a great design has gut-level emotional appeal and the power to entice readers, a poorly designed cover can be a real turn-off. The popular idiom is “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but despite how true it might be in an idealistic sense, the reality of the book industry is that the vast majority of readers do indeed use the cover of a book as a deciding factor in not only whether or not they should buy the book, but if they will enjoy it as well."

She finished by saying "with millions of books for readers to choose from, the first “sales pitch” is the cover. If it is not striking enough to draw attention, it will be passed over for something more interesting on either side."

Read her more detailed interview: A conversation with Dumebi Ezar Ehigiator, author of 'The Spider's Web'