I find it interesting that Seth Godin of all people would say that a lousy book cover would actually kill a great book.
Bad books are bad books, and there are plenty of them to go around.
Although, I do admit that covers can make a difference. Titles can make a difference. For example, The e-Myth. It’s horribly boring. Yet, lots of people read it.
Thoughts?
Thoughts about The E Myth?
Favorite Business Books?
1 comment so far ↓
Book covers matter (and titles, to a lesser extent) if your sales depend on impulse purchases on the racks. Imagine a romance novel with a bad cover…none would sell. None.
On the other hand, all of Godin’s books sold because of the buzz he built for them before they made it to print. Did he sell some of Purple Cow or Free Prize Inside because of the title and distinctive packaging? No doubt - but it didn’t make or break him.
E-Myth is a good example, actually, for this point. I saw the title and said “yuck”. And the cover did nothing for me. Why did I read it? Because people recommended it - and that’s despite my not having any interest after reading the backmatter.
Leave a Comment