It has been a while since I last updated the progress on my middle grade novel The Gatekeeper’s Daughter. We are now in the production phase where more decisions have to be made. Things such as formatting, cover design and back cover copy.

More than anything else, the cover and the back cover blurb have the greatest influence on whether readers will pick up a book.

The first thing that attracts a reader to a book is the cover. Think about the last time you were in a bookstore. As you were browsing, the cover of a book caught your eye and you made a decision about whether to look more closely.

The cover has many functions. It must reflect the genre, tone and style of the book while being attractive and interesting to look at. It also must be identifiable when shrunk down to a thumbnail size.

There are expectations that readers have about a cover in a particular genre. If designers depart too much from these expectations, readers are less likely to give the book more than a passing glance.

Back to our metaphorical trip to the bookstore. After you looked at the cover, you most likely flipped the book over to read the back.

The back cover copy has the next most vital role. It must tell the reader what the book is about and why they need to read it. This has to be done in a few succinct and compelling sentences.

As these last few decisions are made, we move closer to release day. After years of writing, editing and revising, is very exciting to see it all coming together.

I hope to have a cover to share very soon. Until then, happy reading!