Yay! New section! I've been itching to open up this section, so to finally be able to do that is very exciting to me.

Now, first of all... covers? Why is that here?

Well, okay, I debated putting this in the section for writing advice, but here's the thing: it's not writing advice. A lot of us don't actually make our own covers! I'm calling myself out here, I am literally so incompetent at making aesthetically pleasing covers. The only cover I've made is the cover for Sunshine's Review Store, and it's literally so basic, but every time I tried to move something, everything on the screen would go 'wheeee' and just collapse and I'd scream and panic and Microsoft Word can go to HELL and--

Anyways! Covers!

I am going to put them here. Why?

I asked a lot of you, after the last chapter, whether you judged a book by its cover. I asked my friends from my writing community. I asked my parents, who don't read books. I asked all the students I teach.

The answer?

A big, resounding

Almost every single person told me that, absolutely, they judge a book by its cover.

So whoever came up with the "don't judge a book by its cover" -- stop coming up with excuses. Go find yourself a better designer.

It's literally amazing to me, because when I sat back to really think about it, I realised that it's so ridiculously prevalent. Here are two striking examples:

When I found out that the Hunger Games trilogy was coming out in movies, and I still hadn't read them all (I must have been about twelve?), I instantly bought the whole series. Why? Because I had to buy the covers before they spawned the god-awful movie covers with the actors on it.

The other instance is when I went shopping with my mum. She does not read. She just doesn't. I've tried to make her read, but she just doesn't enjoy it. Alas.

After literally decades of claiming that she can't read books and that she will never read a book, I see her pick a book from the shelf. Something had drawn her to a book suddenly. She hadn't even read the blurb. She just knew it was perfect for her. Because of the cover.

Mind you, the cover was of a man with a six-pack, wearing a lab coat. And the title was "A Second Chance with the Surgeon" or something. I honestly don't remember.

Did she read it? No. She hates reading.

But does she look at the cover occasionally and smile dreamily?

Absolutely.

So! In short:

Let's talk about it! And I'll make book covers for each topic I discuss! For irony purposes, expect covers that do not at all match the titles.

This is actually so insanely funny to me. I'm going to keep doing this. However, for those who are visually impaired, I will also include little titles for you, don't worry!

First of all, subjectivity. It happens everywhere. Even the most loved books have some haters. It is basically a fact when it comes to this industry: there will be someone who simply does not vibe with something you do. This also lends itself to covers!

Personally, I can't stand covers with people's faces on them. I don't mind silhouettes of people, or if the faces are illustrated/drawn works. Or even half a face, or a blurred out face -- those are fine. But when I see a tacky cover with a person and their face on it, and it's a real person, I'm just like... ugh. I wanted to give the protagonist their own face. Don't give the face to me.

It's especially funny when the face on the cover doesn't match the description in the book.

Anyways, while that's what I think, I know a lot of people don't have that same thought process! Some people adore books with people faces on them. That's why there are so many on Wattpad!

So, regardless of everything I say after this point, always remember there is subjectivity involved. Some people will love your cover, regardless of how it is. Some people will not like it. However, there are some clear fundamentals when making a book cover.

Your title is incredibly important for your cover. Obviously, there are other points about the title that don't really relate the cover. Your title, itself, needs to be gripping. It needs to relate to your story, and also captivate readers who hear about it for the first time. The Hunger Games? Instantly makes people curious. The Devil Wears Prada? Damn. Devil has taste. Instantly drawn to it. Love in the Time of Cholera? Well... At least we know what it's about!

When it comes to your cover, however:

- Your title must be the focus.

- The font needs to be clear and easy to read.

- That font sets the mood. Should it be big, red and bold? Should it be whimsical and flowery? Should it be bubbly and colourful?

- It must stand out from the background.

- Make sure the other elements within your cover do not compete with the title.

The title is your winner winner chicken dinner. It needs to stand out. It is that girl on the pyramid of cheerleaders who does the flip.

I can do this all in dot points, because really, it's quite simple stuff:

- Your font must be easy to read.

- The colours should mesh. You don't want to mix brown, yellow and purple in one cover. Do not put blue, orange and ogre-green together.

- Don't overcrowd it. I don't need to see all the five star reviews on the front cover. I don't need to see the whole cast on it.

Your cover, in general, should make it pretty clear what your story is. It doesn't have to scream Fantasy or Mystery or Zombies, necessarily, but most genres tend to have a very specific style.

- Literary Fiction: They usually use a randomly abstract image in the background, with a very clear and prominent title. The image is usually a metaphor within the book itself.

- Mystery/Thriller: Silhouettes. Red font for 'danger'. Dark. We usually don't see full faces -- we see backs, or shadowed bodies, or faces looking down and not making eye contact. Big, stark contrasts of dark against light. Harsh edges, sometimes a bit of blurriness.

- Romance: We usually see the two lovers holding each other, or interacting in some way. Sometimes, we only see one -- and it's a really sensual photo of them. In the case of more chicklit and bubbly themes, instead of sensual and deep romances, it's more likely to be colourful and bright and screams 'quirky'. In some cases, for the dark and traditional romances, there is just a dark cover and a symbol -- a rose, a mask, bondage things.

- Fantasy/Sci-Fi: A hot mess. Literally. We mesh the real with the unreal, putting humans in big galaxies or vampires in a school. These, I would argue, are usually the really dramatic covers, with fire-breathing dragons or really colourful eyes staring back at the reader. There is a lot of smoke, clouds, fire, stars, galaxies and oceans.

Most importantly, your covers can't look tacky. It needs to look good. It needs to look clear, and it needs to look like something you would actually find in a book store.

This is where you use Wattpad to your advantage! There are so many insanely gifted graphic artists who exist on this platform, and a lot of them offer a cover as long as you give their book a read and write a comment or two. It's great -- you get to experience a new book, and someone works with you to create a cover of your liking! That's how I've gotten just about all my covers, and it makes me incredibly happy.

There is so much talent on this platform! Use it. Be careful when you request a cover — make sure the designer is still accepting requests, is still active, and is open to feedback and tinkering the cover to suit your vision.

And, better yet, try to learn yourself! Learn to use free apps -- there are so many out there. Pixlr is one that is quite good, as is Canva. They make it simple, and you can learn, with a tutorial or two, how to adequately make a cover that suits your vision.

Because that is the most important thing: you are happy with your cover. It should suit your vision, and you should love it.

Once you finish your cover, make sure you ask yourself:

1. Do you love it?

2. Do your friends/family love it?

3. Is it big and bold?

4. Does it suit your story?

5. Does it look professional?

Sorry to keep it so simple and basic. At the end of the day, there are millions of covers, and who am I to tell you how to make your cover? There are so many distinct types of covers that, really, anything can work as long as the fundamentals are there: a clear title, and aesthetic.

I wish I could talk about more, but I'm sadly not a graphic designer at all! Maybe next time I'll be able to be a lot more wild, and that's because I'll be talking about

Do you have tips, yourself, on this? Let me know! How do get your reads?

And do you have any questions about that, in particular? Or other topics you want to see addressed? Let me know!