They’ve got it covered

Book shops are no

longer sweet, sedate, cerebral places in the calm, measured

business of selling knowledge. They’re battlegrounds for

publishers, piled high, battalions of their products coming after

you. Their weapon is the book cover.

Publishers think we’re all mugs and, by and large, that’s exactly

what we are. We judge books by their covers. We know what to

expect. The bookshop is almost colour-coded to make selection

easier. Bubblegum cartoon covers for girly relationship novels.

Cold-war thrillers, horror, sci-fi, all dressed in gothic black with

melodramatic gold lettering. It’s design shorthand. Publishers

have just a few seconds to catch your eye, as you

promiscuously scan the shop floor. Let your eye rest for a

second, and they’ve almost got you. Make contact, read the

blurb on the back and, most important today, clock the face of

the author. Raffishly lived-in like Paul Auster, or boho glam like

Zadie Smith: either way, you’re sold. It’s not enough any more

for wannabe bestselling authors to send in a mere manuscript. A

photo, professionally styled, is mandatory. The Guardian UK