Despite the advice of the famous idiom, people do judge books by their covers.
We have to. With the overwhelming amount of data we encounter and the effects of decision fatigue, we look for shortcuts to make our decisions.
For example, let’s say you go to a restaurant.
The location is convenient.
You get spectacular service.
The menu has surprisingly great selections.
The presentation is dazzling and the food is out-of-this-world!
Sure it sounds perfect… but there was one thing that bothered you.
All the empty seats.
The restaurant ticked all the right checkboxes of criteria for you, but it left you wondering what other people knew that you didn’t. Something must have been wrong, otherwise the place would have been slammed.
So, you never return.
In reality, you’d never set foot in a restaurant like this. You’d pass judgement on an empty parking lot during mealtime and move on to the next option.
But our ability to make snap judgments is far from perfect. Check out PlayJudgey.com. This website pits your book cover ratings against actual reviews from GoodReads to prove how bad we are at LITERALLY judging a book by its cover.
This inaccuracy is even more frustrating when you’re the book being judged.
The dating scene.
The job interview.
The audition.
The project pitch.
The tryout for the team.
You Can’t Keep Up with the Kardashians
No matter how many checkboxes you tick off the list, you aren’t chosen. Like the restaurant example, people may not choose you because they don’t see others choosing you. The Kardashians are popular because they’re popular. You aren’t.
But fighting this herd-following instinct is a losing game. Instead, it may help to design a new book cover.
How Do You Do That?
Body Language
Amy Cuddy says you can change your self confidence through body language. She recommends finding a private area–like a bathroom–before a critical event like an interview, and striking power poses for two minutes. Her studies found this exercise produced striking results for test subjects. She also recommends paying attention to when your pose makes you small (scrunching shoulders in) or signals you feel vulnerable (touching your neck). When you own your space well, your body responds physiologically. You reduce the stress hormone cortisol and increase testosterone, which increases your confidence.
Notice Successful Non-Verbals
Another way to “redesign your book cover” is to pay attention to what the successful do. How are they telling their story… without words? What actions are they are taking that communicate their success? This doesn’t necessarily mean spending a lot of money, but instead could be their attention to detail or bespoke services they provide. Then, like the Magic Castle Hotel in Los Angeles, you can transform it into an amenity of your own. Authors Chip and Dan Heath share this story in their book The Power of Moments.
Let’s start with the cherry red phone mounted to a wall near the pool. You pick it up and someone answers, “Hello, Popsicle Hotline.” You place an order, and minutes later, a staffer wearing white gloves delivers your cherry, orange, or grape popsicles to you at poolside. On a silver tray. For free.
– Chip and Dan Heath, Fast Company Article
White gloves and silver trays are non-verbals that convey the same level of service of a five star hotel. Applying it to free popsicles is what makes it authentic to Magic Castle.
Get Professional Help
I’m not talking about a psychiatrist, but if you need a great book cover you hire Chip Kidd (or the closest thing to him you can afford).
Your job search can benefit from the help of a good resume writer or career coach.
You can hire a great architect and interior designer to refresh your office space.
Designing (or redesigning) the book cover is important. Great book covers tell a story (Even bad book covers tell a story, but it may not be the story you want to tell). Ultimately, it’s a promise you’re making to the reader. You’re telling them what’s inside is for them.