Cover, covers, covers

OK the old adage about how authors should leave the cover art to people who know better is only about 80% accurate. The thing is I AM an artist- trained and everything, and I know good cover art when I find it.

BUT for some reason everyone is treating Kindle like a dumping ground for back catalogues, short stories and the unpublishable novels (admit it, we all have at least one we want to put on Kindle...)

But, like the real estate saying "Location,location, location" in book sales it should be "Cover art, cover art, cover art."

There is no shortage of good artists out there willing to work and a dozen different stock art resources. Which is why THIS is such a travesty:

Catherine Cookson's estate put her back catalogue of books onto Kindle all of them with the same hideous cover. You'll have to cut and paste- the links are NOT working for me! If I make them links through blogspot they a invisible. If I just paste in the link they don't work....

http://www.amazon.com/Katie-Mulholland-ebook/dp/B004TO5THM/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=130532647

http://www.amazon.com/Maggie-Rowan-ebook/dp/B004TCJ9ES/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1305326477&sr=1-11

http://www.amazon.com/The-Tinkers-Girl-ebook/dp/B004TO6ASY/ref=pd_sim_kinc_5?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

You get the idea...

Now, the Cookson name may be well regarded and known enough that buyers familiar with her work will purchase regardless of cover art. But how many new readers will these bring in?

Now it is good of her estate to make the books available. She isn't an author I've ever read but I have heard the name. It's the execution that is so terrible. Covers sell books! And they sell e-books!

If you'd like to read the whole article on Cookson's books going onto Kindle go here.