I have just started to read a new book I purchased \u2013 it seemed interesting from the cover and I have also read a couple of other books by the same author.<\/p>\n
Now two things struck me \u2013 one is the fact the cover was the thing that caught my attention, encourage me to pick it up, have look through, and then buy.<\/p>\n
As I am in the process of bringing another one of my own books to market it made me realize that I should not play cheaply. It is better to leave the design of the cover to people who know what catches attention better than I do. Also, with the demise of bookshops and the move to purchase books online for delivery \u2013 if we wish for a paper version, or to buy an e-book, where we will never even \u2018feel\u2019 a physical copy – immediate impact is crucial. So the impact the cover makes can mean that a potential buyer will look and may buy, else skip past with no interest \u2013 even if the content is world class. Or the converse, an attractive cover could mean that a book is bought yet the content is not what had been anticipated.<\/p>\n
So the saying \u201cdon\u2019t judge a book by its\u2019 cover\u201d may be true but is also ignored.<\/p>\n
The other thing that struck we was that within the book I have just started to read, there is just one image \u2013 in this case it is a dull black and white picture of a painting. Not very clear and also not very interesting either. No other images of any kind are to be found within the covers. Unless I read the context of why this single image has been chosen, it seems to be merely a page filler and a token to make the book seem more complex. I did wonder why it is there, so read the narrative around it, which makes sense as to why it is included. I have yet to determine if other images would have brought other parts of the book to life.<\/p>\n
My way of reading a book is to have a glance at the contents page and then look through the book from the back to the front at speed. I learnt a lesson many years ago about reading books in my studies \u2013 it was a painful one with much learning, but I will leave that for another day! I then flip through from the front to the back and dip into the odd passage. It is only then that I start to read.\u00a0This process is one I have adopted and refined over the years as I read extensively.\u00a0I am now looking forward to getting the most from this book. Soon it will be read, or cast aside if the content, style and message I have yet to appreciate.<\/p>\n
What struck me was the analogy with people we meet.<\/p>\n
I have recently been speaking at a range of events, some short sessions, some much longer where I am the keynote speaker. My topic for this series of speaches has been about the impression we make. So some simple questions that have developed, picking up on the book experience:<\/p>\n
I could go on with more questions; perhaps you would like to play around with some of your own too. And when you see another \u2018cover\u2019, whether that of a book or a person, will you look a second time before you make judgment?<\/p>\n
My good wishes,<\/p>\n
Peter<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I have just started to read a new book I purchased \u2013 it seemed interesting from the cover and I have also read a couple of other books by the same author.<\/p>\n Now two things struck me \u2013 one is the fact the cover was the thing that caught my attention, encourage me to pick it up, have look through, and then buy.<\/p>\n As I am in the process of bringing another one of my own books to market it made me realize that I should not play cheaply. It is better to leave the design of the cover to people who know what catches attention better than I do. Also, with the demise of bookshops and <\/p>\n