: Critique: How can I make the imagery used for these Dessert e-book covers more appetizing? I've published a dessert book on Kindle. I only had a small budget so I used a free stock image,

@Sherry646

Posted in: #Critique #Ebook #StockImages

I've published a dessert book on Kindle. I only had a small budget so I used a free stock image, but I've been getting feedback that it's not very appetizing and I agree that it isn't - it's too dark and not very tasty in my opinion.

I've designed the following alternative covers with paid-for images. The ultimate goal is to make the cover appealing enough for people to buy the book.

At Amazon Thumbnail Size






At this size, the finer details don't need to be clear, but the cover should tempt the user to click to learn more.

At Product Size





I know the subtitle is a bit dumb, but it has to be there so the text appears on the Amazon search results. The final images wont have the Adobe watermark and will be higher resolution.






1. Can I make them stand out more when viewed at thumbnail size?

2. Can I make them more appealing to someone who is in the market for buying a dessert book?

3. Do I need to add anything to make the benefits of the book clearer, or will doing this distract from the appeal of the images?

I've named them to make them easier to refer to:

Cover 1: Cookies

Cover 2: Waffles (Full)

Cover 3: Lemon Pie

Cover 4: Waffles (Text at bottom)



Updated Designs

Here are some new covers that take on the excellent feedback provided. I would like feedback on:

Many of the stock images I have found (that are in my budget) use pumpkins.

1. Do pumpkins carry an intrinsic association with Halloween, or is there a way to avoid the Halloween theme while using them?

In these new covers, I have stripped back the design to allow the photo to have more impact.

2. Are the images shining through the design more now?

I have gone for images that have rich textures to trigger an emotional response.

3. Do these images work for conveying low-carb recipes, or are they lacking in another area?

Thumbnail Size









Full size versions viewable here.

Summary

Essentially my question is "What's the best way to make a food ebook cover that sells"
The answer is given by Yisela. The product on sale isn't the recipes. It's the life style of healthy living, natural food and to a lesser degree cooking mastery (as if you can master the skill of cooking, you can then be disciplined about your eating choices and habits, which makes it easier to be slim).

The first batch of covers I posted were in the wrong direction. I was trying to convey the fun, feel-good nature of desserts. But the audience isn't buying fun. In fact, it's probably the fun side of desserts that lead them to becoming overweight in the first place. That's why the covers looked good but felt off. They were sending mixed messages. In addition, cultural differences means that things like waffles might not be read as desserts.

The second batch of covers work, because they are selling what the audience wants (i.e. a healthy lifestyle). The pumpkin ones probably work the best because they show the raw ingredients, but they also risk limiting the book to being an autumn product. The chocolate one works better as it is universal. It still shows the raw ingredients (healthy fruits). It's obviously home made which ties back into the lifestyle angle. Finally, although it's home made, it's not a mess - it's smartly put together which indirectly conveys the message of mastery.

The reason I struggled was because I wasn't clear on what I was selling.

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