Bapton Books

Today, the partners in Bapton Books: Markham Shaw Pyle and GMW Wemyss: answer some questions.

MSP: Carefully.
GMWW: (Don't be an ass, old man.) But, yes: One approaches cover design with respect. It's the first-footing, really, isn't it. And genres of course have certain expectations in cover design. The thing to do with that, naturally, is to meet those expectations ... with a twist of originality.
MSP: Yes.... On the other hand, with books increasingly sold - I mean books on dead tree as well as e-books - over the Interwebs as well as in brick and mortar shops, a cover design has to work - and work legibly - online and in thumbnail, as well as on the actual hard copy.
GMWW: Oh, quite. And fiction, particularly, has its conventions that do drive sales. For example, the first novel in a series may have the title at the head, the series name as a slug, and the author's name at the foot; but subsequent entries in the series are well advised to put the author's name and the series slug at the head. People want 'the latest [Author Name]', not 'New Title I can't quite recall, love...'.
MSP: So, yes, tread right carefully. It matters.

MSP: War, and the pity of war - I trust you recognise the quotation.
GMWW: After all, it's to be 2014 in a few days. That is rather an obvious centenary.