Always judge a book by its cover

I work in the videogame industry,typically my work means that I come into contact with creative in its core digital videogame form but I also work with the traditional means by which to promote the game as well, specifically the image that sits on the cover to tempt the consumer in parting with their hard earned cash. The majority of all the titles I used to work on originated in the US,marketing these titles for Europe and the UK usually required tailoring the box cover with different artwork.This was done for a number of reasons, but overall it was usually because the cover that our US counterparts had created wasn't strong enough to stand out in a highly competitive market. Because the U.S is a single market compared to the 14 different territories of the European market I represented. Investment into having a cover that packs real punch was and continues to be important.
My first major PC title for a US Games publisher was Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War, I felt that the US cover (the one with all the heads) wasn't making the most of the games core dynamic which was centred around playing a hero in battle.

As the saying goes there's no second chance for a first impression, as the epublishing market gives novice authors and first time writers the power to release their published works alongside best selling authors and prolific book publishers who have the resources to invest in marketing and creative your cover is an important aspect of your eBook to get right. The process of 'refreshing' novel covers is nothing new of course, in fact, if you take Thunderball, Ian Flemmings ninth James Bond book, its undergone a cover refresh several times to help the novel appeal to as wide a market as it possibly can, for many, James Bond evokes images of scantily clad women, guns, gadgets and the dinner jacket wearing hero looking suave and deadly but that's not necessarily what's required to sell it in a modern market. In fact none of the elements I mentioned even made it onto the cover of the first edition because at the time the series and the character was relatively new. And because the girl's, gadgets and dinner jackets has become a James Bond characteristic for decades its not necessary anymore because as a brand Bond is as recognised as Coca Cola.

Out of the two covers above the chances are you prefer the one on the left, the first edition cover illustrated by Richard Chopping, Chopping's cover is a far more exciting prospect and creates more impact in order to draw the reader in than its modern day counterpart does, however, because the novel has already met its financial obligations since it was published in 1961 the publisher has no real need to invest time and money into creating an elaborately designed cover.

 The Harry Potter books have of course a very broad appeal but that hasn't stopped its publisher Bloomsbury from making sure that what was primarily a book that children fell in love with can still draw in a more mature audience with a cover that has a more mature design.

Your ebook needs all the help it can possibly get, it has mere seconds to appeal to a customer / reader who isn't familiar with your work, if you're writing represents a specific genre then be sure to take note of the covers that lead that genre, be wary of the use of fonts, unless your name is Neville Brody http://www.researchstudios.com/neville-brody/steer clear of 'fun' fonts which could make your novel look very amateur and be sure to make use of the image area with something that relates to  your content, a moment in the story, a character etc.

At every stage of the process you need to ask yourself if your cover is the best it can be, if you invested in an editor to bring you this far in the books life cycle then you should also consider the level of investment you put into your cover. Not all of us have access to high profile designers and agencies or can afford the license fees to buy the better stock photo images but its worth remembering that your book cover is the window to your product.