Got it covered?

I'm looking for the perfect cover.
Sometimes I think I've seen it, but when I check on it later, sometimes only days later, I've moved on.
What makes a great cover?
That's my question. Does there need to be a mystery about it? Does it need to give a hint to what's inside? Is it about the embellishments or the size of the type on the cover or the colour palette that was used?
What is that elusive ingredient that makes you stand back and say, now that is a cool cover?

Lisa Shanahan — nice to meet you!

On Friday 28 I visited The King School in Parramatta to sit on a panel for the NSW ASLA Conference. I have said it before and will again — librarians rock. They are passionate about books — not URLs or gigabytes or thumb drives — but honest to goodness, feel them in your hands, smell the pages books. I finally got to meet author Lisa Shanahan who is a thoughtful, passionate, warm person based in Sydney. We were able to spend a little time talking covers and it was interesting to see the difference between her Australian and American versions of the same book — My Big Birkett. You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but it sure can make the difference between picking up a book and bypassing it in a bookstore. So many good books are left on the shelf as shoppers pass over them for something flashier, more beautiful, more sophisticated. Sometimes it's worth while dipping into the book or at least taking time to read the blurb. Don't we all deserve that much of a chance?