Pick a Cover, Any Cover

Choosing a cover-material supplier or deciding to switch to a new provider can seem like a game that we don’t know how to play. Knowing what materials are available and which would work best for the look and feel you are trying to achieve for your next book project can be tricky ... and even risky. A bad decision can break a book—after all, aren’t books judged by their covers?

Fortunately, representatives at most cover-material companies are available to walk you through the process helping you discover what qualities and features are most important for your needs.

“So many questions have to be asked and answered that all play a part in the final product,” says Kristine Aubrey, sales support/marketing manager at LBS, a cover materials provider located in Des Moines, Iowa.

Different publishers will require different providers based on the selection of titles it is producing.

“We listen to the customers’ needs to help them determine what is best for each title. … [and] what is most important to them,” Aubrey says. “For some it may be aesthetics, others longevity. No matter what, it is important to offer the best ‘fit for purpose.’”

Many cover-material providers agree that the book cover is usually the first impression for customers and deserves some investment in quality materials.

“Publishers looking for a change in cover material should ... consider the higher perceived value and price point possible from using a higher-quality cover material,” says Simon Riss, vice president sales of Cromwell Leather Group, a cover-material provider in Mamaroneck, N.Y. “In the long run, quality always counts.”

Jeff Carlson, vice president of marketing at Gane Brothers & Lane Inc., a cover-materials provider in Elk Grove Village, Ill., says he has seen some focus on money put into cover materials in recent years.