The art of ebook cover design : An analysation of covers from Amazon kindle and a guideline to avoid the worst of them

The art of ebook

cover design

MAIN FIELD: Informatics

AUTHOR: Julia Palm

SUPERVISOR: Einav Peretz-Andersson

JÖNKÖPING 2020 August

An analysation of covers from Amazon kindle 


and a guideline to avoid the worst of them

This final thesis has been carried out at the School of Engineering at Jönköping University within [see main field on previous page]. The authors are responsible for the presented opinions, conclusions and results.

Examiner: Bruce Ferwerda

Supervisor: Einav Peretz-Andersson Scope: 15 hp

Abstract

Today’s society is becoming more digitalised. Moving traditional printing to screen is becoming the new normal. Since the selection of ebooks is becoming larger and larger the publishers and authors must start thinking about their design to have better

prerequisites than their competitors. The focus of this study will be an analysation of the best and worst covers of Amazon Kindle ebook cover design.

Today, many self-published authors do not want to spend money on an ebook when they can design it by themselves for free and therefore they lose the impact that a good ebook cover have on the selling.

The purpose of this study is to deduct which kind of design principles are more desirable, and how these design principles are presented. The study will contribute with knowledge to designers, both professional and unprofessional, what aspects of a book cover is important to consider to effectively compete for the consumers attention in the market. The research objective is to create a guideline for the creation of an ebook cover, which will create a more desirable product and add to the work flow efficiency. The most valuable currency people have today is time and money, and a design guideline will help those areas and make the process as quick and effortless as possible. Consequently, the purpose of this study will show concrete design principles for popular ebook covers which will help the designer to make wise decisions. To be able to fulfil the purpose, it has been phrased into one main question.

What design elements are important to take into consideration when designing an ebook

cover?

To answer the research question eleven different appropriate applicable design principles have been chosen for analysation. Alignment, archetypes, colour, hierarchy, Horror Vacui, legibility, Ockham’s Razor, Picture Superiority Effect, proximity, Rule of Thirds and similarity.

The thesis is based on the worldview constructivism. The term worldview meaning “a basic set of beliefs to guide action”. The constructivist worldview implies a belief where people seek understanding in a world where they live and work. They develop subjective meanings of their experiences which can be directed to certain objects.

The thesis uses exploratory sequential mixed method, where the researcher begins with a qualitative research phase and explores the views of the participant. Mixed method is chosen based on the assumption that collecting diverse types of data provides a more complete understanding of the research problem than either quantitative or qualitative data alone.

In conclusion, an analysation of covers from Amazon kindle have been made together with a guideline to avoid the worst of them. The guideline uses words and visuals to explain and point out important principles to consider when designing an ebook cover. It has a simplistic clear approach and the purpose of designing the guideline this way was to provide understanding to designers and non-designers alike. Since the sampling of ebooks have been broad, expanding over several genres, the guideline can be applied to ebook covers in general. This study contributes to the existing studies by providing insight into how design principles are applied to ebook covers and which principles are most important to take into consideration when designing an ebook cover.

Table of contents

Abstract

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2

Table of contents

...

3

1.

Introduction

...

1

1.3. PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS ...2

1.4. THE SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS ...3

1.5. DISPOSITION ...3

2. Method and implementation

...

4

2.1. LINK BETWEEN RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND METHODS ...4

2.2. WORK PROCESS ...4

2.3. APPROACH ...4

2.4. DESIGN ...5

2.5. DATA COLLECTION AND DATA ANALYSIS ...5

2.6. VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY ...8

3. Theoretical framework

...

11

3.1. LINK BETWEEN RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND THEORY ...11

4. Empirical data

...

13

4.1. SOURCE AND TYPE OF DATA ...13

4.2. USE OF DESIGN PRINCIPLES ...15

4.3. PERCENTAGES ...15

5. Analysis

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17

6. Discussion and conclusion

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20

6.1. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ...20

6.2. LIMITATIONS ...20

6.3. FURTHER RESEARCH ...21

1.

Introduction

1.1. Background

Today’s society is becoming more digitalised. Moving traditional printing to screen is becoming the new normal. Just as with hardcover books the cover is an important aspect of selling an ebook. The focus of this study will be an analysation of the best and worst covers of Amazon Kindle ebook cover design.

This thesis is based on Kindle covers sold by Amazon. In 2011 Amazon reported that the purchase of ebooks had surpassed the printed books. This information signals an

important change in the way people consume information (Gibson, C. 2011). Some libraries noticed that ebooks surpassed the print circulation as early as 2004 (Littman, J. 2004). By comparing Rowlands, I. (2007) study and Al, L. (2011) it is shown that the use of ebooks have increased across different disciplines. In 2007, 44 percent of the responders had used an ebook, while in 2011, 58 percent of the responders had reported ebook use. Ebooks popularity is growing in both the academic and recreational spheres.

Since the selection of ebooks is becoming larger and larger the publishers and authors must start thinking about their design to have better prerequisites than their

competitors. There is a famous Tumblr blog called Kindle Cover Disasters which is mentioned in large news sites like The Guardian, Business Insider, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan and Wired, pointing out covers that, as the name implies, are quite disastrous. The creator of the blog claims that “It is the hubris of it that people get a kick

out of, the devil-may-care attitude of an author, who, with zero arts training, says to themselves: ‘How hard can it be”. (Heritage, S. 2015) This mindset can result in comedic

and awful ebook covers.

One of the reasons that authors decide to publish their ebook without involving the traditional publisher, who often hire designers, is because the amount of money they are saving when publishing their book. When printing ebooks authors are able to keep the prices much lower than with traditional books and still get a decent royalty. Todays resources can produce highly rated textbooks and do this more quickly than when working with traditional publishers. This results in a price that is an order of magnitude lower (Fox, A. and Patterson, D. 2015).

Even though ebooks are a fairly new thing, and there is still much to develop, it has become a huge success and the ebook market and content will continue to grow. Since suitable devices are becoming mainstream there will be a rapid growth of consumer purchase and use of ebooks (Carden, M. 2008). The success of ebooks will not be driven by technology but by the value for the user. The consumers are reading on “cellphones” and “tablets” which will provide added value and function comparedto a traditional hard books (Henke, H. 2001).

There are many factors that influence the purchasing of books. Luís Leitão, Suzanne Amaro, Carla Henriques and Paula Fonseca conducted a study (2018) to understand if users judge a book by it’s cover and studied the factors that influenced the purchasing of books. They created a questionnaire with 487 responses and in their conclusion and discussion they describe title and cover art as some of the most important factors. The cover of books play an important role in the decision of the consumers book buying behaviour. They appeal to the consumers subjective aesthetic preferences by possessing elements that influence the decision making process. The well known idiom “don’t judge a

book by its cover” is not applicable to the book industry because more attractive book

covers lead to a greater consumer interest than the less attractive ones. They

recommend that the cover should provide the reader with an idea to its content with a title that should be easy to read. The colours should be carefully chosen given it plays

and important role in its visual attractiveness, highlighting harmony and balance while transmitting numerous sensations to its potential readers. A well designed cover will help the consumer to believe that the book has high quality and it provides a quicker recognition of the author which can lead to a competitive advantage.

Maneesh Agrawala, Wilmot Li, and Floraine Berthouzoz explores different design principles in their research article (2011). They take up the difficulty with comparing different design principles, because they are usually not strict rules but more rules of thumb that might even contradict each other. The principles guide the designer with knowledge that is used by creating and studying examples. Visual techniques affect the human perception and cognition. Design principles can be used as models to predict the result. Both this thesis and the earlier mentioned study aims to identify domain-specific principles and create a design guideline that enables non-designers to create visual displays. While their research article focused on infographics this thesis has its focus on book covers.

Old media is being converted and adapted to new media, which means the products and their design needs to adapt to the appropriate medium. According to the Cambridge dictionary, new media is the modern way of sharing information or providing

entertainment through electronics. This research will go into the relevance of digitalisation and graphic design principles.

Different design elements will be researched in various books, lectures, course literature and websites to be able to describe the elements use and impact. The segments that will be explored more deeply are; design principles, typography, colour theory, patterns, graphic elements and layout.

1.2. Problem statement

The market for digitalised books is expanding and to make sure that an ebook is going to be sold they need to look desirable. Today, many self-published authors do not want to spend money on an ebook when they can design it by themselves for free and therefore they lose the impact that a good ebook cover have on the selling. An ebook cover is just as important as a hardcover. The book business is characterised by a large amount of new editions every year with low revenue in average per book (Matthews, N. Moody, N. 2007). Because of this, it is important for a book to draw attention from the customer, in other words have high grab-ability. The most prominent way for a book to draw attention to itself is by its cover. A consumer generally gives a cover 8 seconds before deciding if the book is interesting or not (Sanseveri, P. 2011).

1.3. Purpose and research questions

The purpose of this study is to find empirical proof that indicates which certain design principles on a cover are more frequently used among ebooks. The purpose of this study is to deduct which kind of design principles are more desirable, and how these design principles are presented. The study will contribute with knowledge to designers, both professional and unprofessional, what aspects of a book cover is important to consider to effectively compete for the consumers attention in the market.

Drawing on the problem statement, it is evident that digitalisation is growing and the ongoing trends prefer screen rather than paper. Further, it is evident that the research will make it possible to design an ebook cover with professional standards. The research objective is to create a guideline for the creation of an ebook cover, which will create a more desirable product and add to the work flow efficiency. The most valuable currency people have today is time and money, and a design guideline will help those areas and make the process as quick and effortless as possible. Consequently, the purpose of this

study will show concrete design principles for popular ebook covers which will help the designer to make wise decisions. Therefore a guideline is beneficial when designing ebook covers.

To be able to fulfil the purpose, it has been phrased into one main question.

What design elements are important to take into consideration when designing an ebook cover?

To answer the question and thereby fulfilling the purpose, a study will be conducted by analysing several books from Amazon Kindle.

1.4. The scope and delimitations

To find an answer to the stated research problem - which design principles are important to take into consideration when designing an ebook cover? - the study will include an analyse of eleven different design principles applicable to the chosen covers. Certain design principles were not chosen since they where not relevant. Relevance is determined by the absence of a design principle in the chosen ebook covers. By having pre-defined variables, data could be gathered, analysed and compared.

The study will not focus on accurate visual representation of the content, instead it will be looking at the visual design principles, not dependant on content. The study will analyse ebook covers across different genres making the guideline appropriate for general ebook design. Because of the different content of the ebooks, connection to design history will not be included. The study will not take any notice of the incorrect portrayal of society or norms in title or cover image because that goes into the area of accurate visual representation of the content.

1.5. Disposition

The report will begin with an abstract to give the reader an overview of the thesis and to get a grasp on if the study is relevant to read about or not. The introduction includes titles such as background, problem statement, purpose and research questions, scope and, delimitations and disposition to be able to understand why the research is important. Method and implementations, and theoretical framework includes how the study is going to be performed and why the method is preferred over other methods available. The empirical data is a presentation of the data. In the analysis there is a presentation of the data with opinions included. In the chapter discussions and

conclusions, findings, conclusions, limitations and further research is discussed. A visual guideline is presented. At the end of the thesis references and appendices can be found.

2. Method and implementation

2.1. Link between research questions and methods

Old media is being converted and adapted to new media, which means the products and their design needs to adapt to the appropriate medium. This research will go into the relevance of digitalisation and graphic design principles.

2.2. Work process

The research began by looking at different subjects that included both informatics and design. The focus was to find material within the realm of books, design principles, print, and the transition from old to new media. Different research articles and other thesis were read and the subject of ebooks were chosen, including all the desired aspects of the study. What was found was mostly research articles regarding book design and design principles but there was a knowledge gap surrounding ebook cover design. Since old media is adapting to new media and printed products are becoming electronic versions, the field of ebook cover design needed to be explored. Many aspects of designing a printed book cover and a ebook cover are the same and research from print design could be adapted to electronic design. People have reacted to the lack of quality of ebook cover design because, to save money, many authors, without any prior design knowledge, make their own design. The people publishing are in need of a time- and moneysaving solution. Therefore this research will result in a simple guideline to speed up the workflow and simply explain the most common design principles. With the help of the Tumblr blog

kindlebookdisasters, covers with bad design were chosen from Amazon kindle. By looking

at Amazon kindle best selling list, kindles with good design were chosen. Both the kindle disasters and the good design covers were chosen with the purpose of having visual uniqueness.

2.3. Approach

There are three main approaches to research. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. This study uses a mixed method to get the most out of the results. Mixed method is chosen based on the assumption that collecting diverse types of data provides a more complete understanding of the research problem than either quantitative or qualitative data alone. (Creswell, J. Creswell, J. 2018). Qualitative approach uses open ended questions creating a flexible study. Quantitative approach uses closed questions creating numbers as measurable variables. Combining these two methods will lead to a better understanding of the research problem. The thesis uses exploratory sequential mixed method, where the researcher begins with a qualitative research phase and explores the views of the participant. The data is analysed and the information gathered is used to build a second, quantitative phase (Creswell, J. Creswell, J. 2018). In the

qualitative phase the ebook covers will be analysed by each design principle, describing how the principle is used in the design. In the next quantitative phase, the answers will be formatted into percentages. The percentages will provide data of the principles most commonly used. By beginning with a qualitative method, the motivation of how the ebook covers have been judged will become clear. This will make it easier for the reader to understand the researchers point of view, not depending on personal, cultural and historical experience. By combining the qualitative method with a quantitative method the analysation will become measurable making it possible to provide an answer to the research question. The disadvantage to this approach is the long time requirements for the analysis to be made. It is also prone to high level of observer bias which can vary the result depending on who conducts the analysation. In this case, the advantage outweigh the disadvantage because flexibility and the possibility to add undefined aspects in the analysation will provide results that will be able to help answer the research question.

2.4. Design

The thesis is based on the worldview constructivism. The term worldview meaning “a basic set of beliefs to guide action” (Guba, E.G. 1990). The constructivist worldview implies a belief where people seek understanding in a world where they live and work. They develop subjective meanings of their experiences which can be directed to certain objects. Laura Busche, Brand Content Strategist at Autodesk says, “Great designers understand the powerful role that psychology plays in visual perception. What happens when someone’s eye meets your design creations? How does their mind react to the message your piece is sharing?”. The meanings are multiple and vary a lot, leading the researcher to look for the complexity of views rather than summing up the research into a few categories or ideas. The questions used are broad and general, making it possible for the participants to construct their own meaning of a situation. Qualitative research with open ended questions makes it possible for the participants to share their views. The researcher recognise that their own background shape their interpretation, taking into account their personal, cultural and historical experience. The intent of the study is to make sense of, or interpret, the meaning others have about the world. Rather than starting up with a theory the research inductively develop a theory or pattern of meaning (Creswell, J. Creswell, J. 2018). The constructivism worldview is best suitable for the research, since the ebook covers are interpreted and judged by people who have placed subjective meaning onto the item. By asking open ended questions, the answer to ‘how’ and ‘why’ the designers have used certain design principles will become more clear in the study. There will be no right or wrong answers, but instead the complexity of the design will be described with a motivation of how the design principles can be observed in the ebook cover.

2.5. Data collection and data analysis

The research phase started with a very wide and big scale approach of gathering information. Subjects such as book covers, selling book covers, print and digital publishing, old and new media, ebooks and Amazon kindle were explored. It was established that design elements following different design principles were the base of designing a selling book cover. A research question was stated and the purpose was to create an understandable time-saving guideline for non-designers.

The first step was to identify different design principles. The second step was to describe the chosen design principles. The third step was to evaluate the design

principles against the chosen covers to see if they were appropriate for the research. At least one cover of the chosen had to include the design principle. Otherwise no data could be collected and the purpose of analysing that design principle against the cover would be meaningless.

To answer the research question - which design principles are important to take into

consideration when designing an ebook cover? - eleven different appropriate applicable

design principles have been chosen for analysation. One cover was compared to the eleven loosely pre-defined design principles during the analysation. Each design

principle had one column each with an additional extra column for unique features that enhances or brings down the design of the ebook cover.

This study is based on 46 kindle ebook covers that can be found at Amazons online store (see appendix 1). Twenty-eight ebooks were selected based on rating solely, not taking genre into account. For the research to be just, the ratings of the ebooks had to be rated with four stars or higher out of five. These will show as good examples in the research since a profitable ebook are preferred. In the theory surrounding book covers several factors to create grab-ability is mentioned. The authors brand, the title of the book, and a describing book cover. The books selected have had clear titles with an author brand, and contained unique elements. Since the books were selected among several genres a diversity of highly rated ebook covers have been taken into account. Eighteen ebook covers were selected based on the mentions in a Tumblr blog ‘kindlecoverdisasters' to be able to measure the misuse of these design principles.

It is not easy to select covers in the vast majority of choices, and many covers can fit into several categories and use different principles at the same time. To make it more clear and relevant the covers have been selected based on the fact if they contain one design principle or more. These choices are somewhat arbitrary since the covers were selected based on a personal interpretation of the covers and how well they meet the references in this study.

Design principles are described as “a set of considerations that form the basis of any good product” by Ben Brignell, creator of the principles.design website. Design principles are used for several reasons. For example, design principles help everyone to think about design. They provide guidance and highlight important considerations to be taken into account. Design principles help steer a design through ought the design process. Design principles help build a shared understanding of what good looks like and can be used when evaluating designs. Instead of asking ‘is this good design?’ The researcher can ask ‘is this good design in relation to the chosen design principles?’ (UX for the masses. 2019). To make this study measurable, eleven different design principles have been chosen as references when analysing. These design principles were selected because of their relevancy in the book cover business. By observing several book covers with high rating these design principles were evident in the design process creating a more aesthetically pleasing product.

Descriptions of design principles have been quoted from Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010). The study used a structured collection method, using specific pre-defined variables which is stated in the descriptions of the design principles below.

Alignment p.24

The placement of elements such that edges line up along common rows or columns, or their bodies along a common centre. Elements in a design should be aligned with one or more other elements. This creates a sense of unity and cohesion, which contributes to the design’s overall aesthetic perceived stability. Alignment can also be a powerful means of leading a person through a design.

Archetypes p.28

Universal patterns of theme and form resulting from innate biases or dispositions. Archetypes are found in the themes of myths, characters in literature, and imagery in dreams. They are believed to be a product of unconscious biases and dispositions that have been “hardwired” in the brain over the course of human evolution. Since these

innate biases and dispositions are unconscious, their existence is inferred when common patterns emerge in many cultures over long periods. Identifying and aligning appropriate archetypes with a design will increase its probability of success.

Colour p.48

Colour is used in design to attract attention, group elements, indicate meaning and enhance aesthetics. Colour can make designs more visually interesting and aesthetic, and can reinforce the organisation and meaning of elements in a design. If applied

improperly, however, colour can seriously harm the form and function of a design. Number of colours

Limit the palette to what the eye can process at one glance (about five colours depending on the complexity of the design). Do not use colour as the only means to impart

information since a significant portion of the population has limited colour vision.

Colour combinations

Achieve aesthetic colour combinations by using adjacent colours on the colour wheel (analogous), opposing colours on the colour wheel (complementary), colours at the corners of a symmetrical polygon circumscribed in the colour wheel (triadic and quadratic), or colour combinations found in nature. Use warmer colours for foreground elements and cooler colours for background elements. Light grey is a safe colour to use for grouping elements without competing with others.

Saturation

Use saturated colours (pure hues) when attracting attention is the priority. Use desaturated colours when performance and efficiency is the priority. Generally, desaturated bright colours are perceived friendly and professional; desaturated, dark colours are perceived as serious and professional; and saturated colours are perceived as more exciting and dynamic. Exercise caution when combining saturated colours, as they can visually interfere with one another and increase eye fatigue. Saturation refers to the amount of grey added to a hue. As saturation increases, the amount of grey decreases. Brightness refers to the amount of white added to a hue. As brightness increases, the amount of white increases.

Symbolism

There is no substantive evidence supporting general effects of colour on emotion or mood. Similarly, there is no universal symbolism for different colours – different colours attach different meanings to colours. Therefore, verify the meaning of colours and colour combinations for a particular target audience prior to use.

Hierarchy p.122

Hierarchical organisation is the simplest structure for visualising and understanding complexity.

Horror Vacui p.128

A tendency to favour filling blank spaces with objects and elements over leaving spaces blank or empty. Horror Vacui – a latin expression meaning “fear of emptiness” – regards the desire to fill empty spaces with information or objects. In style, it is the opposite of minimalism. Recent research into how Horror Vacui is perceived suggests a general inverse relationship between Horror Vacui and value perception – that is, as Horror Vacui increases, perceived value decreases.

Legibility p.148

The visual clarity of text, generally based on the size, typeface, contrast, text block, and spacing of the characters used.

For printed text, standard 9- to 12-point type is considered optimal. Smaller sizes are acceptable when limited to captions and notes. Use larger type for low-resolution displays and more senior audiences.

Typeface

There is no performance difference between serif and san-serif typefaces, so select based on aesthetic preference.

Contrast

Use dark text on a light background or vice versa. Performance is optimal when contrast levels between text and background exceed 70 percent. Patterned or textured

backgrounds can dramatically reduce legibility, and should be avoided.

Ockham’s Razor p.172

Given a choice between functionality equivalent designs, the simplest design should be selected.

Picture Superiority Effect p.184

Pictures are remembered better than words, also known as the pictorial superiority effect. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and it turned out that in most cases, this is true. Pictures are generally more easily recognised and recalled than words, although memory for pictures and words together is superior to memory than words alone or pictures alone.

Proximity p.196

Elements that are close together are perceived to be more related than elements that are farther apart.

Rule of Thirds p. 208 also known as golden grid rule

A technique of a composition in which a medium is divided into thirds, creating aesthetic positions for the primary elements of design. It is applied by dividing a medium into thirds both vertically and horizontally, creating an invisible grid of nine rectangles and four intersections. The primary element within a design is then positioned on an intersection of the grid. The asymmetry of the resulting composition is interesting to look at and generally agreed to be aesthetic.

Similarity p.226

Elements that are similar are perceived to be more related than elements that are dissimilar.

2.6. Validity and reliability

Validity, in some cases, might be the most important science criteria. It considers the judgement that have been made of the conclusions that have been generated through the study and if they reflect the research or not (Bryman, A. Bell, E. 2015).

The analysis is based on the descriptions from Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010) that have been summarised in chapter 2.5.

•

Alignment is chosen as a design principle due to its importance to unify and create cohesion within a design. This can be backed up with research from The Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010) and Graphic Design School (Dabner, D. Stewart, S. and Zempol, E. 2016).

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Archetypes is chosen as a design principle because it explains how universal patterns affects the innate biases and dispositions within a design. This can be backed up with research from The Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010) and research from Problem Solved (Johnson, M. 2012)

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Colour is chosen as a design principle because colour can be used as a tool to grab attention, group elements, indicate meaning and enhance aesthetics. This can be backed up with research from The Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010).

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Hierarchy is chosen as a design principle because it affects the visualisation of information within a design. This can be backed up with research from The Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010) and Graphic Design School (Dabner, D. Stewart, S. and Zempol, E. 2016).

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Horror Vacui is chosen as a design principle because it takes into consideration and the tendency to fill blank spaces within a design. This can be backed up with research from The Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010) and research from Graphic Design School (Dabner, D. Stewart, S. and Zempol, E. 2016).

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Legibility is chosen as a design principle because legibility affects the visual clarity of text within a design. This can be backed up with The Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010) and backed up by research from Graphic Design School (Dabner, D. Stewart, S. and Zempol, E. 2016).

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Ockham’s Razor is chosen as a design principle because it affects the simplicity within a design. This can be backed up with research from The Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010) and the research Design principles for visual communication (Agrawala, M. Li, W. And Berthouzoz, F. 2011).

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Picture superiority Effect is chosen as a design principle because it affects the ability to remember a design or product. This can be backed up with research from The Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010).

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Proximity is chosen as a design principle because it affects the perceived relation of elements within a design. This can be backed up with research from The Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010) and the fact that it is one of the Gestalt Principles of Design (Usertesting. 2019).

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Rule of Thirds was chosen as a design principle because it affects the aesthetic position of a design. This can be backed up with research from The Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010) and Graphic Design School (Dabner, D. Stewart, S. and Zempol, E. 2016).

•

Similarity was chosen as a design principle because it affects the perceived relationship between elements within a design. This can be backed up with research from The

Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010) and the fact that it is one of the Gestalt Principles of Design (Usertesting. 2019).

3. Theoretical framework

3.1. Link between research questions and theory

To be able to answer the main research question - which design principles are important to take into consideration when designing an ebook cover? - different design principles will have to be investigated. From these investigated design principles a comparison can be made to see which of the principles is more commonly used in ebook cover design. In the book “Thresholds of interpretation” written by Gerard Gennette (1987) the different aspects of components that turns a text into a book is described. What Gerard means is that it is the paratext that turns a text into a book. Paratext is described like a threshold between a reader and a book where an opportunity for the reader is presented. Either to “enter” the book and read it or to put it down and refrain. An example of

paratext is the cover, the backside, and the foreword. It is through the paratext the first impression is made and the impression of the book as a whole. In other words, paratext is the first thing experience about a book when the consumer tries to create an opinion about the product. The books primary function, according to Gennette, is to attract attention and advertise the book through the use of images, the author name, the ability to mediate the story of the book or the title of the book. The purpose of the cover is to create an interest in the reader, to create a promise of emotions that will be experienced. The view that the cover is only a protective shell from what is really important, the text, is no longer true. Today the cover is just as important as the text when it comes to a books success. It is impossible to separate a books text from its physical appearance (Yampbell, 2005).

Cat Yampbell mentions the phrase ‘grab-ability’ which is central to the marketing of books. Grab-ability describes how the aesthetics of a cover, affect and encourages consumers to notice the product (Yampbell, 2005).

The theoretical framework is based on the book Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010). While designers are becoming more specialised the awareness of advances and discoveries in other design disciplines go unnoticed. Universal Principles of design provides access to convenient information about cross-disciplinary design knowledge. The concepts of the book, referred to as principles, consists of guidelines, laws, human biases and general design considerations.

Kimberly Elam states in the foreword of the book that “Universal Principles of design

reveals the driving forces behind human motivation and brings the designer to an understanding of the intuitive. These principles aren’t guesswork. They’re real, based on sound research, and they work.”

While another study (Agrawala, M. Li, W. Berthouzoz, F. 2011) takes up the difficulty of comparing and describing design principles, the stated principles from Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, W. Holden, K. Butler, J. 2010) can be used to guide the designer with knowledge and provide the designer with examples. The principles are used as models which predicts how the visual techniques affect the perception and cognition. By identifying and describing the principles, turning them into variables, a structured observation method could be used. This enables the analysis of the ebook covers to be compared with each other and minimise the observer bias compared to an unstructured collection method.

Since suitable devices are becoming mainstream there will be a rapid growth of

consumer purchase and use of ebooks (Carden, M. 2008) and studies from Gibson (2011), Littman (2004), Rowlands (2007) and Al (2011) supports the statement that ebooks are

increasing in popularity. The resources available today make it possible for authors to produce textbooks at a more decent price than when working with traditional publishers (Fox, A. and Patterson, D. 2015) and in that process the purchase of a designed ebook cover can be lost and the result can become comedic and awful when the actors design the cover by themselves (Heritage, S. 2015).

Luís Leitão, Suzanne Amaro, Carla Henriques and Paula Fonseca conducted a study (2018) which states in the results that the cover of books play an important role in the decision of the consumers book buying behaviour. They appeal to the consumers subjective aesthetic preferences by possessing elements that influence the decision making process. Since the earlier mentioned study proves that the cover is important to attract attention and create revenue, the purpose of this thesis has become how to make an interesting selling ebook cover.

4. Empirical data

4.1. Source and type of data

This study is based on 46 kindle ebook covers that can be found at Amazons online store (see Appendix 1). Based on their rating solely, 28 ebooks were selected, not taking genre into account. For the research to be just, the ratings of the ebooks had to be rated with four stars or higher out of five. These will show as good examples in the research since a profitable ebook are preferred. In the theory surrounding book covers several factors to create grab-ability is mentioned. The authors brand, the title of the book, and a

describing book cover. The books selected have had clear titles with an author brand, and contained unique elements. Since the books were selected among several genres a diversity of highly rated ebook covers have been taken into account. Eighteen ebook covers were selected based on the mentions in a Tumblr blog ‘kindlecoverdisasters' to be able to measure the misuse of these design principles.

It is not easy to select covers in the vast majority of choices, and many covers can fit into several categories and use different principles at the same time. To make it more clear and relevant the covers have been selected based on the fact if they contain one design principle or more. These choices are somewhat arbitrary since the covers were selected based on a personal interpretation of the covers and how well they meet the references in this study.

These Amazon kindle book covers have been analysed: Good examples: • A river in the darkness

• The murmur of bees • After the crash • The great passage

• Where the desert meets the sea • Last train to Istanbul

• The last of the Stanfields

• The strange journey of Alice Pendelbury • The question of red

• Words in the dark • American dirt

• What the wind knows

• The extraordinary life of Sam Hell • Monsoon mansion

• Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone • A very stable genius

• Such a fun age

• Little fires everywhere • Becoming

• Marketing rebellion • The nickel boys • Midnight in Chernobyl • Exhalation

• The goldfinch • A little life • Commonwealth

• Everything I never told you • Post Brexit

• Grandkids gone wild • Y2K for women • Glitter ponies

• Amish country calamity Bad examples: • Amish vampires in space

• Dragon knight’s rebellion • Texting mr right

• Hitlers time machine • Bigfoot Bob

• Shades of grey • Impact

• The skunk woman • Time swirl • Animal future

• Fight of the intrepid monkey • The pigs head

4.2. Use of Design Principles

(See full analysis in appendix 2)

4.3. Percentages

The percentages have been separated into two categories. Four stars and up and Kindle cover disasters. The percentage was calculated by dividing the ebook covers that used the design principle with all ebook covers in that category.

Alignment:

97% of four stars and up used alignment centre

3% of four stars and up used alignment right

78% of kindle cover disasters used alignment centre

6% of kindle cover disasters used alignment centre and right 6% of kindle cover disasters used alignment off centre

6% of kindle cover disasters used alignment off centre and left

Archetypes:

54% of four stars and up used archetypes

46% of four stars and up did not use archetypes

61% of kindle cover disasters did not use archetypes

39% of kindle cover disasters used archetypes

Colour

68% of four stars and up used less than three colours

29% of four stars and up used three colours or more 4% of four stars and up used five colours or more

50% of kindle cover disasters used three colours or more

28% of kindle cover disasters used five colours or more 17% of kindle cover disasters used less than three colours

Hierarchy according to size:

93% of four stars and up had title as top

4% of four stars and up had genre as top 4% of four stars and up had series as top

78% of kindle cover disasters had title as top

11% of kindle cover disasters had series as top 6% of kindle cover disasters had author as top

Horror Vacui:

47% of four stars and up used Horror Vacui

32% of four stars and up used whitespace 21% of four stars and up used texture

94% of kindle cover disasters used Horror Vacui

6% of kindle cover disasters used whitespace

Legibility:

100% of four stars and up used legible text

67% of kindle cover disasters did not use legible text

33% of kindle cover disasters used legible text

Ockham’s Razor:

68% of four stars and up used Ockham’s Razor

32% of four stars and up did not use Ockham’s Razor

94% of kindle cover disasters did not use Ockham’s Razor

6% of kindle cover disasters used Ockham’s Razor

Picture Superiority Effect:

71% of four stars and up used Picture Superiority Effect

29% of four stars and up did not use Picture Superiority Effect

61% of kindle cover disasters used Picture Superiority Effect

39% of kindle cover disasters did not use Picture Superiority Effect

Proximity:

100% of four stars and up used proximity

89% of kindle cover disasters did not use proximity

11% of kindle cover disasters used proximity

Rule of Thirds:

54% of four stars and up used Rule of Thirds

46% of four stars and up did not use Rule of Thirds

72% of kindle cover disasters did not use Rule of Thirds

28% of kindle cover disasters used Rule of Thirds

Similarity:

100% of four stars and up used similarity 78% of kindle cover disasters used similarity

5. Analysis

In the analysis phase, all design principles will be discussed and valued, to understand if, why and how a principle is used.

Alignment: The question ended up focusing on how alignment was used instead of if it

was used. Alignment is all about organising elements to a line or a margin. Alignment is used because it helps the reader to scan a cover more easily. It improves the balance within a design, which makes the cover more visually appealing. With the help of alignment, elements can create a visual connection between related objects. The most commonly used alignments are left, right and centre, which were used as alternatives in this study. If text was placed asymmetrically the alignment was combined, for example; this ebook cover used alignment centre and right.

In 97 percent of the good ebooks analysed, alignment centre was used. Alignment centre was also used in 78 percent of the disastrous ones. This shows that alignment centre is preferred to the other alternatives. Alignment centre means to align objects with each other on their centre axis. Alignment centre is a good practice to use on book covers because of the few short lines of text. This gives more freedom to create

interesting fonts, shapes and colours. It is important to never place anything arbitrarily. With the help of alignment the designer is able to unify elements into a strong cohesive structure.

Archetypes: A Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Gustav Jung, was able to identify imagery and

motifs that had a universal, collective understanding. He found common stories that all humans could understand and relate to, regardless of culture, history or context. They can be found in several creative works, like myths, characters in literature and imagery in dreams. These unconscious biases and dispositions have been “hardwired” into the brain over the course of human evolution and can send subtile clues to the observer. This was the principle that was the hardest to analyse because it required a subjective judgement and is prone to high observer bias. A little bit more than half of the good covers used archetypes while 60 percent of the worst covers did not. Using archetypes might be one of the contributing elements to a good design it does not appear to be the most vital one. Probably because archetypes are too undefined and can contain different meanings to different people.

Colour: Less is more. Working with a limited colour palette seems to be preferred in the

covers that have higher rating. The most popular colour palette contained less than three colours (excluding black and white), while some used three or four colours and a few used five colours or more. This is drastically different when comparing colour palettes with the cover disasters. Only 17 percent used less than three colours and palettes with more than five colours were not uncommon. By using a limited colour palette there is added harmony between the colours. Consequently, when using a wide array of colours the harmony may be stretched out.

Hierarchy: Just as with alignment, hierarchy was not a question of if the principle was

used, but instead a question about how it was used. All text objects were noted in the analysation in descending size scale. When looking at the analysis the most prominent text was the title. By using a clear large title the ebook increases its grab-ability, which makes it more noticeable to the reader when they are scanning for something to read.

Horror Vacui: The fear of emptiness. When looking at the good examples of ebooks,

Horror Vacui seams to be used in about half of the cases. While almost all cover disasters wanted to fill each and every space with details, the good covers was able to use the principle by filling up the space with colours, textures or patters. Using the space they have without being overwhelming. Websites and apps are becoming more simplistic and clean and to not melt into the background more creative solutions are found. Having special features will also help the grab-ability, where its uniqueness helps the ebook to stand out.

Legibility: Legibility measures how easy it is to recognise one letter or word from each

other and how easy the text is to read. Every single ebook cover with higher rating had good legibility. In the analysis fonts, font-size, colours and backgrounds were considered when making the judgement, to see if legibility was good or bad. Only 33 percent of the cover disasters had good legibility which must be a contributing factor to why the covers are considered bad. It is important to keep it simple and to make the reader understand the message. By having good legibility the text is more inviting and have a bigger chance to get the viewer to want to read it.

Ockham’s Razor: It is easy to get carried away with the details, and it is often assumed

that the extra work will enhance the experience of the design. This is yet another principle highly prone to observer bias because the judgement of what is necessary is very subjective. Even though this is the case, it was an important principle to include because it intertwines with the principles which promotes the ‘less is more’ mindset. Close to 70 percent of all the good ebook covers used Ockham’s Razor, only keeping the essential pieces, compared to the 6 percent which used Ockham’s Razor in the ebook disasters. It is clear that a few memorable impressions will make a bigger impact on the reader than trying to fit everything onto the cover. Explaining too much on the cover will also diffuse the excitement of reading a story the viewer have never heard before.

Picture Superiority Effect: The saying ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’ rings more

truth than we think. Psychologists have confirmed that an image is more immediately recognised and better recalled than either the spoken or the written word. After heading or reading a text we are likely to remember only ten procreant of the information three days later. Using a combination of text and relevant images will improve the memory up to 65 percent. This is why picture superiority effect is important when designing ebook cover. The majority of the ebooks used the principle to trap the reader’s attention and stay memorable in the reader’s mind.

Proximity: Proximity ensures that related design elements are placed together. Any

unrelated items should be placed apart. Close proximity indicates that the object have a relationship with each other and becomes one visual unit. This makes a design look more organised and structured. While 100 percent of the higher rated ebook covers used well placed proximity with related objects placed together, the main part of the worst ebook covers did not. Not using this principle makes the covers harder to understand and scan. In other words, keep it simple and clear.

Rule of Thirds: The rule of thirds is an essential photography technique, used to create

interesting compositions and balance within an image. Since photos are commonly used in designing covers it was an appropriate principle to include in this study, even if it is not directly connected to design. About half of the highly rated ebook covers used Rule of Thirds and about half did not. This principle seems to rely on photographic images. The principle is favoured when an image is chosen in a design. Less that 30 percent of the worst covers used the Rule of Thirds.

Similarity: Just as with proximity, similarity helps group design elements together.

Similar objects are perceived to be more related than dissimilar objects. Similarity can be seen in design by using similar attributes of colour, shapes, sizes and orientation. Rather than perceiving elements separately our brain organises patterns, objects and shapes into larger forms that they can understand. All the higher rated ebook covers used the design principle similarity, with recurring elements in the design. This seems to be important. Around 70 percent of the ebook disaster covers had reoccurring elements as well which shows that this principle in one of the most common principle used as base.


6. Discussion and conclusion

6.1. Discussion and conclusion

The findings of this study are based on the indications that the analysis have provided and can be seen as recommendations when creating an ebook cover. Which design principles are important to take into consideration when designing an ebook cover? The research indicates that organisation is an important aspect in designing covers with higher rating. This can be observed in covers using principles such as alignment, hierarchy, legibility, proximity and similarity. Using a structured layout will make the cover easier to take in, understand and remember. By having a cover with throughly thought through decisions, for example, limited colour palette and the simplest design solution the first impression will become more memorable and the cover will have a better grab-ability.

Unsurprisingly, there is a clear difference between highly rated ebook covers and cover disasters. The biggest differences occurred when looking into the design principles colour and legibility. While the highly rated ebooks put effort in making it as effortless as possible to read, the kindle cover disasters wanted to stick out from the masses by using unusual text fonts, on different coloured backgrounds with different text effects. While being unique, the product becomes undesirable and hard to read. Together with a broad colour palette, which stretches out the harmony, the cover often becomes disorganised and plottered with elements that could be avoided.

In conclusion, an analysation of covers from Amazon kindle have been made together with a guideline to avoid the worst of them. See the guideline in appendix 3. The guideline uses words and visuals to explain and point out important principles to consider when designing an ebook cover. It has a simplistic clear approach and the purpose of designing the guideline this way was to provide understanding to designers and non-designers alike. Since the sampling of ebooks have been broad, expanding over several genres, the guideline can be applied to ebook covers in general. This study contributes to the existing studies by providing insight into how design principles are applied to ebook covers and which principles are most important to take into

consideration when designing an ebook cover.

These principles have been chosen for the visual ebook design guideline: Alignment: center

Hierarchy: title on top Proximity

Legibility Similarity

Colours: up to five colours Picture superiority effect Ockham’s razor

6.2. Limitations

This research is subject to several limitations.

Sample collection: Ebooks are available on many platforms. By limiting the selection of highly rated ebook covers to one site in particular, Amazon kindle, the samples are solely based on Amazons rating system. This can provide a biased sample based on Amazons customers and target audience. The sampling of the ebook cover disasters were chosen from a Tumblr blog with no ratings to rely on. The cover disasters were chosen based on the uniqueness of their design, judged with the researchers observer bias. All samples

chosen were prone to convenience sampling, due to the fact that Amazon kindle solely sells ebooks and the Kindle Cover Disasters had already found examples of bad design.

Sample size: The highly rated ebook covers were more represented than the ebook

cover disasters. This was a conscious decision, due to the fact that the study would provide a guideline on how to create good ebook covers. The cover disasters were mainly used as a contrast to show the importance of using design principles in a desirable way. Chosen principles: Due to the time limitations a smaller set of principles had to be chosen. All the principles were chosen from one book, The Universal Principles of Design. These principles were chosen based on relevancy, meaning if they were

applicable to at least one of the chosen ebook covers. Out of 125 design principles only 11 were appropriate to use in the study. Instead of judging the elements and placing them into applicable principles, the principles were judged by the elements. This means that the design elements could make use of more than one principle simultaneously.

Researcher bias: The analysation is based on the judgement of one person, the

researcher. Since some of the principles had to be analysed in a subjective manner, the study is highly prone to biases of different kinds. Biases to take into account could be cultural, geographical and demographical. The amount of bias could be minimised if several people had taken part in the analysation phase.

Lack of previous research studies on the topic: Knowing what to focus on proved to be difficult because of the lack of previous research studies in the same area, meaning that the knowledge gap is rather large concerning ebook design and book design in general. Most of the research used have concerned printed books and the ongoing digitalisation. The resources that have been used should be reviewed sceptically since the data could be changed drastically compared to today because of the rapid change of technology.

6.3. Further research

During the study a couple of different interesting areas have been discovered. These areas have not been possible to explore in this study. In the research phase it was evident that there was a large knowledge gap concerning ebooks and digitalisation. An

interesting topic for further research would be adapting technology. How are printed products transitioning into digital devices? How can interactive features be implemented in ebooks and what effect does it have? On which devises are ebooks commonly read, and how can the design adapt? This research have not touched the adaption of printed covers into ebook cover. What is important to consider in the transition?

References

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Appendices

Appendix 1 - Internet website links to the kindle covers analysed Appendix 2 - Analysation: Use of Design Principles

Appendix 1 - Internet website addresses to the kindle covers analysed 4 stars and up

A river in the darkness

https://www.amazon.com/River-Darkness-Escape-North-Korea-ebook/dp/ B06XKRKFZL/ref=sr_1_4?

qid=1582714806&refinements=p_72%3A1248987011&rnid=1248985011&s=digital-text&sr=1-4

The murmur of bees

https://www.amazon.com/Murmur-Bees-Sofia-Segovia-ebook/dp/B07GNCQXXB/ ref=sr_1_6?

qid=1582714806&refinements=p_72%3A1248987011&rnid=1248985011&s=digital-text&sr=1-6

After the crash

https://www.amazon.com/Out-Silence-After-Eduardo-Strauch-ebook/dp/ B07H7GKR9R/ref=sr_1_59?

qid=1582714855&refinements=p_72%3A1248987011&rnid=1248985011&s=digital-text&sr=1-59

The great passage

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Passage-Shion-Miura-ebook/dp/B01MAVRCW8/ ref=sr_1_87?

qid=1582714900&refinements=p_72%3A1248987011&rnid=1248985011&s=digital-text&sr=1-87

Where the desert meets the sea

https://www.amazon.com/Where-Desert-Meets-Sea-Novel-ebook/dp/B07HM1ZP3B/ ref=sr_1_90?

qid=1582714900&refinements=p_72%3A1248987011&rnid=1248985011&s=digital-text&sr=1-90

Last train to Istanbul

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Train-Istanbul-Ayse-Kulin-ebook/dp/B00BJ8YD78/ ref=sr_1_114?

qid=1582714938&refinements=p_72%3A1248987011&rnid=1248985011&s=digital-text&sr=1-114

The last of the Stanfields

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Stanfields-Marc-Levy-ebook/dp/B079DPT97R/ ref=sr_1_86?

qid=1582714900&refinements=p_72%3A1248987011&rnid=1248985011&s=digital-text&sr=1-86

The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury

https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Journey-Alice-Pendelbury-ebook/dp/ B07FSMWL5N/ref=sr_1_36?

qid=1582714840&refinements=p_72%3A1248987011&rnid=1248985011&s=digital-text&sr=1-36

The question of red

https://www.amazon.com/Question-Red-Laksmi-Pamuntjak-ebook/dp/B019XX9HTO/ ref=sr_1_186?

qid=1582715817&refinements=p_72%3A1248990011&rnid=1248985011&s=digital-text&sr=1-186

Words in the dark

https://www.amazon.com/Words-Dark-Nora-Cooper-Mysteries-ebook/dp/ B00STR28RE/ref=sr_1_175? qid=1582715792&refinements=p_72%3A1248990011&rnid=1248985011&s=digital-text&sr=1-175 American dirt https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QQLCZY1/ref=s9_acsd_hps_bw_c2_x_0_i? pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised- search-7&pf_rd_r=Q4Y3KA6QGZSCD5ZDEN4Z&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=b10b1d4e-9eef-4011-922a-432d4a69f28c&pf_rd_i=154606011

What the wind knows

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DHMNY7H?

pf_rd_m=A2R2RITDJNW1Q6&storeType=ebooks&pf_rd_p=fa23bdc3-9b80-4b53-9d9e-3

3eee0bd0a54&pf_rd_r=Q4Y3KA6QGZSCD5ZDEN4Z&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_t=40901&pd_rd_i=B07DHMNY7H&ref_=dbs_f_ebk_rwt_wigo_cp_m s3_kmw_fa23bdc3-9b80-4b53-9d9e-33eee0bd0a&pf_rd_i=154606011

The extraordinary life of Sam Hell

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074H8NFDF? pf_rd_m=A2R2RITDJNW1Q6&storeType=ebooks&pf_rd_p=fa23bdc3-9b80-4b53-9d9e-3 3eee0bd0a54&pf_rd_r=Q4Y3KA6QGZSCD5ZDEN4Z&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_t=40901&pd_rd_i=B074H8NFDF&ref_=dbs_f_ebk_rwt_wigo_cp_ms3 _kmw_fa23bdc3-9b80-4b53-9d9e-33eee0bd0a&pf_rd_i=154606011 Monsoon mansion https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073FCHNYQ? pf_rd_m=A2R2RITDJNW1Q6&storeType=ebooks&pf_rd_p=fa23bdc3-9b80-4b53-9d9e-3 3eee0bd0a54&pf_rd_r=Q4Y3KA6QGZSCD5ZDEN4Z&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_t=40901&pd_rd_i=B073FCHNYQ&ref_=dbs_f_ebk_rwt_wigo_cp_ms 3_kmw_fa23bdc3-9b80-4b53-9d9e-33eee0bd0a&pf_rd_i=154606011

Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0192CTMYG? pf_rd_m=A2R2RITDJNW1Q6&storeType=ebooks&pf_rd_p=fa23bdc3-9b80-4b53-9d9e-3 3eee0bd0a54&pf_rd_r=Q4Y3KA6QGZSCD5ZDEN4Z&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_t=40901&pd_rd_i=B0192CTMYG&ref_=dbs_f_ebk_rwt_wigo_ts_ms3 _kmw_fa23bdc3-9b80-4b53-9d9e-33eee0bd0a&pf_rd_i=154606011

A very stable genius

https://www.amazon.com/Very-Stable-Genius-Testing-America-ebook/dp/

B07WQQRMGP/ref=lp_154606011_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1582716449&sr=1-4

Such a fun age

https://www.amazon.com/Such-Fun-Age-Kiley-Reid-ebook/dp/B07QLJ7VTN/ ref=lp_154606011_1_10?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1582716449&sr=1-10

Little fires everywhere

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Fires-Everywhere-Celeste-Ng-ebook/dp/ B01N4VW75U/ref=sr_1_20?qid=1582716484&s=digital-text&sr=1-20 The overstory https://www.amazon.com/Overstory-Novel-Richard-Powers-ebook/dp/B073VX7HT4/ ref=sr_1_38?qid=1582716513&s=digital-text&sr=1-38 Marketing rebellion https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Rebellion-Most-Human-Company-ebook/dp/ B07MSJF3P9/ref=sr_1_46?qid=1582717128&s=digital-text&sr=1-46

The nickel boys

https://www.amazon.com/Nickel-Boys-Novel-Colson-Whitehead-ebook/dp/ B07J489X7H/ref=sr_1_126?qid=1582716943&s=digital-text&sr=1-126

Midnight in Chernobyl https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Chernobyl-Greatest-Nuclear-Disaster-ebook/dp/ B07GNV7PNH/ref=sr_1_132?qid=1582716974&s=digital-text&sr=1-132 Exhalation https://www.amazon.com/Exhalation-Stories-Ted-Chiang-ebook/dp/B07GD46PQZ/ ref=sr_1_148?qid=1582716996&s=digital-text&sr=1-148 The goldfinch https://www.amazon.com/Goldfinch-Novel-Pulitzer-Prize-Fiction-ebook/dp/ B00BAXFECK/ref=sr_1_155?qid=1582716996&s=digital-text&sr=1-155 A little life https://www.amazon.com/Little-Life-Novel-Hanya-Yanagihara-ebook/dp/ B00N6PCZO0/ref=pd_sim_351_6/143-7009219-6288344? _encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00N6PCZO0&pd_rd_r=309d3e02-7577-49a7-9ef0- a584db8c5d58&pd_rd_w=iurGQ&pd_rd_wg=qQ070&pf_rd_p=65e3eab0- d81f-4a76-93ff-f0b7b1d6cd3d&pf_rd_r=57ZTY4YK4J4JTR0YZGTS&psc=1&refRID=57ZTY4YK4J4JTR0YZG TS Commonwealth https://www.amazon.com/Commonwealth-Ann-Patchett-ebook/dp/B019C40Z7M/ ref=pd_sim_351_39? _encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B019C40Z7M&pd_rd_r=309d3e02-7577-49a7-9ef0- a584db8c5d58&pd_rd_w=iurGQ&pd_rd_wg=qQ070&pf_rd_p=65e3eab0- d81f-4a76-93ff-f0b7b1d6cd3d&pf_rd_r=57ZTY4YK4J4JTR0YZGTS&psc=1&refRID=57ZTY4YK4J4JTR0YZG TS 
 


Everything I never told you

https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Never-Told-You-Awards-ebook/dp/ B00G3L7V0C/ref=pd_sim_351_43? _encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00G3L7V0C&pd_rd_r=309d3e02-7577-49a7-9ef0- a584db8c5d58&pd_rd_w=iurGQ&pd_rd_wg=qQ070&pf_rd_p=65e3eab0- d81f-4a76-93ff-f0b7b1d6cd3d&pf_rd_r=57ZTY4YK4J4JTR0YZGTS&psc=1&refRID=57ZTY4YK4J4JTR0YZG TS

Kindle Cover Disasters

Post Brexit

https://www.amazon.com/Post-Brexit-Wounds-Bob-Blighty-ebook/dp/B07FVSVBPW/

Grandkids gone wild

https://www.amazon.com/Grandkids-Garden-Girls-Christian-Mystery-ebook/dp/

B00S1GWS9G

Y2K for women

https://www.amazon.com/Y2k-Women-Protect-Family-Coming/dp/0785268537

Glitter ponies

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0141EV7AW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect? _encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Amish country calamity

https://www.amazon.com/Filled-Fiction-Raising-Lancaster-Calamity-ebook/dp/ B01CPO4ZN6/

Amish vampires in space

https://www.amazon.com/Amish-Vampires-Space-Peril-Plain-ebook/dp/

B00HONV36Q

Dragon knight’s rebellion

https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Knights-Medallion-Order-Book-ebook/dp/ B00P81C0EA

Texting mr right