New writer asking for some feedback Options

[MJH6]

Hi everyone,

I’m very happy to say that I’ve just had my debut novel published and would love to swap thoughts and opinions on what makes a compelling read. Obviously, some of my motivation is market research, but if I don't ask people who are interested in books who can I ask! With this in mind, what do you think attracts a potential reader? Would it be the front cover like mine below or is it more likely to be on the strength of the synopsis? Just how important is the cover art and what really determines our decision to invest the time to actually sit down and read a book? As a new author, I feel these questions are very important, so any insights you can give will be greatly appreciated. It may help me not to make the same mistakes if I ever get around to writing another one! :)

[*Moderator*]

Most readers do judge a book by its cover, so its good to have an engaging cover as well as a good blurb. Make sure not to make the blurb so lengthy that it beats out the entire book, but catchy enough to make them wanna read more.

[MJH6]

Most readers do judge a book by its cover, so its good to have an engaging cover as well as a good blurb. Make sure not to make the blurb so lengthy that it beats out the entire book, but catchy enough to make them wanna read more.

Thanks for replying. I think I agree with you. It seems that while a good cover may encourage someone to take a closer look at a book, it's really the synopsis that makes the difference. I don't know if you will get time to check it out, but it would be great to get some feedback on my own synopsis. You can find it here: http://hometown.aol.co.uk/markjohnhockley/...age/mywork.html