6 REASONS YOUR BOOK ISN’T SELLING--and how Universal Fantasy can solve them

Reason #1: Your Cover isn't F-able

Reason #1

Your Cover isn’t F-able.

Yes, I said it. And just in case you’re wondering if that F stands for something that would be bleeped out on broadcast television--it totally does.

And my F-able, I mean your cover doesn’t make people want to eff with what you’re writing.

Good covers tell your target audience that this is the kind of book they like.

You see a ton of good covers in my category, Interracial Romance--especially for BWWM (Black Woman White Man) romances.

They helpfully have a black woman and a white man on the cover, so if you’re looking for a BWWM romance, congratulations! You know you’ve found one.

Like outer space novels? It’s easy to find a good cover with a spaceship on it.

Mystery fan? Any casual scan of the Kindle Store Top 100 will serve up good murky covers with the New York Times bestselling author’s name written extra big.

Those are good covers--but not necessarily F-able covers.

F-able covers not only let your audience know they’ve found the book they’re looking for, but they also spark a universal fantasy when you look at them.

So if we’re talking romance, an F-able cover could feature…

--someone we’d want to eff

--a couple we’d like to see eff

--someone we’d like to effin’ be (think all those Urban Fantasy baddies wielding magic and/or weapons on bestseller covers)

and weirdly…

--an object with which we’d want to engage. For example, rings we want to put on, chess pieces for games we want to play, cuff links we’d like our man to wear or see him put on, crowns and tiaras we want to place upon our heads….the list goes on and on.

One of my favorite object covers of 2021 was for Private Property by Skye Warren. It features an old-timey key--the kind you just know was specially made to open some mysterious thing.

Keys are great universal fantasies because we were all kids once and in love with the idea of finding hidden things. So a key as an object cover gave me all the nostalgic dopamine secret! secret! secret! feels. And boy, did that cover make me want to unlock and peek inside Skye’s book. BRILLIANT.

Here are some signs to let you know if a cover has an F-ble UF.

You look at it, and you feel something.

You look at it, and you imagine something.

You look at it, and you want something (or someone).

You look at it, and you can instantly name a UF contained within without looking at the book description. Like, those two scientists are totally going to fall in love despite themselves.

With that in mind….

Skim a chart for one of your favorite Amazon categories. See if any of the covers have an F-able UF. And, of course, let me know in the comments if and when you find one!

And read the other reasons your books might not be selling….