Behind the Cover of Greater Treasures

I think this will probably always be one of my favorite covers (and I've had many wonderful covers), and the funny part is I stumbled upon it by accident.  Sarah Jane Lehoux and I are in some writing groups on Facebook.  A few months ago, she posted that she was trying something new by pre-making covers  and putting them on her website at half her usual price.  I'm not sure if she did them with books in mind or was just playing with images and thought, "This is too good to waste," but regardless, she has some lovely work on her site: http://www.sarah-janelehoux.com/premade.jpg.

Out of curiosity more than anything, I went to her site.  When I saw this cover, I fell in love.  It perfectly fits the mood for my story Greater Treasures:  it has a kind of noir feel, and of course it has a dragon, butin a style that can hint at Vern without anyone really thinking that is Vern.  The style also makes me think of the 40s, official heraldry, all the things that harken to the plot and feel of the story.

It's great as a cover in and of itself.  The title and name show well when shrunk, it has great contrast, and it stands out in a crowd.  Those are the top three things you need to think about when creating or selecting a cover.

I had not planned on self-publishing, though I toyed with the idea for my shorter works.  However, this cover pushed me over the edge.

I recommend Sarah-Jane.  She does great work.  We're already talking about doing covers for some of my other stories, all following the same style.

What about you?  Would a cool cover convince you to self-publish? What do you look for in a cover?

Get Greater Treasures on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/greatertreasureskindle