Although I'm a long way off ever needing to really worry about this, I got thinking today about the cover designs I'd like for my planned novels. Now I know that, should a publisher ever actually pick up my novel, they'll be the ones to make these decisions. So I'm thinking from a self-publishing perspective. And I know that, in that case, I can do whatever I want. However... Should each cover look the same? For example, if I were to chose some minimalist artwork for the first novel, should the following novels use a similar style of artwork? I imagine it would help potential readers spot your work, essentially building a brand. That seems to be what most publishers do; you can spot a Stephen King book or a Dan Brown book a mile away. Anybody here who's self published more than one book have any thoughts on the matter?
I'm not self-published, but I'll share what I know/learned through my experience. If it's part of a series, in general there should be some similarity--it's a sort of branding. It's not vital in some instances...and sometimes cannot be helped, like if a particular artist cannot be commissioned for the next novel in a series. But if you're writing standalone novels that have no connection, then certainly there is less importance with this. Consistency has to do with not only the cover art, but also the title work--The fonts used (and size), and author name/title placement. Also the titles sometimes have a similar ring or look to them.
I'm working on a series of seven novellas and when I'm finished writing, I plan to use the same cover artist for each book. I believe a consistency in style among the seven covers will add credibility as well as appeal to the series in the eyes of potential readers.
