OnlineBookClub.org

As explained in more depth in my ebook 10 Step Plan to Promote Your Book, the most crucial part of marketing is product development.

One part of the publishing process is developing the cover for the print editions, i.e. traditional paperback editions or hardcover editions. One choice that comes up is choosing glossy versus matte finish for the cover.

Which do you generally prefer and why?

Those who publish many books will probably find that depending on the book and cover image a different finish can be preferred. What determines your choice on a per book basis?

I like matte. (This is probably TMI, but I have a mental glitch that causes me to pronounce it mattAY. Anyway.) However, if you get matte from Createspace, it is readily smudged by fingerprints. So you could say it's not quality matte. (The way I said that actually rhymed.) Glossy seems like a better option through CS. However, I still opt for matte.

I love books that are matte except for the focal image, which is glossy. Of course, that's not an option for the self-published among us.

As per deciding on a book-by-book basis, I get what you're asking, but for me it's matte all the way.

Another interesting point on this topic is how weird it is that you cannot tell on a product's page which type of cover finish the book has!

I like matte, with nothing glossy anywhere.

-- 06 Oct 2015, 19:47 --

It would probably help if I said why. I think matte covers look modern and antique at the same time. There is just something special about a matte cover.

I think it depends on the book. I agree that createspace makes smudgy matte covers, but if you can get a quality matte, I prefer that. It looks so sophisticated.

I think I would prefer matte since the text is a bit easier to read on it and it has a nice aesthetic quality.

I just thought about something else regarding the finish. I prefer the way that glossy covers "feel" when I hold them. All smooth. I think the matte feels sticky. But I still think it looks nicer, as long as I don't leave sticky handprints on it.

I do like the look of matte covers and when I first made my book available I used matte. But I noticed that it started to get sticky, handprint-y and a little faded after a while. I think it made the book look cheaper than the materials used actual were, if that makes sense. So I switched to glossy.

I agree, matte is much nicer than glossy.

I just stumbled across this thread, but i've been debating glossy vs. matte all week! I really prefer matte, but it's good to hear you guys say CS doesn't produce a quality matte finish, i'll keep that in mind. thx

I've never thought about this before! I just now pulled several books off of my shelf--some glossy, some matte--to help me answer this question. I think I prefer the matte covers, as the artwork looks more detailed, with richer colors. Plus, my glossy books look more worn out than the matte ones (and some of these matte books are older than the glossy books), so I'm wondering if the matte covers hold up better over time.

I have always used glossy. There's a whole youtube video (actually, several) devoted to this subject. The consensus seems to be that glossy covers hold up slightly better over time. Also the color black seems darker on glossy covers. But there is something to be said for matte also, it looks a little more sophisticated.

Well, I never really thought about it much. I like it when both - glossy and matte surface - are combinedin one cover to create a special effect or a certain 3d effect. And I do think, like VictoriaR above mentioned, that the matte looks more sophisticated. However, this doesn't really matter to me and won't change my mind when I am buying a book. As long as the cover is well done and fitting the read, wether it is glossy ir matte is the least of my worries

Matte covers seem to look a little more sophisticated, but I don't really pay much attention to whether it's matte or glossy. I'm looking at the title and whether the cover fits the type of book. The type of finish on the cover won't change my mind about buying it.

I definitely prefer matte. Glossy just bothers me for some reason. If I can see fingerprints it will drive my OCD up the wall. Matte keeps it contained.

Definitely glossy. Much prettier to look at it