Mutual Assent: Cover Reveal

As an author whose debut dystopian science fiction novel, Mutual Assent, is drawing closer to publication, I have spent quite a bit of time studying covers and cover designs. I know that my book sales will be heavily impacted by this.

The Danger of Judging by a Cover

Choose the right cover and the eye is attracted to it, intrigued by it, and the person who views it itches to pick it up and examine it more closely. Choose the wrong cover and it may be passed over or ignored altogether.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

These are wise words. As a prolific reader myself, I know that covers can be deceiving. A plain tan cover with unadorned white text can cover some of the most beautiful writing imaginable. A slick, glossy, eye-catching cover that is breathtaking in its beauty can cover some of the worst, most toxic garbage writing humanity has to offer.

The same thing is true about people. Some of those who look the worst have the most to offer while some of those who are breathtakingly beautiful hide the worst evil behind their smiles.  That fact is reflected in the characters found in my novel.

Leveraging the Superficial

The ironic thing is that I am hoping people will fall as much in love with my book cover as I have. I hope that it will attract the eye and draw them to it. I hope they will yearn to pick it up and examine it, confident that the work within is everything the cover promises it will be.

I am hoping to leverage those tendencies to rely on the superficial to make judgments about the value of things to get people to read my work. It is my hope that my words will paint such a vivid picture of the reality of the damage caused by dismissing people due to superficial characteristics that they will be motivated to Dissent against it, as the series title suggests.

I intend for this book to be a rallying cry for those who, like me, wish to issue their own personal Dissent against such a future. This book is where we begin our Mutual Ascent.

Sign Up for the Dissenters Mailing List

I am excited to reveal it and look forward to the feedback I receive about it. For those whose eye has been attracted by what they see here and find themselves drawn to it, I encourage them to sign up for my mailing list at https://johnrkyle.com/mutual-ascent so they can be notified when the book is ready for release.

I will be offering teasers, sample chapters, and guides to join me in becoming an active participant in shaping humanity’s future so that we don’t have to live out a future where our tendencies to judge the value of things based on appearance alone are reinforced and rewarded.