Analysis of Finnish bookstagrammers’ romance book cover preferences and their significance on book marketing

Abstract

Digitalisation, people’s changing leisure interests, war in Europe and general economic uncertainty have affected the publishing industry. Brick-and-mortar bookstores have been struggling, as printed books are being sold less and less as cheap streaming services replace traditional bookstores as points of purchase. Digitalisation, especially social media, has revolutionised also the ways books are marketed, and publishers have noticed the importance of online reader-reviewers. This situation gives rise to the need for this study. Understanding the impact of online user reviews and book covers on book marketing lays the foundation for the development work publishers need to achieve market advantages.

The romance genre is on the rise and is very profitable for its publishers at best, but in a saturated market it is difficult for books to stand out. A publisher would have an advantage if their books were more attractive than those of their competitors. The main research problem of the study was that it is difficult to design a romance cover that stands out because there is no data on what kind of covers Finnish readers like. The aim of the study was to find out what kind of romance covers attract Finnish bookstagrammers, book bloggers on Instagram’s reading community, and whether book covers affect whether books are reviewed by them. The study also aimed to gain information about the impact of user reviews on others in the reading community.

Through a literature review, it was found that an attractive book cover is likely to arouse readers’ interest in a new book. Despite this, only a few studies have examined the effect of the cover on book choice. The literature review also emphasised the significant role of online reader-reviewers in book marketing and their power in introducing new products in the market. The literature review also suggests that publishers can strengthen social media eWOM in many ways.

The research was limited to the front covers of Werner Söderström’s printed romance books from 2023. The covers were analysed using qualitative content analysis and content analysis. Bookstagrammers’ cover preferences were investigated in an online survey conducted on the Webropol platform. The quantitative results of the survey were analysed using the Webropol tool, and the content analysis method was used for open-ended responses.

The results of the study confirm previous findings, which show that the opinions of bookstagrammers greatly influence the reading decisions of others in the reading community. The study also found that the attractiveness of a book cover has a significant impact on bookstagrammers’ book choices, and they are more inclined to post about books whose covers they find attractive. It was also found that bookstagrammers prefer illustrated covers with harmonious colours, aesthetic fonts, and designs that hint at the book’s theme or characters. The findings of the research suggest that when publishers offer interesting books with attractive covers, actively communicate with bookstagrammers, and encourage them to share their opinions on Instagram, they can leverage the influence of these modern influencers to reach a wider audience and increase the popularity of their books.