My cover and artwork designer Danielle Fine is always trying to come up with something new. I've seen posts on adding music to ebooks, and a device to be worn that would let readers feel things from the book - I guess a rumble or shake for earthquakes or something.
Gifs aren't a new thing. But I've seen plenty of complaints about them and/or their overuse. They can be very distracting, or in some cases almost blinding!
But Dani had a go at animating one of my book covers as an experiment. I really like it. The effect is subtle and plays on the elements of the cover, and even the story itself, unlike the flashy/full on gifs I'm more familiar with on Tumblr and often used in Goodreads reviews. As yet, I don't think ereaders can deal with animated covers, but it wouldn't surprise me if this becomes a thing.
So what do you think? Do you like the animation in my cover? If you're an author, would you consider having one done, whether as the actual cover to use, or as part of your marketing? And as a reader, would you like to see this or is it just another thing to distract you from reading?
Personally I plan to use this wonderfully subtle gif version of my cover in my side bar and on my website - I think there's just enough animation to catch the eye without being annoying. And I do like shiny things. ^_^
