Do you buy ugly books? Probably not. Book covers sell books. Ask any bookstore manager. Ask any successful Web site that sells books.

"Don't judge a book by its cover." We've all heard this saying before but the truth is, we all do it anyway.

First impressions greatly influence how we judge people. Impressions are no less important when it comes to the items we buy. For example, imagine that you are looking through a magazine. You come to a page that has two nearly identical ads side by side. Both ads are selling books on the same subject. However, in one ad the book is shown with a plain cover with text only and no illustrations. In the other ad, the book has a colorful, illustrated cover, along with the text. Now, which ad is likely to catch your interest?

Sure, the title and other text will go a long way to inform of the book's contents. But, unconsciously you are going to be attracted to the illustrated cover. Your impression will be that this book has greater value. Simply put, you decide that "what you see is what you get" and that is usually enough to sway you to buy that particular book.

Let's say you visit two different Web sites, both selling an ebook about starting a home-based business.

On one site, the book cover is a flat rectangle representing the basic shape of the front of a book. Furthermore, while it has some color and illustrations, these images have nothing to do with the subject of the book, plus the photo is a little blurry.

The second site shows a three-dimensional ebook image. It "looks" like a real book. The picture conveys a mom working on a computer with a child on her lamp, representing a home-based computer business. Added to that, the photo and the colors on the cover image all work well together.

Now, which ebook are you likely to be drawn to? Which one gives you a sense that it has greater value? Clearly, the one represented by the well-designed, 3D cover with a relevant image will influence you in a more positive way, and will more likely induce you to purchase that book.

Every successful marketer learned back in Marketing 101 that the packaging will most often determine how well an item will sell. Successful Internet marketers of ebooks and software already know this. These ebook and software sellers understand the importance of the cover design (book or box). They use quality 3D images to represent their products and increase their perceived value.

Let's put it this way: You may have produced the world's most important book on your subject, but who is going to know if nobody reads it?

A quality ebook image is vital to your ebook sales! If you are selling a book on the Internet (heck, even if you are giving it away), your marketing success is going to depend on how potential buyers perceive its value.

Put a little more crudely, dress your ebook in rags, showing a flat cover with no illustrations or inappropriate images, and no one will want it. Display your ebook in the equivalent of a tuxedo, a 3D cover with well-thought-out images, colors and title text, and you will instantly boost your ebook sales!