Judging a book by its cover
Admit it. We all judge books by their covers.
While I'm waiting to see the cover art for Bewitched & Betrayed, I thought I'd talk about cover art. All of us have favorite authors, and when one of their books comes out, we go to the bookstore and buy it. But what about those times when our fav author is "between books" and we're on the prowl for something to read, something new from someone new. Unless you've had some "must read" recommendations from your book buddies, you're on your own.
So what do you look for when you're cruising the shelves? Something that catches your eye, right? And in my opinion, nothing grabs attention like a good cover. In fact, it's critical.
We all have our cover preferences -- that cover style that tells us "this is your kind of book, buy it now!" Ideally, the cover conveys the type, tone and target. The type of book (epic fantasy, urban, paranormal, etc.). Tone -- meaning serious, light & fun or somewhere in between. The target for cover art is its target audience, and the publisher and their artist/designer for that particular book include elements that the people who buy that kind of book will find irresistible. It's an art. Kudos to the designers and artists.
You know it as well as I do -- some book covers hit the mark, some miss it completely.
I've been blessed; I love my covers. Though I have to say in terms of getting the tone of the books and look of Raine right on target, my favorite cover so far is The Trouble With Demons. It's darker (as fits the book), Raine is now the right age, and most importantly, she looks like someone Tam would slam against a mainmast. ; )
Aleta Rafton (my cover artist) rocks! My covers are incredibly eye-catching. They're exactly the kinds of covers that would get my attention and compel me to pick them up off the shelf. Others find my covers cheesy, but still loved the book. It's all about preference. One person's fabulous is another person's cheesy.
BTW -- I've had the cover for Bewitched & Betrayed described to me, and I absolutely, positively cannot wait to see it. Any day now, I hope to actually see it.
While I'm waiting to see the cover art for Bewitched & Betrayed, I thought I'd talk about cover art. All of us have favorite authors, and when one of their books comes out, we go to the bookstore and buy it. But what about those times when our fav author is "between books" and we're on the prowl for something to read, something new from someone new. Unless you've had some "must read" recommendations from your book buddies, you're on your own.
So what do you look for when you're cruising the shelves? Something that catches your eye, right? And in my opinion, nothing grabs attention like a good cover. In fact, it's critical.
We all have our cover preferences -- that cover style that tells us "this is your kind of book, buy it now!" Ideally, the cover conveys the type, tone and target. The type of book (epic fantasy, urban, paranormal, etc.). Tone -- meaning serious, light & fun or somewhere in between. The target for cover art is its target audience, and the publisher and their artist/designer for that particular book include elements that the people who buy that kind of book will find irresistible. It's an art. Kudos to the designers and artists.
You know it as well as I do -- some book covers hit the mark, some miss it completely.
I've been blessed; I love my covers. Though I have to say in terms of getting the tone of the books and look of Raine right on target, my favorite cover so far is The Trouble With Demons. It's darker (as fits the book), Raine is now the right age, and most importantly, she looks like someone Tam would slam against a mainmast. ; )
Aleta Rafton (my cover artist) rocks! My covers are incredibly eye-catching. They're exactly the kinds of covers that would get my attention and compel me to pick them up off the shelf. Others find my covers cheesy, but still loved the book. It's all about preference. One person's fabulous is another person's cheesy.
BTW -- I've had the cover for Bewitched & Betrayed described to me, and I absolutely, positively cannot wait to see it. Any day now, I hope to actually see it.
posted by Lisa Shearin at
6:29 AM
7 Comments:
Hi Lisa :)
Thanks for the great post.
Yes, the cover does draw me to a new book & new author.
It's like the sparkle that catches your eye.
:)
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo
I absolutely love the covers for your series! Aleta is absolutely amazing! They are always so beautiful. Originally, when I first bought MLTF, it was as part of a list Amazon recommended to me, and the cover just made me go "wow" - which made me click and read about the book. I've not looked back! :)
Hopefully, I'll be having a guest post on my blog from Aleta about the B&B cover once it's available to be seen. I'm looking forward to it, if it still happens! :)
I love your book covers. They're awesome, and I love all three. I do think TTWD is leaning toward Urban Fantasy in appearance, but since Raine's voice has a more urban fantasy feel, it's all to the good. I also like how Raine's stance is more action oriented in TTWD than in the previous covers.
As for cover art, interesting looking people make me want to pick up the book for a closer look. Especially if anything about them suggests piracy, swashbuckling action, or princesses with lots of jewelry.
Swashbuckling pirate princesses with jewelry are definitely going to have me at least skimming the first chapter.
I'll admit that it was the cover of MLTF that attracted me and the back blerb that hooked me.
Whoever did the covers for Copper Crown and Throne of Scone by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison did a wonderful job! The stories have an extremely rich Celtic feel and the artist gave the covers that feel (e.g. http://www.amazon.ca/Tale-Aeron-01-Copper-Crown/dp/0451450507/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8\
&s=books&qid=1254921361&sr=8-3) . I was disappointed when her novels switched to a more traditional romance-y kind of cover (http://www.amazon.ca/Blackmantle-Triumph-Keltiad-Patricia-Kennealy-Morrison/dp/\
0061052310/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254920043&sr=1-5). It was like the stories lost that ethereal quality the previous covers had evoked.
Also on the subject of covers, yesterday the anthology Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies got released. Its cover has been causing some stir with some saying it has just the right amount of 'cheese' for a collection of offbeat, humourous horror stories. Others say it looks like a bad Photoshop. I was definitely in the latter camp until I picked up the book; now I think it is sort of appropriate. Still, you be the judge: http://www.amazon.ca/Zombie-Raccoons-Killer-Bunnies-Greenberg/dp/0756405823/ref=\
sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254921731&sr=1-1
Yep, so far you're three-for-three with cover art, Lisa! If only my SFR authors could be so lucky...
{thoughtful look}
{rueful smile} I'm doing it again. I've learned that what I really want to read isn't shown by covers. What I want is good, strong relationships between friends and family members. (My first love is family-oriented fantasy, with family-oriented science fiction a distinct but not distant second. {Smile}) Usually the only relationship cover-makers are concerned with are romantic ones. While those are alright, I'd really like to know about the platonic ones even more. {lop-sided smile}
So covers for me are about spotting red flags more than anything else. A villanous character on the cover is a red flag, as are hints of murder and arson, since I really hate contemplating destructive tendencies in folks. {smile}
So is a slice of modern life in western society, without a hint of magic, advanced technology, minority characters, or other time periods. I do best when a setting is multi-cutural, or at least some culture significantly different from modern, white America. {Smile}
Another flag is anything that looks really grim and gritty. I don't need fluff, tho I don't mind it. I don't need constant roses and rainbows, either. I just want to know there are good times to balance the bad. {Smile}
Those are the main ones, tho I'm sure there are more. A mild red flag won't keep me from picking up a book, but I'm a little more wary when I do. {Smile}
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
I'll grab any book with a weapon on the front. Although, as a general rule, anything with a dagger and pearls is probably not worth the bother and I'm leery of weapons on a kilt background.
If I can't find a weapon, explosions and spaceships will work.
The only major exception is Terry Pratchett, all my other favorite authors include weapons on their covers.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home