What grabs you about a romance novel’s cover? What’ll make you stop dead in your tracks in a bookstore and pick up a book to gaze at the beautiful artwork?
Do you like the steamy clinch? The half-naked body parts? The dreamy, unfocused corner of a face?
Or is it the color that grabs you? Do you like a vivid blue or purple? Red, maybe?
Does it matter if the cover doesn’t match the content? Say, a dog on the cover that appears nowhere in the book? Does anyone (other than the author!) really care about minor details like that?
What about turn-offs? Is there anything a publisher can throw on a cover that absolutely guarantees you don’t buy the book?
Do you mind reading the book in public if the cover is really explicit? Do you slide it inside your open copy of WAR AND PEACE?
Me? I love:
Intense colors;
Intertwined lovers showing some EMOTION; and
Half-images, so I don’t get upset if the hero and heroine on the cover don’t match the images of them in my mind’s eye.
Comments, please, and don’t be shy. I’m giving away a copy of JUST ABOUT SEX (note the pretty cover with the laughing couple in bed!) to a commenter at the end of the day.
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I can read at work and get enuf teasing as is so yes, I wont bring a really explicit cover/book to work.
I like colorful, and cutsey covers - like the types on Catherine Anderson, Rachel Gibson and Brava Covers.
It is FRIDAY! Happy weekend to everyone.
by Pat L
on March 30th, 2007 at 6:30 am
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I don’t mind reading a book with an explicit cover in public ~ however, I do try and curb what books I read and leave lying around in front of my 16 and 18 year old sons.
I do like for the cover to actually match the content of the book. Otherwise I find myself wondering if I missed something.
Just About Sex is a colorful, eye-catching cover ~ it’s wonderful!
by Christy H.
on March 30th, 2007 at 7:55 am
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I love deep dramatic colors which are striking. The image should reflect the content and I don’t need explicit covers. Restraint and tasteful artwork is what I like.
by alissa
on March 30th, 2007 at 8:48 am
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I love covers with real models that accurately portray the feeling of the book. What I hate are those cartoon covers seen mostly on urban fiction novels that look cheap and nasty. Also dislike when publishers reuse covers. Recently I saw a new book with the same cover as Pearl Cleage’s last novel. Come on, it’s just not right to use the same cover from a well-known writer.
BTW, your covers on Just About Sex and Risk are wonderful!
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I don’t make the decision to purchase or refrain due to the looks of the cover, but explicit covers can be a problem for me to read in front of my family (2 kids in elementary school) and in public. However, tastefully done partial body shots can be beautiful. I prefer the cover to reflect content of book and if it is a spicy one it can still be done with subtlety.
Covers with the characters depicted in over the top and unnatural positions are a turn off for me.
Covers in vibrant colors catch the eye, but monochromatic or relatively solid colored covers can be really striking.
One of the things that I like about the cover of Just About Sex is that the couple look like they are happy and playful.
by Little Lamb Lost
on March 30th, 2007 at 10:32 am
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Hi, all–
Happy Friday to you, too!
Christy H. and Little Lamb Lost, the thing I like best about the JAS cover (and I can say this because I had NOTHING to do with designing the cover and am therefore not bragging), is that it matches the book’s mood, which is generally light and funny.
And I also sometimes worry about my elementary-age kids seeing cover that are more explicit, like the one from RISK.
Ann
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I love couples on the cover of a book. I would prefer that they have similar characteristics of the characters but I don’t know that until I read the book. Normally bright colors catch my attention. I do feel funny reading a book with a very racy cover during my lunch hour at the office. I still buy them, but I keep those books for reading in the evening. As far as the dog on the cover and there is no dog in the book, drives me crazy. I know that the publishing company has to have some knowledge of the contents of the book. By the way, I got an expert from Access through my email and added your book to my to be purchased list. Winning a copy would really help out the purse.
by Patty L.
on March 30th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
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To me book covers are a work of art; I like striking colors but sometimes subdued
or misty is fine, depending on the picture.
I mostly read at home so it doesn’t matter if the cover is explicit but would probably shy away from reading it in public.
If a dog was on the cover and it wasn’t in the story I wouldn’t know until I read the story so it wouldn’t matter at first but then I might wonder why the dog was left off although only if the dog was the hero/heroine. I love dogs.
by RobynL
on March 30th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
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When I’m in a bookstore I usually don’t have a lot of time so I can’t look at everything. The first thing that I notice is the color. Bright colors always catch my eye. Then what’s on the cover. I notice the cover more when there’s a person’s face although a lot of covers have had the heads cut off.
by Maureen
on March 30th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
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Usually if there is an attractive couple on the cover it tends to catch my eye. Also beautiful colors tend to catch my eye. Preferably dark colors such as red, blue and greens. If I’m reading a book in public I’m not embarrassed by the cover of the book if it has a sexual content to it. It usually catches other peoples eyes also.
by Teresa W.
on March 30th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
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I prefer dark colors. That’s what attracts me right off. Something moody and dark. Doesnt’ have to have any people on the front, just an attitude. So far for me, the best cover I’ve gotten was for Blood Secrets. It is sooooo sexy and sensual, and moody, it completely captured the essence of the story. Just like yours did Ann.
by Vivi Anna
on March 30th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
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I actually scan titles more than covers.
But if I’m paying attention to the covers, I like bright colors. I generally prefer that there are people on the cover. And I don’t like cartoon-ish ones. I tend to skip right over them (unless I love the author).
Oh… and reading in public. These days, I generally read my ebooks in public and save print for home (it’s easier to carry around). But, if I do take a print book out and about, I seem to take books with less “graphic” covers or titles. I suppose I’ve been teased one too many times about my reading material.
by Jennifer K.
on March 30th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
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I’m all over the place, sometimes I like cutsy and sometimes I like something little darker. Some of my favorites so far JR Ward covers for BDB. SEP’s cover for Match Me if You Can and Natural Born Charmer. Karen Marie Moning for her Highlander series.
The ones I really avoid are the clinch covers.
by Carol
on March 30th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
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I love the cover on your book! The couple look like they are having fun.
I don’t like cartoon like covers, but can live with pretty much everything else. In terms of reading books with steamy covers in public, it really actually depends on how much I want to read the book. If it’s a book that I own that I am happy to get to one day then I won’t read it in public, but if it is a book that I absolutely have to read now…then I will read it whereever I am until I have devoured it!
by Marg
on March 30th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
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Thanks for the comments!
Speaking of covers, Vivi, that BLOOD SECRETS cover is smokin’! And I’ve seen it all over the place here in Cincinnati.
Teresa W., I’ve randomly chosen you to win a copy of JAS–please e-mail your address to me at ann@annchristopher.com.
Have a great weekend, all–see you next time!
Ann :grin:
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Thanks Ann can’t wait to read the book! :razz:
by Teresa W.
on March 31st, 2007 at 2:12 pm
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Our readers group just discussed this topic so I thought I’d share our thoughts in the hopes they may be helpful.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em let’s talk book covers. Your favourite and not
so favourite, bring them both!
Surprisingly we found that most of us had the same taste and thoughts on book covers!
The biggest beef we all had is the one in which the cover model doesn’t meet the characteristic’s of the character in the book. For example if the main character is written as a scarred hero and the cover model is a perfect example of manhood with no scarring, it becomes very frustrating. Or if the model is blonde, long haired, blue eyed and the character is dark haired, brown eyed and short hair!!! And in an extreme case one of our number bought a book where the cover model was white and the character was not. It not only involves characters but symbols that have no relevance to the story.
Most of us find it insulting and gives the impression that no one in the publishing house gives a damn about the story, just what the cover looks like.
We considered it insulting to the author who goes to so much trouble to describe the characters. Readers become involved in the fantasy of the story telling and it is insulting to treat them with such little respect.
What draws you to a book?
We had some differing views here. All agreed that it didn’t matter what some covers were, if the author was one that we liked we bought the book regardless of the cover, and we did think that some of the covers of some of our favourite authors were not that good. JD Robb for example, we didn’t like the covers, but no matter what would buy the books!
If we were buying a new author, the cover and the blurb were important, the blurb in particular. Could buy a bad cover book, but without a decent blurb, forget it!
Colours do play a part and the print colour is important, but the recent trend of putting too much print on the front of some of the covers is becoming irritating! Often trying to find the picture on the cover is a case of trying to work around the print. Gold as a print colour we considered the most likely to grab attention.
Some like the bodice rippers, the chemistry portrayed between the characters on the covers and even the covers with just the torso showing draw us in.
Some of us found the modern design of the animated characters from programmes such as Poser were a bit of a turn off as they gave a stilted impression of characters.
Most of us like the paranormal and fantasy covers, again as long as they stay faithful to the characters in the story. We like the dragons, the symbols etc. “Dark Demon’s cover was one that drew attention.
We all agreed that the regency and historical covers in recent years we liked. These are the ones with the inside plate the romantic scene and the actual front cover fairly plain with a depiction of the era such as a gate or a castle.
One of our members who has established a collection over a considerable numbers of years gave us an example of the impact of romantic covers. Her daughter went through her book covers and designed her wedding dress from the designs from various covers of her mother’s books! The dress was beautiful.
In conclusion, in became obvious that if we know and like an author, we will buy the book regardless of the cover. In deciding on a new author, the cover draws the attention first, and then the blurb. If the blurb doesn’t grab, more often than not, the book is not bought regardless of the cover. We all felt strongly that we, readers, and the authors were being shabbily treated by publishing houses that didn’t bother to merge their cover ideas with the characters in the stories.
While it’s not mentioned here I thought I might point out that it is practically impossible to sell a book with an african american couple on the cover in australia. I asked a few people at the readers group (including a few african australians) why they thought this might be and was told that they do not identify with the people on the covers and assume they are going to be speaking in ghetto slang. Don’t look at me I work at the bookstore and order my books from early blurbs which tend to come without covers at all.
by Megan
on April 2nd, 2007 at 3:14 am
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Wow, Megan–
That’s a lot of interesting information! Thanks for sharing it with us.
I’m disturbed to read that you’ve experienced this reader preconception about AA romance (all my covers feature black couples!) for a few reasons:
–love themes are universal in romance, regardless of race, national origin, species, etc.
–if we can relate to vampires, werewolves, demons, shape-shifters and wizards in our romantic fiction, why can’t more of us relate to black folks?
–not all AA romance has “ghetto slang.”
I don’t mean to kill the messenger–I really appreciate you being candid enough to share your experience with us. Maybe if we continue to address this issue, things will change…
Ann
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I work in an all romance bookstore so I see alot of themes go past and it doesn’t seem that people mind one afican american on the cover or in the story but once there is two there it’s impossible to sell, doesn’t matter how much I hand sell it (yes I do buy and read these books myself I think Renee Luke is da bomb not to mention we get an occasional ARC) people invariably see the cover and put it back. Does this display a not so hidden prejudice or a fear of trying something new? I have no idea all I know is it’s the way things are.
by Megan
on April 3rd, 2007 at 5:16 am
