Ok, so coming out from Between the Covers to talk about what’s ON the covers for a moment. My second book, Destiny’s Warrior, went to cover conference this week. This means I dutifully pulled the images that inspired me throughout the writing process of that book and pasted them into a document to be discussed. I made notes as to my preferrences, descriptions of setting and characters. But I have to wonder if any of that matters - likely not.
For the writers out there, I’m curious. Do you have a cover in your head when you’re writing a book? If yes, has the real cover ever come close?
For the readers, I’d like to know what catches your eye? Do you prefer a hero or a heroine? Neither? The setting? 
An object? Dark colors or bright colors? Will you ever pick up a book and buy it based on the cover alone? (I admit to doing this on one or two occasions.)
I’m really interested in this topic and can’t wait to read your thoughts!
Hi Heather!
Cover trends are certainly interesting. For about ten years in the publishing biz, there was the clench (Remember Fabio?! Is he still doing covers?). Then there were a lot of inanimate object images (a flower, a high-heeled shoe, jewelry). Now we’ve got a variety of styles that work…photographs, paintings, cartoons…It’s fascinating to see the different trends in covers! For my money, a single striking image is what gets my attention. I’m not sure how I feel about my Coffeehouse Mystery covers. I think they’ve been getting stronger and stronger as the artist gets a real feel for the series. I like my latest one the best, (Decaffeinated Corpse…july release, I’ll post it soon.) That’s funny for me to write (that the covers are getting stronger as the series progresses) because the fans tell me the same thing about my books…that they’ve been getting stronger and stronger. So I guess what’s good for the artistic goose…!)
Luv,
Cleo Coyle,
author of the Coffeehouse Mystery series.
Comment by Cleo — March 22, 2007 @ 11:58 pm
Hi Heather,
Great topic!
I always have an idea of what I want the cover to look like, and in the past I was usually always disappointed when I received a cover…because it looked nothing like what I requested.
For the record, I love my cover for THE BARGAIN. It’s my favorite to date.
I have a book from another publisher that readers seemed to love because booksigning after booksigning it stopped people in their tracks. They would buy it without even reading the back cover blurb. Amazing what a naked guy and and a sword covering his naughty bits can do for sales!
Anyway, as to what I love in a cover…I used to love the clinch. Fabio was a favorite because he’s so big and powerful *g*. Now I like to see a torso shot of the hero, and I prefer a dark background.
Comment by Julia Templeton — March 23, 2007 @ 1:56 pm