tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934913775261743747.post3132916226525310242..comments2013-05-23T08:07:19.199-04:00Comments on All Day, All Night Writing Divas: Should You Be Able To Tell a Book By Its Cover?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934913775261743747.post-34710772830732351782011-08-19T09:31:46.968-04:002011-08-19T09:31:46.968-04:00I don't think we need a heat level category on...I don't think we need a heat level category on covers but I do think the blurb should give some sort of clue. But as Marianne said, author's of publishing houses don't have much say in their covers, although some seem to have more than others depending on the house and the author status. Marketing, I am told, has the final say. I think I have been fairly fortunate with my covers to date - touch wood. As a reader, it is the back blurb that gets me, along with an excerpt or a skim of the first few pages.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17257897245553446481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934913775261743747.post-34076944318630758612011-08-19T08:46:00.214-04:002011-08-19T08:46:00.214-04:00@Everyone:
I've been trying to reply to comm...@Everyone: <br /><br />I've been trying to reply to comments but am in a hotel with iffy & slow wireless. Thanks 2 everyone for insights. Fairypenguin did hit the nail on the head. I may have to leave DH alone about the hunky covers!!Mary Anne Grahamhttp://www.quackingalone.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934913775261743747.post-35767627569193242352011-08-19T00:42:25.506-04:002011-08-19T00:42:25.506-04:00The cover is the first thing I notice about a book...The cover is the first thing I notice about a book. If it gets my attention, I'll see what the book is about. If I then find that the cover really has nothing to do with the story, I put the book down and go on to the next one. A cover should always give a clue to what's between its pages.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934913775261743747.post-33856511852341930632011-08-18T21:38:18.204-04:002011-08-18T21:38:18.204-04:00Fairypenguin . . . you hit the nail on the head. ...Fairypenguin . . . you hit the nail on the head. I am an avid reader and for me the cover means a lot. Yes, covers of shirtless men attract attention, no bones about that! LOL. But it doesn't mean I'm going to buy it. Some of the best books I've read had scenic covers. There's a reason "never judge a book by its cover" exists.<br /><br />I like to see the plot in a cover, a hint of what I can expect, and this, whether it be the cover or the blurb, is what prompts me to buy it.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I am behind the times and do not own a kindle, or nook, or whatever yet. I'm leaning that way but it's still down the road.Mariannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15560925536585398778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934913775261743747.post-45985718889000805272011-08-18T10:40:10.391-04:002011-08-18T10:40:10.391-04:00Here's the thing: There are a lot of shirtless...Here's the thing: There are a lot of shirtless men out there! At least, on romance covers there are. And I'm all for erotic stories, but there are so many! So what I want, if I'm going to spend time and/or money on a book, is a touch of originality. So I will take the dragon or the Scottish landscape or the whatever over the shirtless guy every single time. In the rare instances where the artists manage to convey both sexiness and story context, that's truly awesome.TheReadingPenguinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09732545193031333377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934913775261743747.post-52139013875020040092011-08-17T22:38:29.959-04:002011-08-17T22:38:29.959-04:00Good topic. Those of us going through a publisher,...Good topic. Those of us going through a publisher, don't have much say in what the cover looks like. We get to fill out a cover art form, but that doesn't mean anything. One of my covers is awful and has nothing I asked for, but put in the one thing I asked not to see...but the man's naked rear end indicates erotic romance and that's what the book is. Did it help sell books? I don't think so as sales were much lower than my first erotic book. I'd rather see a sensual cover leaving me to imagine what's inside. Heat levels are generally given by publishers/sellers.Marianne Stephenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05277593485137508765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934913775261743747.post-46870709458631672532011-08-17T12:33:54.903-04:002011-08-17T12:33:54.903-04:00@fairypenguin:
Interesting points. As to the des...@fairypenguin: <br /><br />Interesting points. As to the description, it refer to the portion of the curse about Nial's fated mate setting "the claws of passion" to his manhood. I'd think that should indicate the heat level verbally. But apparently this reader felt the cover should be a clue...<br /><br />Since I mentioned my desire for my DH to put more shirtless fellows on my covers, I find your second point intriguing as well. The advantage to the hunky covers is that I believe they usually stop the reader long enough to possibly get her to read the description. Your comment indicates that may not be the case. Do you stop more often for symbolic covers rather than erotic ones? <br /><br />Thanks for the comment!Mary Anne Grahamhttp://www.quackingalone.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934913775261743747.post-41351704799625232032011-08-17T12:05:54.153-04:002011-08-17T12:05:54.153-04:00I don't really feel that this is the responsib...I don't really feel that this is the responsibility of the cover art. HOWEVER, I do think that the book description should give some suggestion of the "heat level" of the book. It doesn't necessarily have to be a warning label, it can be just the subtle use of words like "sensual" or "sexy". That way any reasonably intelligent reader (or parent of a reader) can tell what they're getting into with very little research.<br /><br />Slightly off topic, but I sort of DO wish more books had covers that were more relevant to the story. It's frustrating to me that every single romance cover seems to feature a shirtless, headless fellow. I want to see things from the plot. If there's a dragon in the book, I want to see a dragon. If there are spaceships, I want to see spaceships. And so on...TheReadingPenguinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09732545193031333377noreply@blogger.com