Hot Cover Joy
…Monday
Because YES, I have cover!
Holy cow, do I have cover!
*pause to gaze upon COVER*
Waiting for the book cover is one of the hardest things for me. Will it suit the book? Will it be accurate? Will people like it? Will it SELL the book? Will it speak to me?
Lots of my covers speak to my AuthorSelf. But what makes my AuthorSelf happy and what makes a good book cover are generally two different things (and kinda in a big way). So once I see the cover, I still wonder about all that stuff. And my various inner selves argue about it.
MarketingSelf: Holy cow! Lookit that guy!
AuthorSelf: Can we convince people that Trevarr has his hair pulled back?
MarketingSelf: Holy Cow! Lookit that guy!
AuthorSelf: …Because Trevarr is just the sort to rip his shirt off and amble around without, he who finds your average perfect summer day to be “brisk”?
MarketingSelf: Holy Cow! Lookit that guy!
AuthorSelf: *desperately losing the battle* The belt…no clan symbol…
MarketingSelf: Holy Cow! Lookit the not-tattoos! Lookit the leather! Lookit the sword!
AuthorSelf: I do kinda like the sword, in fact.
MarketingSelf: And hel-LO, pouty fussy AuthorSelf. Did you happen to notice it is THE “paranormal romance” cover? It has a sexy guy with otherworldly markings. It has leather, brooding, and introspective smolder. It says, “Pick me up for a good paranormal read!” So what’s the deal here? What’s the important thing? That you get your picky little trivia bits just right, or that the cover entices people to learn about your picky little trivia bits in the first place?
AuthorSelf: …
AuthorSelf: Holy Cow! Lookit that guy!
MarketingSelf: That’s what I thought.
Tags: Storm of Reckoning, The Reckoners
June 14th, 2010 at 08:30
This may just be my SF/F-imprinted self talking, but for the record, ‘hot shirtless guy’ is generally not the means to get me to buy a book.
Your name on it, on the other hand…
So yeah, glad to hear there’s another of this series on the way!
June 14th, 2010 at 09:00
I very much suspect it’s your SF/F imprinting, just as I suspect my SF/F imprinting creates the entire conversation for the day. I lean toward covers such as the first, but those aren’t truly good marketing for the paranormal audience. (I think Anne Bishop’s covers ride the line just about perfectly–wow!)
Understanding genre expectations is paramount, I think, to how we experience various reading options. I truly think one has to embrace what the genre *is*–in this case, romantic fantasy; in the case of the Nocturnes, tight romance *with* fantasy–to appreciate it (or even to enjoy it as much as is possible, which is hopefully the point). Applying the standards of other genres isn’t fair to either the current genre or to the reader, who can’t help but be disappointed by such an experience. I’m trying to understand the ways I can make the positioning of my various books a little more clear to everyone…
Thank you so much for the ego-boo! Or, I should call it, “confidence-boo”! It’s a scary thing, crossing the various lines like this and wondering if people are going to come with you…
June 14th, 2010 at 10:29
I will totally jump genres if a name I like is on the cover. You’ve done that for me, as have Rachel Caine and C.E. Murphy (although in her case it was a pseudonym, but hey!).
Good point about genre expectations.
I try to remember that, but I also like to see some variety in cover presentations, too! Seems like every! single! paranormal romance has ‘shirtless hot guy with tattoos and a sword’ on it, while all the urban fantasies have ‘ridiculous thin chick with tattoos and no head’. 
June 14th, 2010 at 10:34
LOL about the covers! Yes, there’s a cover formula of sorts, no doubt about it.
I was hoping for a combo of fantasy/paranormal–that is, urban fantasy presentation, paranormal subject matter–but I think it’s really hard for the pubs, practically speaking, to balance at that point. (Finding the artist, etc). As I said, I think Anne Bishop’s covers are consistently the best I’ve ever seen in this respect.
June 14th, 2010 at 13:07
I’ll have to go look at her covers, I haven’t read any of her work in a while. Thanks for the tip!
By the way, I charged through all of your Nocturnes too. Quite liked Wolf Hunt!
June 14th, 2010 at 13:11
Ooh, thank you! I had fun with all of them. Very different to write in that tight format, building on the relationship…I like switching gears, though.
Anne has new covers for all the early work–and a spiffy new site *coff* says the web designer–so it’s easy to see them. ;>
June 14th, 2010 at 14:23
The reader guy in me looks first at the author’s name then the graphics artist guy looks at the cover art to see if it works.(reader guy always gets two votes)
In this case the graphics artist guy approves(for what it’s worth says the reader guy).
Reader guy says he buys Nora Roberts books for the same reason he buys Doranna Durgin books, because whether the cover is merely good, or excellent, he knows he will have a great read.
June 14th, 2010 at 16:01
I’m with MarketingSelf. ::grin::
June 14th, 2010 at 16:08
I have no real opinion on the matter–wait yes i do….I will pick up a book based on the cover, but will buy it based on the blurby text thing on the back if I don’t know the author….Will also pick a book based on where it is shelved followed by buying based on the blurb….Interesting. That guy is hot BTW.
This whole discussion was interesting to me which is what prompted me to reply in the first place.
June 14th, 2010 at 16:16
Robert, you do have a way with words!
June 14th, 2010 at 16:17
Ruth–Oh, excellent! *glee*
June 14th, 2010 at 16:19
He is rather hot at that, isn’t he?
I generally start with either genre or author; if it’s author, the cover is less relevant. If it’s genre, then yeah…I’m looking for the messages the cover is giving me. So first I have to pick it up, based on the cover. Then read the blurb, then flip through the book (but never near the end–!) for a sample passage or two.
But it does start with the cover in that case…
June 14th, 2010 at 22:57
(Snerk) Ok, thinking about it…
I do use covers as a selection referent. But… you know those three-mile long multi-apostrophe sf/f names so toxic that you learn to mentally just slip past them as “glyph for this character” and “glyph for that character?” Yeah, well…
The publishers/marketers have been consistent enough in style to make your cover an automatic “check the blurb” book. Not because of anything in particular, but because there are enough paranormal-glyph-elements to make it worth checking to see more. Author name can do it, particularly interesting covers or new cover styles can do it, interesting titles can do it. Probably the worst combo is a trite and out of genre illo with a completely repellent title by someone I have never read with a stupid name. (Yes, there is just plain over the top pen-namery in my judgment.) If illo, title and author name are all losers I never get to the back blurb UNLESS something positive comes along to make me do so. Like a rave review from a close friend.
So this one gets a look for three good counts: your name, a good title (WITH a link to something of yours I liked), and a sufficiently genre-glyph cover to keep me confident it is what I hoped.
As for the guy? Decorative. Not my personal style of decorative, but no, no one is going to mistake the genre! (grin) Congrats. I have friends who would indeed pick it up on buff-nicity points alone.
June 14th, 2010 at 23:12
Buffnicity! I love it! Thanks, Peg!
PS yes, know just what you mean about the “glyph for character” names. Reading Edgar Rice Burroughs first taught me to do that…
June 15th, 2010 at 16:31
(chuckle) Yeah. Buffnicity is a useful and amusing coinage.
I forget what writer was the start of my habit of treating impossible names as if they were just visual hieroglyphics, rather than phonetic indicators. It is quite useful with Russian novels and Indian scriptures…though both of those cultures cheat by giving characters multiple glyphs, most of them meaningful but opaque if you aren’t part of the culture or a native speaker of the language. Sigh.
I do find the visual branding of genres…amusing. So near as I can tell for the most part few of us use them as illustrations so much as classification ID. Occasionally after reading a book I close it, look at the illo, and think mildly, “Well, they must have just had this picture in overstock or something because it has NOTHING to do with the actual text.” But, then, I didn’t buy it thinking indicated textual detail, only general flavor. Like…chocolate-fudge-ripple contemporary beach hunk or vanilla-caramel-with-pecan-praline Regency aristo-hunk with parlor-comedy sprinkles. When you think about it, that is already a lot for a poor little ol’ cover to convey without getting the text right, too.
June 15th, 2010 at 17:32
I agree–covers like this one are “flavor” covers and not “literal” covers. But this one does have some important, correct attributes, which they had to go to some trouble to apply.
I’m happy about that!
June 15th, 2010 at 19:14
i get the book by the author if i talkted to the author or and nother one send me stuff i read and then i like the book cover and go sometime by inpulse
fcc
June 15th, 2010 at 19:23
Impulse is always good! (FFC!)
June 15th, 2010 at 23:19
Nice cover. Nice Guy. But wait, you said that. LOL
–Gabi
June 16th, 2010 at 09:15
Gabi, LOL! It could bear some repeating…