Let's start with legs . . . I have no idea what all these legs have to do with stories of romance and self-realization.
And what about backs? Why are the characters walking away from the reader as though they are saying goodbye?
Next up - what's with all the decapitation? Off with her head!
Even the men are headless.
And now for the shadows . . . makes me wonder what writers of women's fiction are trying to hide.
Of course, we could do away with the character sketches all together and just have pictures of clothing. That seems popular.
Here are some covers I like,even though I have no idea what they have to do with the book. They're quirky and caught my attention. (And yes, I know the last one is headless!)
So - let's kick off those shoes, turn around, show those faces, and come out of the shadows. After all, Women's Fiction and Chick Lit have nothing to hide!
* The book cover images have been borrowed from Amazon.
I noticed that too. I often wonder what the message is, especially on the more revealing ones, and I think, "Are you just trying to say this is a fluff story?" For my rom-com that I'm writing now, I plan on a cover perhaps on the beach, with a trail of peanut M&Ms. And perhaps footprints. (M&Ms are a theme in there, born of my absolute affair with them!) But I've wondered, just out of curiosity, if "faceless/headless" covers are cheaper! ;D Sometimes I'm thankful to find a really nice FULL cover! Like...oh, what was it called? The Selection, and The Elite. By Kiera Cass. Although the first one does have the face partially covered. I haven't read them yet, but I want to! The covers are so lovely though.
ReplyDeleteHow did you make/get your cover? It's really cute!
I had a very talented graphic artist play around with a lot of different ideas. We settled on the background of a Montreal street (where the book takes place), and a stock photo of the red-headed model who magically resembled the MC. The creepy doll head is a personal touch - I own that doll - she's connected to the "masks" in the book. I believe the version of the cover we settled on was the third rendition of ideas - but each one had the model facing the camera, no missing body parts or shadows.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I'm finishing up the first draft of a click-lit book and I've been racking my brains trying to think about what I'd like for a book cover. I'm no closer to figuring out what I want, but at least I know what I don't want--half-heads, shadow people, and random legs.
ReplyDeleteAs the first impression, the book cover is so so so important. You'll find your unique style - go with what feels right for you and your writing. :)
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