I love wondering around my local book store, or browsing for new books online although over the last 12 months that joy has declined somewhat and I blame 50 Shades of Grey. Yes I know it's been blamed for a lot of things and criticized a lot, but I think I have a legitimate gripe here.
Part of the pleasure of looking for new books used to be looking at all the covers, now, thanks to the above mentioned book, I'm left cold a lot of the time. I admit, I've never purchased a book based solely on the cover art (although I have heard some people do) but I like looking at them, they do tweak my interest and often make me pick the book up to read the cover info. So imagine my disappointment now that there are hundreds of covers filled with inanimate objects like tie, masks, shoes and God forbid, one I've seen recently even has a lamp on the cover, nothing else, just a lamp. Really, seriously, WTF?
What the friggin hell is happening in the romance world?
I bet Fabio is turning in his grave. Oh wait, maybe he's not dead. Well, whatever, I bet he's shaking his head just like me at the sudden rise in footwear and other nondescript stuff gracing the covers of romance novels world wide. Bring back the hot sexy men Fabio and I say. I want shirtless hunks, preferably with tats, to lure my attention, draw me forward with their penetrating gaze and seduce me into a purchase. Not a man's grey tie laying clumsily on a cover, all a tie does is remind me of cleaning up after hubby (god rest his sole) when he used to drop clothes on the damn floor for me to pick up. I mean please publishers, where has the sexiness gone? If I'm going to read a sexy book I want a sexy cover.
I want a cover that screams this man is going to show you the most erotic time of your life, not that there's a sale on at the local shoe warehouse. I want fantasy fodder, a hint at the sexiness I'll find on the pages within. I don't want to stare at the cover and wonder why a book on household furnishings or men's wear is in the romance section. I mean PLEASE, give a girl a break.
To be helpful, rather than just stamping my foot and demanding, here's a few little insights for publishers flooding the market with copycat covers. There are readers out there who didn't like the 50 shades series so copying the style of cover and putting stickers on books that say things like Hotter than 50 shades isn't an incentive to even pick the book up for many of us, nor is the cover art. If you're going to have a pair of shoes on the cover have some sexy legs in them, if you're putting a ribbon, scarf or tie on the cover then bind someone's hands with it, give the reader a hint of sexy or erotic try a reach the readers like my friends and I who want something of a human factor represented on the cover. I mean the books are about a relationship, a love match, not what's in my closet.
So...rant over. Now it's your turn. What does everyone think about the latest trend in covers? Am I being too picky? Does it really matter what's on the cover? Are you happy to see the end of the buff body?
Gah Jan I've had this rant on the blog too. I hate the new trend in random things on covers. HATE IT. I'm one of those buy only because of covers. I want my erotica (or romance in general) to look like what it is. And I totally blame 50. Nothing makes me turn away a review quicker than the author or pub saying if you liked 50 or having one of those covers. And I won't buy them either.
ReplyDeleteI asked this question in our erotica book club and for the vast majority they said they don't like those covers either. A few like them but most not so much.
And no you aren't being too picky. It's annoying and frustrating and please a strawberry on a cover or a random key is just not doing anything at all for me. Whew okay so my rant is over now. lol
Rant welcome, lol. I'm so glad someone agrees with me, it's been something that's bugged me for a while now so thought I'd get it off my chest :)
DeleteI'm a little torn on this matter myself. I've had so many covers I've made that have been completely acceptable at the time they were made. Ones with actual nudity, some with partial nudity, some where two people just seem pretty "into" each other. In probably two dozen cases, maybe even more, I've had to remake the cover art to get the book moved off the "suppressed" list at distributors. That costs me time, and costs the author money and sales. More than anything, it's been the recent censorship purge which has driven the inanimate object cover craze. I've even succumbed to it myself.
ReplyDeleteOn the other side of it, though, I'm not a fan of the whole idea in principle. We're writing romantic and erotic works. It's not the fault of the authors or cover artists that the search engines on distributor sites can't separate the naughtiness from the children's books (for example). But they pretty much have us all over a barrel on this one.
I hear what your saying Willsin and can I just say I love your covers. I think you can do sexy within the bounds of acceptable for the book sellers like Amazon. For me sexy can happen even fully clothed, it can be a look or a tiny hint of flesh. The one ting it isn't, for me, is a lamp...lol
DeleteI noticed when I was at RWA in Atlanta where they published the million dollar advance authors who made it book covers all over the elevators. The contemporary romances were shoes, jewelry and champagne glasses. The historical romance still had shirtless hunks in kilts with wicked grins. The historical reader obviously needs more hints what the book is about. LOL
DeleteI also think they are being cheap on the cover. They don't want to hire models. Some of those covers are stock covers too.
I agree with that observation Morgan, most Historical romances do still have the hunks and I must say I love the hunks in kilts the best, wicked grin or not...lol.
DeleteWith my regency covers I want it to give the reader a hint as to what the story is about, for example with Spy Catcher I've got the heroine in a mask to hide her features since as the book goes along she learns who she truly is. Of course a sulking Jimmy Thomas doesn't hurt either.
ReplyDeleteWith Don't Cross the Countess I've got the heroine looking toward something, the future, and the hero shown partially. Once again to get the readers attention as to what's going to happen.
I think the author of the book should have some to a lot of input into the cover art as it's their book and they (we) know what should be portrayed
I really like your covers Lindsay, Secret Cravings have some awesome ones out, and yes I agree authors need to have input into what goes on the cover which makes me wonder why so many are heading for the Shades look. As I said, for those of us who didn't enjoy that book or purchased it only to be disappointed in the story it's no incentive to buy the authors following that style of cover.
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