Long before I started writing, I was a reader. And I remember that the first thing that attracted me to a book was the cover. The title came next, followed by the author. Eventually, I started buying books by author alone, but when it comes to browsing in book stores, I still gravitate toward covers, especially when seeking books by authors I haven’t read.
And I have to admit, I’m a nut for colors. A blue cover will catch my eye faster than any other. Purple is a close second, followed by grays. After that, I gravitate toward black and silvers, or anything just plain striking. I’m insanely jealous of Kresley Cole’s cover on her upcoming title, Pleasure of a Dark Prince. I absolutely love the combination of gray and pink, even though, in general, I’m not fond of pink for covers.
My favorite covers of all time? Robert Jordan’s Eye of the World and Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon – both blue. And coincidentally, both featuring horses. Hmm…I just now realized that!
When it comes to urban fantasy, I really like the female-only covers where the heroine is armed with a sword or dagger, and at that point, a gritty, brown-ish cover works well.
For historicals, I’ve always liked a castle in the background. Not sure why, but if I see a castle, I’m going to pick the book up. Same with any cover that features a pyramid. Setting is important to me, so set the book in Egypt or England, and I’m there.
Another, relatively new trend I like? The cut-off face we see so much, especially for the males on covers. It allows for fantasy to take over, for the reader to add favorite features, favorite hair color, eye color. I love that! So often I picture the hero in the book to be completely different from the image on the cover, but if I can’t see the entire image, the picture in my head isn’t compromised. I especially love this effect for paranormal and romantic suspense/milrom covers, where you have a bare-chested guy with dogtags or a tattoo.
I got lucky with my most recent cover, because not only did I get the gorgeous purple I love, but I got the cut-off faced, bare-chested guy with a tattoo! Ecstasy Unveiled is the fourth book in my Demonica series, and though it is an odd duck when compared to the three before it, which feature couples, it still fits with the overall series “look,” definitely indicating a dark, powerful hero with arm markings that are important to the plot. *pets cover* Oh, yes…very lucky…
What about you? What kind of cover will always draw your eye? Is it color, setting, or models? Do you have a favorite cover, even if the book itself isn’t a favorite?
~Larissa
2009
