I love romances. Reading them, writing them, looking at the hot covers. I
recall reading romances in the Fabio days - you know, when every hero was Fabio
with different hair? I loved the cartoon covers -not only because they were
fun, but for the humorous story I knew they promised. There are so many types
of covers. Sexy covers, sassy covers, dark covers, intense covers. Ones
featuring the couple, some with just the hero, a few with no characters at all.
The ones with babies, puppies, chocolate. Every one of them sends an image. A
message about the book. A snapshot, if you will, of the story itself.
Covers are that first peek at a story. Like a magnet, they often draw us across
the bookstore, or pull our mouse over the screen, toward a particular book.
Actually if I had to say I have one cover peeve, it'd be that it in some way
resemble the story inside. Other than that, I'm an equal opportunity cover
lover.
And then there are those cover cover-ups. Made of paper, fabric or felt, they
wrap around the book and hide the cover. My friend has one. Hers is cute, it
says "I love romance" on the front and has a notepad (she keeps a log of all the
books she reads) and built in bookmark. I asked her once if she uses it to hide
covers that make her uncomfortable. Her response? "Why would a cover make me
uncomfortable?"
Like choosing a favorite among my own children, it'd be impossible to say which
of my own covers is my favorite. Especially in situations like this month, when
I have two connected books that I'm promoting. My February Blaze, A SEAL'S SEDUCTION is,
well, oh yeah, it's hot. A gorgeous torso, those dog tags dangling there, just
so, and the heroine cuddled up behind him makes for a very sexy message. I do
love this cover. And my March Blaze, A SEAL'S SURRENDER is just
as hot. This one is more focused on the hero's chest (with chest hair!! YAY - I
love heroes with chest hair) and again, dog tags to show off that it's a
military story. The kiss is hot, showing that this is definitely a very sensual
read.
There are a lot of elements in these two covers that do scream romance - sexy,
military romance to be specific. I definitely wouldn't want to put a cover
cover-up on these.
How about you? Have you ever used a cover cover-up? What kind of cover
makes you go "oooo" and pick up a book without even looking at the title or
author? If you're reading on an e-reader, do you miss having that cover right
there, in your hand, while you peruse the story?
Tawny Weber has been writing sassy, sexy romances since her first Harlequin
Blaze hit the shelves in 2007. A fan of Johnny Depp, cupcakes and color
coordination, she spends a lot of her time shopping for cute shoes, scrapbooking
and hanging out on Facebook.
Readers can check out Tawny's books at her website or join her Red Hot Readers Club for goodies
like free reads, complete first chapter excerpts, recipes, insider story info
and much more. And for a limited time, she has a few open spots on her Street Team!
I have never used a cover over my book cover. If the picture there was so depraved that I would feel it would be embarrassing, I doubt that I would be interested in reading the book. (Gladys Paradowski 4:00pm February 11, 2013)
I used to read a lot of horsey books as a young person and I loved judging them by the cover! A good author and publisher turned out fantastic cover art of horses. Never had a cover I wouldn't be seen reading, but then I don't work in an office or use public transport very often. Wouldn't want people thinking I was a geek, now would we. (Clare O'Beara 5:03am February 12, 2013)
My confession is, yes, I have used a cover - years ago, when I was in a catholic high school. Oh, how the nuns suspected what was on the pages that I would flip furiously through, even during class, hiding the book in the textbook I was supposed to reading. But never since that time. My favorite covers were those bodice rippers, I remember Fabio and the Topaz man (which was Adrian Paul - yes, the one from the Highlander series). Some covers still have that type of feel to them and those are the ones I strangely will zoom in on. (Carla Carlson 11:30am February 12, 2013)
I must confess that the hottest book I read was the follow-up to Gone With the Wind. I believe the name of the book is Scarlett. Bear with me, because I have been recovering from a fall that I took, and it involved a bad knock to the head. That in turn affected my memory. Anyway, as for covers, you really don't need to show a lot of skin to get "sexy" across to the public. A certain pose, with taste - a bared leg, perhaps. Maybe she's wetting her lips in anticipation as she's looking at him. There are ways of doing a cover without having to go through the trouble of putting a "skin" as you put it over the book. It's just an opinion, or idea. I've read many books over the years, without revealing my age, and am not insulting you by any means, but I'm sure you're a good writer, and would love to read your book. I've scanned some authors who put a "sexy" book together, and it made me laugh instead, so I just put it back on the shelf, and grabbed something else. Your cover is well-done, and can stay tasteful without having to put a bag on it. (Peggy Roberson 3:30pm February 12, 2013)
I went to a book signing with 2 romance authors who each took a bed and followed it through separate centuries in Once Upon a Pillow. The cover for one of their books had too many hands on the guy and got by the graphic designer and gave us all a laugh. Now I look for extras on the covers. I do not think covers over the book cover are necessary. I like picking up books and try to figure out the clues in the cover and if they match the story between the pages. (Alyson Widen 10:39am February 19, 2013)
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