tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post6319176085707068814..comments2024-03-28T01:44:27.279-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Romance Book Covers with Polly IyerDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-21210210848865636472014-02-01T07:31:36.512-07:002014-02-01T07:31:36.512-07:00Coming from an art background, what bugs me is bad...Coming from an art background, what bugs me is bad illustration, no matter where they look.Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-50111197736727364912014-01-29T15:24:06.206-07:002014-01-29T15:24:06.206-07:00I can't put my finger on why, but something th...I can't put my finger on why, but something that bugs me with covers in my genre (MG fantasy and sci fi) is illustrated characters "posing for the camera", i.e., looking directly out at the reader/viewer. I don't mind it if the image is an actual photo of a real life model, but the drawn/painted version creeps me out. I requested an action-based illustration from my illustrator, and I think she nailed it.Elle Carter Nealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02266309723919011181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-2940199008095973002014-01-29T15:20:21.511-07:002014-01-29T15:20:21.511-07:00Totally agree about The Casual Vacancy cover - I w...Totally agree about <i>The Casual Vacancy</i> cover - I was very surprised when it came out that such an influential author was lumped with (what looked like) a $2 cover.Elle Carter Nealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02266309723919011181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-27438491333066420192014-01-29T15:18:15.326-07:002014-01-29T15:18:15.326-07:00Just wanted to make that link shared above to Vinc...Just wanted to make that link shared above to Vince Mooney's interview clickable for anyone interested:<br /><a href="http://www.anindieadventure.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/cover-art-and-advertising-headlines.html" rel="nofollow">Cover Art and Advertising Headlines Have The Same Mission</a>Elle Carter Nealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02266309723919011181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-20062280005729492122014-01-24T15:48:16.453-07:002014-01-24T15:48:16.453-07:00Thanks Polly! Vince brought up many points I'd...Thanks Polly! Vince brought up many points I'd not considered, and I ended up changing my first book's cover. My follow up post shows new vs. old.Leslie Ann aka LAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15584041234338927880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-88822515616305946552014-01-24T14:52:42.073-07:002014-01-24T14:52:42.073-07:00And you did a great job with your covers, Diane. Y...And you did a great job with your covers, Diane. You created more than a cover. You created a complete style that incorporated the book, the design, the type, and the feeling you wanted to convey, along with the advertising. Kudos.Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-84694489157676291492014-01-24T14:35:54.146-07:002014-01-24T14:35:54.146-07:00Before designing my covers, I took screen shots of...Before designing my covers, I took screen shots of all of the covers I loved (in similar genres) and started identifying the elements I wanted on my own. You really can learn a lot from studying a whole pool of covers! Diane Vallerehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14128179558072158743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-74084689084676536952014-01-24T10:41:35.307-07:002014-01-24T10:41:35.307-07:00Thanks, Marilyn. Even when you do them yourself, t...Thanks, Marilyn. Even when you do them yourself, they don't always turn out like you envision them. Those are the most frustrating. I must have done 50 covers for Threads before I was happy. Thought I'd tear out my hair.Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-20012457489042559202014-01-24T10:22:48.092-07:002014-01-24T10:22:48.092-07:00Great article, Polly. While I make suggestions re ...Great article, Polly. While I make suggestions re my covers, they don't always turn out the way I envisioned them. Marilyn Levinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10424778692932139865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-52229930013432986092014-01-23T20:42:52.426-07:002014-01-23T20:42:52.426-07:00When I was researching this blog, I saw a lot of g...When I was researching this blog, I saw a lot of gray, so maybe we're in a gray phase, Hank. Lots of shades of gray. :-) <br /><br />I like all different kinds of covers as long as they're well done. Different colors say different things, so that's important too. Cozy mysteries seem very pastel, not my favorite palette, but it works for the genre, whereas mysteries and thrillers are darker and more vibrant. <br /><br />The biggest disappointment was the original cover for The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling. What a nothing cover. I see they've changed it now. Can't imagine why.<br /><br />It's fun to look and study covers, especially when you do your own. Thanks for commenting, Hank. Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-65771184167229671722014-01-23T20:28:44.386-07:002014-01-23T20:28:44.386-07:00So fascinating! Don't you go to bookstores..an...So fascinating! Don't you go to bookstores..and just scan to see what works? It's so revealing! Thanks for this, Polly. What I think is unsuccessful--is muddy, timid, tentative. We've been through the "red" phase, and then the "blue" phase....and you can always see the white covers.<br /><br />And it makes such a difference, right?Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-21382160586255101622014-01-23T18:55:08.046-07:002014-01-23T18:55:08.046-07:00That was a wonderful blog post by Vince Mooney. He...That was a wonderful blog post by Vince Mooney. He went deeper into the psychology of book covers than I did, which was great. Thanks so much for posting that, LA. For anyone interested, and you should be because it's an outstanding piece, here's the link:<br /><br />http://www.anindieadventure.blogspot.com/2012/11/cover-art-and-advertising-headlines.html or http://tiny.cc/sw459wPolly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-89517099331980244192014-01-23T18:09:14.275-07:002014-01-23T18:09:14.275-07:00Hi Polly, great post. Since I like to take a hands...Hi Polly, great post. Since I like to take a hands-on part in designing my covers, I'm sure it drives my designer crazy :) <br /><br />Except for my Christmas book, they have the theme of a watercolor in the cover, which I hope will become "my look". My Christmas covers for the series, will maintain the look I started for Christmas, again hoping to keep on with that theme image. <br /><br />I had a marketing expert, Vince Mooney do a blog on covers and what they are supposed to do on www.anindieadventure.blogspot.com. I'd love you to look at and tell me what you think.<br /><br />Your covers are wonderful. Thanks for the post.<br />LALeslie Ann aka LAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15584041234338927880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-59516293754269943162014-01-23T17:30:12.894-07:002014-01-23T17:30:12.894-07:00Thanks, Elaine, for the compliment. I hope you get...Thanks, Elaine, for the compliment. I hope you get that book published, and I get to see your cover. It will make me very happy. No one works harder. And yes, the idea of a steady blog has always terrified me. I admire steady bloggers like you and others for bringing author interviews and writing information for people like me to read. Cheers.Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-35962749825664099502014-01-23T17:01:05.882-07:002014-01-23T17:01:05.882-07:00You've done a great job on covers, Polly. I th...You've done a great job on covers, Polly. I think it's a daunting task. Trying to balance the tone with the content without riding any readers away--how could that be any harder. I hope I get to find out! Nice blog, Polly, a former blogphobic.E. B. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16746747050278597888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-65720864828168183362014-01-23T16:30:56.424-07:002014-01-23T16:30:56.424-07:00Donnell, so much depends on the cover. It's in...Donnell, so much depends on the cover. It's inexcusable for a publisher to get something so wrong and not fix it. Romance, by the nature of the genre, indicates couples, and I understand that, but many of them do look alike. I tried to highlight authors' books that created a distinctive look. Like them or not, they're identifiable. There are so many covers out there with bare-chested men, mostly in the erotic romance genre, that I can't tell one from the other. <br /><br />There is something to be said for having control over your covers, also your work, but that's another blog post. As long as the author is controlling what s/he wants to project and the designer "gets" it, everyone should be happy. In the end, it's the eye of the beholder that counts. Does the cover tell the story, create curiosity, and lure the reader to buy?<br /><br />Thanks so much for your lengthy post and insight. Your views are always well thought out and interesting.Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-84877396486922520532014-01-23T16:13:49.211-07:002014-01-23T16:13:49.211-07:00Polly, thoughtful blog as usual. I haven't be...Polly, thoughtful blog as usual. I haven't been following marketing, and I suppose I should but this weekend I attended a retreat and my friend was showing us her covers. They were couple covers and they were okay...She was insistent that couple covers do better in the romance genre. However, when none of us jumped up and down over them, she was confused, e.g. they looked like so many out there and she was trying to keep up with what Kensington had done for her books.<br /><br />Her new series is extremely heroine journey based. There are heroes, but it's primarily the heroine and that evening she sent us covers with the heroine only in striking historical garb she writes historical) all of us present were wowed. <br /><br />I have a friend who writes bi-racial books and her publisher messed up the race on the cover, and never fixed it. I agree with Viva. If the characters on the cover are not representative of the story inside it can damage the author.Donnell Ann Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07943037206984648849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-54145671982741562782014-01-23T13:05:07.175-07:002014-01-23T13:05:07.175-07:00Exactly, VR. As I said above, I'd rather have ...Exactly, VR. As I said above, I'd rather have a cover with outstanding type and an interesting background, even if somewhat hazy, than a bad drawing or picture with worse composition. Having said that, I've done just about everything in my covers, but I've kept them to the story. My pet peeve is cutesy. I suppose I wouldn't feel that way if I wrote cutesy. But I don't. Thanks for adding to the discussion. By the way, The Blonde in the Scarlet Coat is a pretty interesting title. :-) Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-30816461607025593342014-01-23T12:40:07.501-07:002014-01-23T12:40:07.501-07:00It always strikes me as odd when a rash of books b...It always strikes me as odd when a rash of books by different authors, issued by different publishers, are simultaneously released with near-identical covers. While I agree that romance titles do need to hint at what's inside, I don't feel that way about other genres. If the cover design and title are strong, I don't need a figurative cover. In fact, I'd rather have no image than one that deceives. If the book is about a brunette who always dresses in black, don't give me a cover with a blonde in a scarlet trench coat unless the story makes it clear why.<br /><br /><a href="http://vrbarkowski.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow">VR Barkowski</a>VR Barkowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04927993233682731113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-9773397779137593152014-01-23T11:10:14.783-07:002014-01-23T11:10:14.783-07:00Missed this comment. Sorry.
There are some very ...Missed this comment. Sorry. <br /><br />There are some very good book cover designers around, Dani. The best way to find one is to ask self-pubbed writers who created the covers you like. Most writers are happy to share information, and most designers are very affordable. You're right that it's definitely worth the money.Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-12404352110488109132014-01-23T11:04:30.200-07:002014-01-23T11:04:30.200-07:00Thanks so much, Linda. I'm pleased to be here ...Thanks so much, Linda. I'm pleased to be here and pleased you liked my post. Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-87091086118535346772014-01-23T10:49:27.801-07:002014-01-23T10:49:27.801-07:00It all goes back to this: you never get a second c...It all goes back to this: you never get a second chance to make a first impression.<br /><br />This article is incredibly important information that every writer — especially those who self-pub — should take to heart. A potential buyer who isn't hooked (or at least intrigued) by the cover will likely move on to another book, one that invites him/her to pick it up and peek inside.<br /><br />Excellent, excellent post, Polly. Glad to have you aboard! :-)Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16056682992943171805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-48848405249512821712014-01-23T10:04:02.090-07:002014-01-23T10:04:02.090-07:00I've only done my own, Dani. That's anothe...I've only done my own, Dani. That's another profession, and I'm afraid of not pleasing a client. I can tell me I hate the cover. :-)Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-32071040392718116642014-01-23T09:56:14.781-07:002014-01-23T09:56:14.781-07:00Polly, do you design just your own covers, or are ...Polly, do you design just your own covers, or are you available for hire? Just curious.Danihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-35349123201073175622014-01-23T09:55:13.958-07:002014-01-23T09:55:13.958-07:00I definitely judge by a book cover - if it's r...I definitely judge by a book cover - if it's really bad and amateur, I'll pass on the book. It sends a signal that the writing might be just as bad. The best money (maybe even more than professional editing) a writer can spend is that first presentation - the cover. Affordable book covers are so easy to find these days, there really is no excuse.Danihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.com