First of all, you must note the subtle rhyming in my blog post title.
I’m very proud of it. Yes, I am.
But onwards.
I’m linking up with The Broke and the Bookish for their incredibly awesome meme: Top Ten Tuesday. This is a meme involving lists, peoples. LISTS! I love lists.
This week’s prompt is: Top 10 Books Cover Trends. This can swing to the love or hate side…so why not do both? Both is best.
PS. You can click on the covers to zip over to Goodreads.
1. Minimalist Covers
Can I just say: LOVE. I’m always of the opinion that less is more (unless it comes to, like, pizza or cake) and when a cover is all about bold colours and the title? I will pick it up faster than a piece of cheese and cabana pizza.
2. Painting Covers
Art baffles me. How can people wield brushes or pencils and not have it look like a stick figure having a seizure? Artists are sickeningly talented. If a book cover looks painted or drawn? I would like it in my life, thank you very much.
3. Word Art
Titles are important. It’s awesome when the cover is all about the title. Here, just take all my money and give me the books.
4. Galaxy Covers
The cover designs for galaxy books are either a) the most artistic people in the world, or b) it’s super easy to make the stars look beautiful. Sci-fi books usually have THE BEST covers in the world. Get it “the world”? Yes, yes, laugh!
5. Awesome Dresses Covers
I love these dresses! Call me shallow, but these are gorgeous. (Not that I’d ever personally wear a dress like this, because, no thanks, I’d rather not look like a Selection Peacock.) Tiger Lily is probably my favourite.
1. Half Naked People Covers
Can we just talk about that Frankenstein cover, please?!! DID MICHELANGELO MAKE IT? He’s totally nude. What the heck?
I’m just not that fond of people half unclothed on the front covers.
2. Faces Covers
Now, Mime and I experimented…and it’s impossible to replicate the face of Since You Asked. If you can do it, good on you. We’re pretty sure it’s a scientific impossibility.
Faces on covers just….generic? I’m not saying these girls are ugly! I’m just saying I want to think up the faces for myself. Margo does NOT look like that.
3. Kissing Couples Covers
LOVE IS IN THE AAAAAIR!!
No.
4. Random Scenery Covers
Um…these covers are boring. That is all I can really say. It doesn’t inspire me to pick up anything.
5. Where Something Is Just WRONG Covers
Look, I love the Ellie Sweet series as much as the next aspiring writer, BUT: there is something genuinely wrong with the angle of her face. And Chaos, THERE IS SO MUCH WRONG THERE. There is lightning coming out of her chest. That’s…substantially wrong.
Cait actually didn’t write this post on her own. Mime had a nasally running commentary in the background about horrendous covers, people kissing, and what feminism really is. Very odd. Obviously Mime is on holidays and therefore just lying around whinging about life and feminism and when is lunch. Cait is being productive. As always.
Hehe, I giggled at this title. 'Adore or abhor' . . . I thought you were a prose writer – you never told me you were a talented poet too! ;)Doesn't Patrick ness always get the awesome covers? And they always look like optical illusions. I'm convinced if I stare at them for long enough, I'm going to see faces or something. Or go blind. One of those.Oh and The Minnow is GORGEOUS! I've never had a painting cover on my shelf. I must go and collect one now *looks at Amazon hungrily*.
Lucky Mime on holidays… I still have school for a few more days. *drowns in school work*Really awesome list–I think I agree with everything! I am SUCH a fan of pretty dress covers… even though there are probably heaps of people out there who are probably a little sick of them by now. Covers which are painted are also really really cool, but I feel like I don't see enough of them around! Haha from what I can tell, most people aren't fan of faces on covers, though I actually forget about that one when I wrote my list. xD
And yes, the title is awesome. 😉
Title of this post = amazing. Well done. Sheldon gif = amazing also. Very nicely placed. (I gave a loud guffaw, I must admit…my cat got scared)I LITERALLY JUST GOT THE COVER OF TIGER LILY. Like I thought it was just a girl but aaaahhhhh I see the dress now. Yep, sign me up for stupid classes. I agree with like all of these. Those Vampire Academy and Chaos covers just look kind of…mishmash? Like they were thrown together really quickly, or Photoshopped by my grandma (omg that sounds so mean). And yeah, the scenery ones are pretty boring.
I'm so fun to have around when it comes to smushy stuff aren't I? 😉 I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF WITH THE SHELDON GIF. Omg, you and Mime both then!! She was reading my post adn she's like, "What's with the Tiger Lily cover". And I say, "IT'S A DRESS." But now you're making me doubt myself. Is it a dress? Am I seeing it wrong? *has small mid-dress crisis*
I agree with most of yours! But dress covers just don't do it for me. I don't know why. Oh, and worse than face-covers, is the half-a-face cover!!! Haha. Oooooh purdy typography. Love!
The half face covers can be kind of odd…I admit, I'm not a fan of The Host's eyeball cover. >-< Typography is awesome!
I'm glad you appreciate my epic poetry skills. I AM AMAZING. Huzzah.Ohhh, Patrick Ness most certainly does. They're just awesome , if you want my blunt opinion. x) And yesss to The Minnow. I actually don't see many painting covers which I think is oh so sad. They're always gorgeous.
Lucky me who has Mime to boss around while she's on holidays. I have her schedule planned, don't you worry. *struts around with whistle and megaphone* I guess the pretty dresses covers ARE kind of overdone…buuuut, I'm always a sucker for them. As long as they sort of relate to the story! Like in These Broken Stars? Lilac actually wore the dress.
I've seen the cover to Tiger Lily a hundred times, and I'm now just realizing that it's a dress, sheesh lol. I also adore minimalist covers-my favorite cover trend right now 🙂 And I agree-face covers need to go away!
Ohhh, Mime said the SAME THING to me!! And now I'm doubting that it is a dress because no one knew it was…agh. I'm having a doubting-dress-crisis here.
Haha, I love these! I had night skies and starry skies on my list of cover trends I like. I realised I hate way more than I like, so actually only have 2 trends on the like list. Those were more simple covers and starry skies, both just work so well.I like The Jewel and The WInner's Curse as pretty dress covers, but I am getting a little bored of the covers that are literally just a girl in a dress, nothing else to them at all. Kissing couples, large faces and half-naked men all made my list of trends I hate. I don't really understand the obsession with having a man's chest as the only thing on the cover of your book. How dull! Haha, I totally tried to pull that Since You Asked cover face and totally failed!!!
Galaxy FTW, right?!! I'm such a sucker when it comes to pretty covers though. I'll request books to read based off covers alone. *sigh* So shallow, I am, but not sorry. x)Ugh to the half naked people, right? I like it when the dress MEANS something. Like in These Broken Stars.I actually think the Since You Asked face is IMPOSSIBLE. It was very entertaining to watch Mime try to replicate it though. She tried for ages. (Small things amuse small minds, but whatever.)
I agree with all of ones you dislike! They are all terrible!!! I really had to stop myself from just ranting about all the covers I hate. I only had about 30 minutes to write mine this morning, or I really would have gone to town. lol
Ooh, you're pretty awesome to write a post so fast! I have to write slow and think about it…and I also spent WAY too long looking for book covers. 😉
I'm with you in every case. Good job!(Love your title, too. Bonus points.)Here's my list of things I like about book covers.
YAY. BONUS POINTS FOR ME. *dances in bonus points*
The absolute worst is the half naked kissing people covers. The number of paranormal romances that sound great but have horrific covers is staggering. Almost as bad as the number of new adult books with half naked kissing people covers. UGH.
Ugh, yes, let's not combine those two monstrosities. And what's with NA covers being so horrific? Honestly…I'm still trying to find an NA with a PLOT. The horrific covers aren't helping matters.
I never realized that was a dress on the cover of Tiger Lily! *mind blown* And I just love minimalist covers! Great list!Nicole @ The Quiet Concert
Same here! At first I thought it was a flower or half of a mask.
OMG, YOU ARE MAKING ME DOUBT MYSELF. I always thought it was a dress…
Galaxy covers for the win! I'm easily impressed if you slap on a cool font and outer space in the background. I can stare forever. I agree with all of your dislikes too. Kissy covers are so bad though. I couldn't read a book like that in public, too much embarrassment potential!
Exactly! If you don't want to be seen with the book in public, then it's not a good cover, right?! I love sci-fi books. I just love them all for their covers. x)
I love how you titled the post, it's clever Cait, then again, aren't you always clever ;)Anyway, covers, dresses, I'm with you, fonts, with you again, typography is a BIG thing, minimalist covers, yes sir!I agree on the half naked ones, and the really WTF ones, and the random scenery, but the others I can give or take really.Fantastic post as usual, you're always entertaining me with your posts, keep it up! 😀
I AM THE EMBODIMENT OF CLEVER. (Very modest too, really. It's exhausting being this fabulous.)Foooonts. I love the fonts. And minimalist covers? Why aren't they more common?!! I could happily just have a bookshelf of minimalist covers. x) Random scenery is just sooo not a win. What's even the point?
I'm actually right with you on all of these! It's a good thing I don't write TTT posts, because if I do I would probably just get lazy and link to yours. Done! haha.But yes, bright colors, artsy-ness, beautiful typography, fancy dresses – I love all of them. That last one makes me feel bad sometimes because most of the time these fancy dress covers don't reflect the book at all, but still. They're pretty. I can't complain! But half-naked men (or women), kisses, and just faces in general? Nah. Though I have to say, I think for me a majority of the blame for my dislike of these covers is because I generally do not prefer the genres they tend to represent. If there's skin showing, lips touching, or just a person all up in your face, the book is usually a romance or contemporary, and I don't really ever read those. So I'm not quite sure if I really just hate the cover, or am put off by the genre I feel such books usually represent. Maybe both?
Oh, lol, that's like the BEST thing to hear. XD *flails a little*I don't mind contemporaries or the occasional romance (though you're more likely to see me with a zombie book) buuuuut, they look so SHALLOW with awful kissy/naked covers. It looks like I'm reading a book that's taken a dive in all reasons and nope. Just don't want to be seen with it. A book shouldn't make me embarrassed to read it. Urgh.
I am with you on the word art! Those are often my favorite covers. I LOVE when the title is focused front & center! I also really like covers like Love letters to the Dead or Fangirl where characters on the cover are interacting with the title. And the kissing covers. . . never a fan. There are ways to show a book is a romance or has a romance on the cover without two people kissing. It's so. . . been done before.
I love it when they sit on the title! For some weird reason…it's just awesome. And I like books with MORE than kissing in them. So if they're smooching their hearts out on the front cover, it doesn't give me much hope that the insides are going to be interesting. -_-
Half naked people covers are just weird. Put some clothes on dude, seriously! Is it too much to expect them to at least wear a shirt? I am with you on the random scenery thing. Those covers are just so boring. Where's the excitement and unique factor in that? Seriously. Also, that is the most awesome title. I bow to your expert title making skills and am currently taking notes.
The random scenery just makes me snooze. And it gives me NO idea what the book is about. Omg, yes, to my expert title skills, right? I'm going to be a millionaire off my awesome pretty soon.
Yes, yes, yes! I totally agree with everything you just said. :)Half-clothed people on book covers, OH MY GOD WHEN WILL IT STOP?! Seriously, I thought everyone was in agreement to get rid of those covers, like, five years ago.(Also, I tried to replicate the cover of Since You Asked–because why not?–and you're right. Not possible in the slightest.)
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. I just…no. Mime spent aaages trying to do it and I nearly died of laughter, but we didn't even succeed. It makes me question the entire book, frankly.
I love the title of this post and I agree with almost everything on here. I love minimalist covers with bright colors, painting/drawing covers and awesome dress covers. Oh, and don't get me started with galaxy covers. The stars and the color gradient of the sky are always awe inspiring. Galaxy covers are to die for. I kind of like typography covers, but it really depends on the typography. I guess I like either simple line typography as in Love Letters to the Dead or flourishy typography. What I don't like is block typography, like that in Life in Outer Space and Eat Brains Love. Naked/half naked people and kissing couples are definitely a no-no. I wouldn't want a cover like that on my bookshelf and I really wouldn't want to be seen reading a book with a cover like that. If I was an author, I would be furious if my book had such a cover. Faces are eh. I generally don't like them, but I can tolerate face covers. I kind of like scenery covers, but it really depends. One good example is the scenery for the Unbroken cover. I also like the Thin Space cover. However, Ash Wednesday and A Corner of White don't look as good as Unbroken and Thin Space. You know, I never noticed that there was something wrong in The Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet cover. I always really liked it. However, now that you point it out, it does look like only half of her face is tilted back. I think it's subtle enough, though, that the cover is still good looking. On the other hand, the other two examples you gave? Ummmmm…yeah no.
I feel like with the Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet, they just put glasses on her but didn't angle the glasses backwards with her face? Or something? I just think there's something wrong about the angle. It's bothered me for a long time. Which is annoying, because the first book's cover is AWESOME.
*raises hand in the air* Me! I would wear dresses like that! I would!Ahem! *puts hand down and sits up straighter* I don't like naked people on covers, either. And kissing is actually the beginning of a rant on how I don't like most kinds of romantic poses on covers, particularly the one where the woman is swooning with the man's hand on her waist. Just… no.What in heaven's name is going on in that cover of Chaos?! And the Wintergirls cover could go in that last category, too– something doesn't look right about her…~Robyn
*pats on head* Very well, take it up with your fairy godmother. I hear they're in the business of throwing those kinds of dresses at people. And Chaos? I KNOW. It's so wrong…even the "only the boy can save her" pitch is so wrong. I'm just horrified and I would not pick that book up, which is bad…well, for the book.
YES! Everything about this post is great!I also hate naked peeps on covers.The kissing too! Your Sheldon .gif representation is absolutely perfect and made me laugh hysterically!Great list!
Huzzah for Sheldon saving the day! XD
HAHA I also hate the naked people on the covers too! AND THAT'S A DRESS ON TIGER LILY???? I always thought it was some sort of flower. Just shows how observable I am! And I also really love the outer space covers too! Those are the best 😀
YES IT'S A DRESS. At least…so many people have been surprised at that, I'm having a little doubting session here. But, um, I think it's a dress? For the sake of my dignity, I HOPE it's a dress?
These are great and I completely agree about art. How do they do that? And the naked people/kissing ones are a total turn-off. Publishers should be paying attention to these lists this week.My TTT
Art is the best. I can just swoon over those covers endlessly.
What? You don't like the scantily-clad individuals on covers? Yeah, me neither. I pretty much agree with your entire list, except the pretty dresses. I only like those when they actually pertain to the story. But I think my favorite trend is also the galaxy/star-covered covers. They're just so pretty!
Yes, I'm so picky, aren't I? 😉 Hah! Star covered covers will always and forever make me swoon. And it DOES bug me when the pretty-dress has nothing to do with the story. But I'm a sucker for cover love. 😉
Actually little is more doesn't work for food in general 😛 but there is that!With that said, I definitely agree, minimalistic covers are definitely some of my favorites! I also LOVE word art covers and you chose some of my favorites (the aus cover for Life in Outer Space was soooo pretty)!Galaxy covers are really nice especially since I was once obsessed with outer space :DOn a side note, I do hate half naked people but the cover for Altered actually worked for me. I loved the color combos and the cover really did appeal to me 😛 The one for Frankenstein is just creepy though! I also DESPISE face covers. I don't want to see the person's face! Seriously!I actually love pretty scenery covers if done right, they CAN be boring but they can be so nice and colorful too which I like :DOh and the covers for VA need to be where you put them 😛 there is just something wrong with them. I don't like the covers that much. The one for book 1 wasn't that bad compared to the rest in the series. Those just don't make sense *sigh*Fantastic Picks, Cait! :DRashika @ The Social Potato
*shudders* Let's not talk about Frankenstein. I'm scarred for life after that cover. And too true! Scenery CAN be done awesomely! I mean, Divergent is mostly scenery…with the logo smacked on top. Which I don't really mind at all! There's something just…ugh, about that VA cover. I mean, the angle, peoples, the angle. No one looks flattering from that angle! I like the other covers they have, with just the VA logo on them!
All hail Cait, goddess of rhyme! ;D (Lol but seriously, that was impressive.)I pretty much agree with everything here. I love minimalistic covers because ironically, they can be more eye-catching the fancy covers and I'm just a huge fan of simplicity. And yay for pretty girls in dresses! I actually used to really like this trend, but when every book started having it, even though it didn't fit in with the story at all, I started to hate it a little. 🙁 And of course, painted/illustrated covers are one of my favorites. They're so original and prettayyy and they almost never fail me. <3 GALAXY COVERS! Look at my blog name, man. Do I even need a reason?!HAHA, half-naked covers. I agree, they're way too cliche these days, especially for NA books. I can't decide which one is worse, actually, kissy-face covers or shirtless dudes with super huge abs I'm pretty sure they're fake. LOL. I've never seen any of those "something wrong" covers, but oh my gosh, if you're going to hire someone to create a cover for you, at least make sure they're skilled at Photoshop, you know?! Great list, Cait! 😀
*bows* Yes, yes, I am marvellous. I'm JUST kiiiiiding. (Although it is a little bit true.) *smiles modestly*OKAY THEN. But yes! Painting covers get me every time! I actually picked up The Minnow based on cover alone, and it didn't disappoint, which was a bonus. And the half-naked covers, particularly on the NA books…they just don't give me confidence that the book will have any real plot. Just kissing. 😐 Kind of boring.
Ooooo the painted covers. That middle one is just stunning! I'd probably buy it based on that fact alone. Galaxy covers are my absolute favorite, and it still kills me that they changed the Across the Universe covers -_- They were so beautiful in the first place, and now they look all industrial. I um… oh god… I didn't realize Tiger Lily was a girl in a dress. I thought it was a really big dahlia or something. I'm just going to go get my glasses prescription checked now.Ehhh I'm kind of partial to the Altered covers. But purely for eye candy reasons. I mean, logically I know they're stupid, but really when the dude is that attractive I can forgive the illogical art. Maybe it's because I'm a back and shoulder gal and if it were a shot of his pecs and abs I'd be complaining more? Yeah, that's probably it. He's got a nice nose too (there – I'm not just looking at his shirtlessness!)I laughed so hard at that Sheldon gif xD Did not see that coming when I was scrolling down! That VA cover is way off – her shoulders and chest are way too big for her head. At least get body proportions right if there's going to be a cover model photoshopped somewhere!
Omg, I hope Tiger Lily is a dress. >-< Everyone is so surprised about it and now I'm doubting myself. But isn't that her arm and her leg??! I HOPE. Definitely a gorgeous nose. Yes, definitely. 😉 Well, if I'm going to be strictly honest, that one doesn't make me shudder THAT much. But come now! Don't make me lower my standards. x) I kind of feel so sorry for the model on VA. I mean, what is even going on there?!! NO one looks good in up-the-nose shots and her shoulders….nope. It's just not doing anything for me.
Great picks! And hahahah I LOVE Sheldon!! Your last picks there, those covers would put me right off, I referred to that style in my post as the my-5-year-old-did-this-in-Microsoft-Word style. Just no, Cover Trends I Love and Loathe
Exactly…those last covers don't look cool or professional at all, and that's just sad. 😐
OK, so I love your list :)Definitely a few I agree with which didn't make it onto my own! Especially faces. I want to picture them, I want the writer to describe. I don't want to be told :/Thanks for visiting my TTT 🙂Cora @ Tea Party Princess
Oh yes! Totally! I like to make my own mind up about the characters…instead of some typical face. (Sorry to the models!)
Nearly all of your Abhors made me laugh, great job! I agree with every one.My <a title="Top Ten Tuesday {5}" href="http://ireaditandwept.wordpress.com/2014/06/24/top-ten-tuesday-4-3/" rel="nofollow">TTT
lol, well I'm glad they got a laugh. THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE FOR.
OMG I am living for your Sheldon GIF. Love your sense of humor and your list!
Hehe, thanks. 😉 And thanks for coming by, too!
OMG I feel the same way about your top three favorite cover trends! :)I think face covers can be pretty, when done well. But sometimes they're so generic!
I don't like it when any covers are generic really! And it feels like if they don't know what to do with the cover…oh, what the heck! Just slap a face on. -_- No.
I adore galaxy covers too! And I agree, I'm not a fan of kissy couples, faces, half naked people, or covers where something is just "off"!
Ugh, the "off" ones just really make me annoyed.
Ellie Sweet… I hadn't heard of that until I saw you mention it recently. Cait- give me a summary in five words- GO. (If you like.)I don't often like galaxy books, but the covers are often so incredibly beautiful- the stars are always just so lovely! And Minimalist covers- the ones you showcased particularly are excellent.
Ohhh, okay, Ellie Sweet! (But five words, seriously??) Um let's go: Christian. Writers. Publishing. Being-you. Highschool-unattainable-crushes <– That's 1 word. I FAILED. BUT THERE YOU HAVE IT.
Wow, here's another example of why we're twins and we get along so well[; I agree with… this whole list 😮 Both adore and the abhor! This is a first people, usually Larissa can find something to disagree with. My most favorite covers would be a toss up between space ones and minimalist ones (with cool word art. oooo look at me combining categories). I just love space and the cosmos are so pretty to see on a book cover, it would definitely convince me to give the book a read. As for simplistic covers with cool word art, what's not to love?? I find them so creative actually as the few choices made for the cover cause big impacts.LOL half naked covers/kissing ones make me feel so awkward. Like can I really read this book in public and not be embarrassed with these basically naked people making out??? Lol. They definitely don't make me want to willingly read them. It just makes the book seem like some stereotypical unappealing NA read. Lovely post! It's totally accurate.
(Abhor is also an incredible word and totally underused. I LOVE IT.) But, omg, THE WHOLE LIST?!!! *parties quietly because this occasion deserves it). We are cover lover twins.
I FIGURED OUT THE SINCE YOU ASKED FACE! You have to bite the inside of your lip/mouth to keep the one side closed!
Is it bad that I'm going to go try this again..*sighs and marches to mirror*
I don't like the face covers either. Yuck..
It's AWKWARD, I think.
HAHAHAHAHA SOMETHING IS JUST WRONG COVERS HAHAHAHAHADude, I legit know what you mean by that. It's those covers where I feel it's so badly photoshopped, where there are a dozen different individual pictures and then just copy-pasted in one while messing with the overlay. Seriously. That got me laughing because I just got reminded of all those awful covers I've encountered in the past! Thankfully, there are less of them now in pubbed books. I agree with minimalist and the galaxy/stars one though. Those catch my interest instantly. Like I won't even need to read the blurb – the cover is enough to make me want them, at least for my shelf ;PFaye at The Social Potato Reviews
HEY AT LEAST I SAY IT LIKE IT IS. x) The badly photoshop jobs just make me cringe. Come on! I'm wanting to own these books for my shelves for forever…and they look awful? That's not OKAY. I need gorgeous books filling my shelves.
The old VA series covers are horrid, same with the Gone series (which I'm reading now) and also the Aussie Shatter Me series, although I think it's called The Juliette Chronicles here. Nothing beats some of the terrible D.I.Y indie covers. One of my favourite covers is The Winner's Curse, but lately have been collecting hardback classics. Going to show them all off in a feature soon.
Ugh to the old Gone books. I don't even know who's who on most of those covers. The NEWEST Gone covers though? *swoons endlessly* And ugh to The Juliette Chronicles old ones. Thank heavens for whoever redesigned them.
Kissing couples…ugh. I know a lot of people must like those, since so many are published. But I think they're just ridiculous. And they're embarrassing to be seen with! As I type this, I'm looking at my library copy of Take Me On by Katie McGarry. The VA covers, as much as I enjoy the series, are awful.I love all of your "adore" ones, especially the minimalist and the word art.
I totally agree. Kissing on covers is gross. >_<
Embarrassing <– YES. That sums it up for me too. I don't want people to think I'm reading some piece of slop. Gah. So much awkward. But oh yesssss to all things minimalist right?!
I completely agree with your adore section. And hey that loathe section is pretty spot on too. I have to say though I'm not a fan of the pretty dress trend. I've come to think of it as the "we're too lazy to come up with a unique cover that will really reflect the book, let's roll out with the good ol standard pretty girl in a dress"
Haha! Ah, yes, I feel like the pretty dresses CAN be that way too, though. When it fits? I loooove it all the more. Like with These Broken Stars and Lilac actually WEARS the dress! But on, say, Fury by Shirley Marr? The girl never even wears a fancy black dress. That does bug me. -_-
Yes! This post is pure epicness. Dresses on covers are completely cliche but I love 'em anyways. But minimalist covers…erm…sorry, but I don't like them. Nope. Not for me. And I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who saw something wrong with the Ellie Sweet cover. The angles, the shape, it's just WRONG.
Really?!! You don't like minimalist covers?!! WOW. x) Haha! No, that's completely fine, you're just the first person I've met who doesn't like them. *hoards all the covers**whispers* I was SO horrified at the second Ellie Sweet cover when I first saw it. I'm used to it now, but I was actually physically distressed because they're such good books and I feel like the cover was ruined. :'|
I am SOOO with you on this one Cait! Yeah for minimalist covers (less is more, right?!), word art covers (Love Letters to the Dead is absolutely gorgeous!), and galaxy covers (I think These Broken Stars is one of my favorite covers of all time; and Unbreathable and A Million Suns are absolutely stunning as well!) And no, I would definitely not call you shallow about covers with awesome dresses! They rock!And people half-naked or people kissing on covers? Such a giant no-no in my mind. Haha! If I see a cover like that, I’d automatically go “New Adult alert!” and skip over it. 😉 And I so agree about the covers with faces and random scenery. They’re not necessarily bad, but they don’t really scream “READ ME!”, you know? You should rename your “Where Something is Just WRONG” trend with “Spot the Thing That Doesn’t Belong.” I so agree with your choices + your explainations though!Thanks for sharing Cait! <3
YESSSS to Love Letters! I think it's just cool when they interact with the titles too. It's like breaking the 4th wall or something, lol. x) The faces I can deal with more than the random scenery. Call me a bore, but I don't even like road trips. ALL THAT SCENERY IT NEVER CHANGES. But, duuuude, YES. "Spot the Thing That Doesn't Belong". WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT??
In terms of marketing, a cover is so important! Really enjoyed this post, I like minimalist covers too but must confess- I don't mind face covers 🙂
Yay for minamlist covers! And face covers done right can be awesome. I'm a huge fan of the new Moment Collector cover. It's got a face, but it's really whimsical.
Hahaha LOVE IS IN THE AIR! I hate kissing on covers too. Bleh 😀 I'm not a fan of painting covers, though. I think they're really pretty, but they don't draw my attention.
Hahaha oh Cait you are awesome! I just loved that Sheldon gif, hilarious. I just love those minimalistic covers, beautiful covers, and most of all GALAXY covers. I could just stare at them all day. Call me crazy but this is the first time I realised that Tiger Lily actually was a dress on the cover o.O
Minimalist: love those too! Sisters red is pretty, it's a shame that they did a redesign. Awesome dresses still work for me too. TIGER LILY. My love. Kissing couples and half naked dudes/girls, hate that trend. I really don't care for it.
I have to agree with everything in this post! Book covers are important stuff.
I usually love the minimalist style too. But anything that is fantasy related will always catch my eye. I know a lone sword is kind of cliched for a fantasy cover, but it will almost always get me (like the Finnikin of the Rock sword cover? The best ever!) Ships too. Dragons. Yes! Kissing covers. . . No! (love the gif for that one 😉 Little weird there. And definitely agree with the face covers too. They're not really unique. I do make an exception for the Splintered series. Beautiful covers there! I don't normally like after-the-movie-covers either. Yuck. I do tend to like scenery covers though. Especially if it's a tree. I like trees. And I love covers that fit the genre, the plot, and the mood of the story, so perfectly, it's just- Wow! This cover belongs to no other book. It tells you exactly what the book is about without giving all the wonderful secrets away.
I am getting SO sick and tired of close-ups of faces and couples kissing on covers! Ugh! If you are going to have them I would prefer a font that overshadows them or a relevant filter to make it less… there. I think right now I would like to see more crazy fonts utilized! I loved the idea for Love Letters to the Dead's cover!
I really love the minimalist covers, but I wonder sometimes how much they draw people in as they don't really give a clue as to what the book is about. I love the painted covers, I think they are really pretty. I agree that The Vampire Academy cover is a bit creepy really.
I agree for most of this! I love your "adore" picks. For the "abhor," I only truly hate the half naked people and the kissing couples. Those are just bleh. Like that White Hot Kiss cover. It looks a lot more mature for a YA novel. Those are the kinds of books I don't want on my shelves.
All my yes for this list. I LOVE minimalist covers – More Than This is so gorgeous, as is Wonder! – and also painted covers. I've never heard of Indelible … but I want it.Kissing couples covers … give me a break! There is no bigger book turn-off than when it screams "I'M ABOUT TWO REALLY GOOD-LOOKING PEOPLE DEFINED BY THEIR RELATIONSHIP", which to me those covers do. Likewise gorgeous cover models. Maybe, publishers, just maybe, the author didn't *want* a generically beautiful female MC. As for those wrong-looking ones … what is going on there?? Crazy!!
I love minimalist covers, too! I think Frankenstein's monster is naked on the front because when Frankenstein created him, he just used parts and so when he first came to life, no clothes yet, haha. Great list though! I don't like huge faces on my covers either! Bonus points to the pretty dress covers when they actually wear the dress in the book!