Tuesday Talks | Cover Design

It's Tuesday! Time for another Tuesday Talks discussion. You can find all of the information for the discussion group on the goodreads group here. You should check it out and join us, it's always a good time discussing bookish topcis!

Book Cover Designs

Book covers are some of the most talked about book related things out there. So many people will buy a book strictly based on how much they like it's cover. For me, I'm not sure I've ever bought a book because of its cover, but I do think a good cover is a very important thing for a novel to have. A bad cover can be the downfall of a good book. 

I like for covers to be related to the story being told in a book. Some book covers incorporate a scene from the book and I actually love that. When I get to that point in the book I'm always really excited to recognize the scene from the cover in writing. It doesn't necessarily have to be that obvious though. I just want something that makes me think about the story being told and not just some random picture that has nothing to do with the story. 

One thing that I'm generally not a fan of on covers are cover models. I'm fine with people being on a cover, but I don't like to see their faces in general (there are some exceptions to this). I'm not really sure why I don't like this, but I would rather have something more abstract than a face. I actually really like feet or hands being incorporated in covers, or profile views of people (particularly when the lighting isn't clear), I just don't want the full view of a person. 

I also really like the use of silhouettes or outlines on covers. I've seen several like this and they always really fascinate me. The use of optical illusions as covers, hidden in silhouettes is also really interesting. I can't think of the book, but I saw one within the past few months that was really interesting because you could see like three or four different things depending on the angle you looked at the picture. And all of them were related to the story (at least it sounded like it from the synopsis). 

I also like a unique cover. I know that covers can be expensive (and since I want to publish my own books, I'm going to have to think about this a lot), but I don't like all of the repeat covers that are used. The shading will change, but the cover art will be the same and I just don't generally like that. Particularly when cover models are used though. I don't want to see the same face on completely different stories. I think in the long run its probably worth the extra money to go with a more personalized cover. 

So now that I've kind of ranted about some of my cover likes and dislikes, let me show you some of the covers that I enjoy. 

I love this cover of Odd Thomas. It's really simple, but it connects so well with the story. I love the person walking through the fog, like it's a dream world. It just really fits the story. And the coloring too. This one is purple tinted, the one I have is more grey, but I love them both. It just works.  

The cover to A Thousand Pieces of You is one of the main reasons I read this novel. You get to see some of the dimensions that are visited in the story and it's just so beautifully put together. I see something new in this every time I look at it. It's one of those books that you can close and just stare at the cover and feel like you're living inside the story. It's wonderful. (The cover to the sequel is great too.)

This cover is actually one that I have seen the design on multiple books, but it can work in this case. I love the feet, because it makes things seem cute. The lightly colored roses are perfect. What I love most though, is the incorporation of math symbols. The title itself uses math symbols and you can't see it well here, but there are also integral, derivative, trig functions, and many other symbols drawn into the cover almost as if it were a blackboard. I love it and it was perfect for the story.

This cover of From The Ashes is another one that I absolutely love. The pathway leading through these dark trees, with a misty quality is just stunning. And the girl, her face lit up but not detailed, from the glow of the necklace in her hands, is just beautiful. It's one of my favorite covers. 

These are not all of my favorite covers. They may not even be my favorite covers of all time, but these are all covers that I love. Tell me in the comments what you like to see in a cover and what your thoughts are on this topic. I would love to hear what you think!