Do you JABBIC (judge a book by its cover)? What catches your eye – a sexy couple in an erotic pose? A smoky atmosphere obscuring a mysterious woman on a stone bridge? An olive in a martini glass?
Front cover designs are meant to capture the eye – and the imagination. They’re meant to tell you if you’re in for an erotic read or a romantic comedy. The back cover blurb gives more information. A peek inside, naturally, will tell you more. But it’s the cover that sells. Most of the time. And though likes and dislikes are subjective, there are some tried-and-true designs that draw people to books of specific genres.
The Immoral Virtue Trilogy, is dark, historical and erotic. The book covers show that… I hope.
Both covers are now part of the Judge a Book by its Cover Contest (JABBIC), hosted by the Houston Bay Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. The contest’s aim is to promote authors and cover designers. The amazing woman who designed my covers deserves that promotion and I’m hoping, with a little help from your votes, she will.
The Mark and The Accused are listed under the SEXIEST COVER category. An up-rating for them, if you love them, too, would be lovely.
So… please DO judge my book by its cover… by voting here on the page for JABBIC Entries for Sexiest Cover (reader voting ends 2/9/15. After that time, this link will not work because libraries and book sellers will take over the voting process)
Vote for your favorites in the other categories, too. Though I wish you luck deciding which appeal to you more since the entries this year are amazing.
My sincere thanks to the Houston Bay Area RWA for all their hard work hosting this contest.
Tough question. I think it’s a combo of the title and cover and blurb. Some covers don’t do a good book justice. And some covers are better than the book. I go by my gut if a book is for me. Your covers, blurbs, and books caught my attention, and my gut was right! Good luck with the cover contest!
Thank you, Debra! I’m so glad you went with your gut and read my books… and that your gut was right. 🙂
I find I’m drawn first to colors on a cover. Then the title and back cover blurb. The cover doesn’t decide it for me, I will pick up books whose covers do flutter my heart, but the cover is definitely that first hello.
You know I voted, right? I love those covers.
I judge books by their covers all the time. Sometimes I know I’m doing it and sometimes I guess it just happens. I’ll pick up a book to look at it closer because the cover made me want to. Or I’ll pass it up because it’s so bland or whatever that I don’t even notice it. So, yea. I judge a book by its cover all the time. Both of yours are a 10.
Well, of course I knew YOU voted. 🙂 Thank you. It’s much appreciated.
I think we all make judgements – consciously or not – upon first sight of something or someone. It’s how we process what we see. It’s wrong to do that, we know this, but it’s how we make many of our split-second decisions. I went out to dinner last night and when our server brought the dessert cart over, I was practically drooling. But my eye went right to the cherry cheesecake. I can’t even tell you what else was on that tray. It all looked nice but that cheesecake was to die for. So… sometimes jabbic is a very good thing indeed…