Branding the genre, torturing the author, repulsing the reader

[grace_draven]

Anyone who's read this blog knows I'm a bit twitchy when it comes to book cover art. I hear and read a lot of arguments from various publishers about why particular cover art, even if it's crap, is used on books of a certain genre. A lot of it has to do with branding. Most of the arguments are full of holes

Comments

[scatteredlogic]

I'm all for branding. It's good business and good marketing to make a particular mark and style and be known by it, but does the genre really want to keep the reputation its earned with bizarre, repulsive cover art and ridiculous back blurbs?

Apparently so, since the publishers just keep doing the same awful crap over and over again. Readers want to read, and so they put up with eye-gouging covers in order to get to the content inside. I think publishers must figure they'll save money by using someone already on staff to do the covers (artistic talent doesn't seem to come into the equation at any point) since the readers have proven they'll buy the books in spite of the covers. Quite frankly, if they're going to save money in that fashion, I'd just as soon they went with a generic pic of brown-paper wrapping and only changed the title, author's name and back blurb. At least then readers wouldn't be ashamed of being seen with some of the screamingly bad or lurid covers they force on us now.

[grace_draven]

This brings up a very good point. One of the statements I read from a publishing rep was that covers didn't play as important a role as authors thought they did because readers still bought the book. You highlighted the truth of the matter as in what choice do we have as readers?

As authors faced with promoting our product, we're facing an uphill climb when the outside package is bad. Oh yes, there are many times when, as both a reader and an author, I wished fervently for the simple brown wrapper with a plain black font.

[scatteredlogic]

One of the statements I read from a publishing rep was that covers didn't play as important a role as authors thought they did because readers still bought the book.

Which is a vicious circle. Of course we still bought the book. We're readers. We want to read. For that to be used by publishers as justification to fob crappy covers off on us is actually insulting.

[grace_draven]

Oh, I also meant to point out my favorite line from sundae-sweet's entry: Less clothes does not mean more kickass, IMO. LOL.

[dmacabre]

Re: homogenized poses and the ubiquitous tramp stamp

Haha, yes. As much as I like the idea (if not the execution) of paranormal romance, I'm beginning to wonder if lower back tattoos are mandatory before they issue you your vampire/demon/werewolf slayer license. Let's also not forget all the black leather and headless models!

I think what you and Slogic were talking about is true. There's little incentive to improve if people will still read the books regardless of what's on the cover. Book sales will win out over fears about loss of literary street cred.

[grace_draven]

Yep, in order to get your standard issue sawed off .12 gauge with the customized silver-coated buckshot (for those pesky werewolves and undead), you have to get the stamp. It was an interesting visual concept the first and second time I saw it on an urban fantasy/paranormal. Not so much after the 607th.

It's false logic to assume the cover doesn't affect sales, yet it seems (from my personal observations), it's the accepted philosophy. ~grinds teeth in frustration~

[sundae_sweet]

I know when I pick up a book whose cover features a pouting, scantily clad female as succubus, I can't help thinking "This WAS written by a woman right?" because the cover is just oozing lechery.

If it's not dead doll Poser work or dismembered models pasted together via poorly executed Photoshop work, it's homogenized poses and the ubiquitous tramp stamp.

Agreed. I'm beginning to think every heroine of every urban/ paranormal romance is the same person. And also, I'm assuming these are supposed to marketed to female readers and I doubt any of them want to be caught carrying a book that looks like Halloween issue of Playboy.

[grace_draven]

I know when I pick up a book whose cover features a pouting, scantily clad female as succubus, I can't help thinking "This WAS written by a woman right?" because the cover is just oozing lechery.

Exactly. It's as if the art departments are trying to market to a crowd that normally doesn't read romance. Something like this:

http://www.covercafe.com/contest/2007/WO-res07.html

is soooo going to turn me off to this book, no matter who the authors are or how well they write. It's tasteless and with a stupid title to add insult to injury.

Of course, we get the overabundance of mantitty, headless torso guy (with wolf sidekick in the corner) and atrocities like these:

http://www.covercafe.com/contest/2008/WO-res08.html

I hear scifi/fantasy has its equal share of bad cover art, but honestly, I think the romance genre has cornered that market hands down.

[sundae_sweet]

BTW, your journal looks really interesting. I hope you don't mind me friending you. :)

[grace_draven]

Please do. I'll friend back. :D

[dream_labyrinth]

*LOL*
In school, I used to make paper covers for any romance novel I might read, so nobody would see what it was.
And a million times the typical bodice ripper cover made me shy away from buying a book, or the blurb was so bad I lost any interest.

Also, did I mention that I absolutely ADORE "Master of Crows"? I couldn't stop reading! Thank you so much! And now I don't want to read "Wyvern", because then I'll be through with all your books I own, and then what would I do... *sigh*

[grace_draven]

I used to make paper covers for any romance novel I might read, so nobody would see what it was.

This. There are cottage industries created specifically to meet this need. For $8 - $12, you can get a nifty cloth cover to hide the atrocious cover on the book you're reading. If not to save yourself embarassment but to discourage any weirdo who might think it's unspoken invitation to come sit by you and chat you up while on public transport because you're reading the romance anthology hideously and inappropriately titled Big Spankable Asses.

I'm so glad you liked MoC, AM! Thank you! I hope you like Wyvern too. I think to date, Elsbeth remains my favorite heroine that I wrote.