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 Are You a Writer or a Cave Painter?Posted by Laurie Kellogg Sep 14 2012, 12:01 am in Book Covers, Laurie Kellogg, Marketing, new releases, Ruby Release, The Parent Pact At some point in your life, I’m sure you’ve read a book and hated the cover and wondered why on earth the publisher used it. Maybe you’ve even received cover art for your own novel that you don’t feel fits your story. Romance readers get totally bent out of shape if the hero and heroine isn’t depicted accurately on the cover as compared to how the author describes them. Many of you may recall my debut novel, The Memory of You, had an extremely different cover when I first released it. All of my romance-writer friends told me how much they loved it. I don’t know if they were being honest or just sparing my feelings. In any case, I really liked the cover. When my son, who has a master’s in marketing, saw it, he hated it—which frankly didn’t surprise me. I have a have an honest open relationship with my kids, and they have no problem telling me when they think something I’ve done sucks the big one. Normally, I might shrug off his opinion, but this time I couldn’t, because I knew on this particular subject he spoke as an authority. His father and I spent a lot of money helping to educate him in his chosen field, and he made us extremely proud by graduating just a hundredth of a point shy of summa cum laude (and don’t think that didn’t royally tick him off).
I loved my cover and didn’t want to admit he might have a valid point. So I did what mother’s do best, I argued with my son, and tried to explain what the book is about. I showed him other covers on Amazon that were no different than mine. That’s when the poop hit the fan. “Are you a writer or a cave painter?” he asked in a not so soft voice. “I’m a writer,” I answered defensively. “Then stop trying to tell the story with pictures! The only thing your cover needs to accomplish is to get people interested enough to find out more about your book. You only have to catch their attention and give a sense of the genre and the tone. It doesn’t matter if the artwork matches the story. Covers are designed for shoppers. The inside is for readers.” Well, I still don’t totally agree with that, but I understood the lesson he was trying to teach me. Giving the shopper an impression of the type of story is far more important than the accuracy in the cover art. My son then explained many NY publishers are still designing covers for brick and mortar bookstore shelves instead of the digital market. He reworked my first two covers to illustrate what I should use to sell my work.
Many were disappointed by the new cover for The Memory of You (like my 80-year-old mother, who is one of the little old ladies my son mentioned) because they’d truly loved the original. I had to explain time and again that, although the first cover might have been aesthetically pleasing, it was a lousy representation of what the reader should expect from the book.
As I was admiring my handiwork on the flight home (in coach), my flamboyant alter-ego, L.L. Kellogg, sauntered back from first class to gloat about how much roomier her seat was than mine . Since my butt is twice the size of hers, you can bet she grated on my nerves. She snatched the promotional card I’d distributed at the conference from my hand. “What the hell did you do!” she shrieked loud enough for the passenger in the closet-size john at the rear of the plane to hear. She pointed at the sweet covers for my next two releases. “These are awful! Where’s the sexy hero and half-naked heroine? Is this a romance between children?” “No,” I answered, “but the hero and heroine are both single parents.” “Aww, isn’t that sweet.” She tossed the card over her shoulder and into the lap of the sixty-ish female passenger on the opposite side of the aisle. “Change it,” L.L. demanded. “Why should she?” the passenger interjected. “This looks like a wonderful book. Exactly the kind of heartwarming story I’d like to read.” “Do you like hot, sizzling love scenes?” L.L. asked the woman. “Because I forced her to make the hero walk in on the heroine while she’s bathing in his huge whirlpool tub, and things get mighty steamy—and not from the hot water, if you get my drift.” The woman blushed. “Well, I don’t mind a little kissing, but I really don’t prefer explicit love scenes.” “Then this book ain’t for you, lady. It’s hot! Especially the skinny-dipping scene when they finally get it on.” The woman dropped the promotional card as if it were covered with the Ebola virus. L.L. picked up the card and flapped it in my face. “THIS is exactly why NY wouldn’t buy your book. Their marketing department couldn’t think of a way to illustrate the fact that, although your stories are heartwarming, they’re far from sweet. You’re cave painting again. Remember what your son taught you.” She turned and wiggled her way back up the aisle to first-class and shouted over her shoulder, “Are you a writer or a freaking cave painter?” As much as I hated to admit it, L.L. the bimbo-beeyotch was 100 percent right. Granted, the marketing blurb (see below) makes it crystal clear it’s a sexy story, but the title and graphics indicate the exact opposite. The passenger across the aisle had given me a glimpse of the awful reviews I could expect from outraged readers who didn’t bother to check the blurb before clicking the buy link. And the saddest part was they would have every right to be upset about not having their expectations met.
However, this IS a sizzling, different worlds, Cinderella story. The contrast of a sexy, barefooted, penniless heroine kissing a successful lawyer who’s wearing $900 Italian leather shoes is a much better marketing tool and will give shoppers a more accurate impression of what they’ll get when they buy The Parent Pact—Steamy, Heartwarming, Romantic, Fun! Cinderella and Prince Charming never had to consider the welfare of their children When widower Tyler Fitzpatrick meets Annie Barnes at his daughter’s school, his libido goes tilt. The sexy single mother is everything he and his grieving little girl need. Unfortunately, Annie flatly refuses his dinner invitation. She wants a husband and a father for her son—not just a boyfriend. And the last time she checked, wealthy, summa-cum-laude lawyers didn’t marry high-school-drop-out housekeepers. Tyler concedes there’s a vast difference between their experiences and lifestyles. Still, he’s inexplicably drawn to the impoverished young woman—even though her little boy reminds Tyler of an underprivileged past he’d rather forget. While becoming better acquainted, he offers Annie a job caring for his daughter and home in Redemption, PA. He also proposes a Parent Pact—an agreement to become role models to each other’s child and to fill one another’s needs as single parents while they continue to search for true love. Accepting Tyler’s offer would solve a lot of Annie’s problems. However, surrendering to her weak-in-the-knees attraction to the irresistible widower could very well leave her and her son heartbroken. Yet, when circumstances threaten her ability to feed her child, Annie reluctantly agrees to the pact, making it clear she has no desire for Tyler to fill her so-called needs in bed. It’s a bald-faced lie, but she knows the man’s desperation to give his daughter the nurturing she needs will compel him to accept a purely platonic relationship. Now, Annie’s only problem is resisting the overwhelming temptation to let sin-in-a-tailored-suit Tyler seduce her. So the next time you pick up a book with a cover that doesn’t accurately depict the story, think about why the publisher chose the picture they did to market it. And if your publisher gives your novel a cover you hate, consider the marketing aspects. You may realize that, even though the artwork may not be pretty or accurate, it’s eye-catching and a great selling tool. Now I’d like you to share your experience. Can you think of a cover you really didn’t like, but you can see why the publisher used it? Have you ever quit reading a book simply because the picture on the cover didn’t accurately illustrate the events or characters in the story? What do you envision as a cover for your WIP and why? Leave a comment to enter a random drawing for a free digital copy of The Parent Pact, available now at Amazon and soon to be released for the Nook and paperback.
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We’ve already had this conversation, so I’ll spare you the rehash. I am, however, curious to discover how others feel about it.
I’m glad you were able to get onto the blog! Once again, thanks for all of your help.
Laurie, I’ll have to agree with L.L. on the original cover of The Parent Pact. I thought Disney sweet. Not sizzling sexy. With you showing your before and after covers, you brought the point home and in way that I could visualize it. Your money was well spent on your son’s education, so be proud.
BTW, I loved The Memory of You. I have your other ones, but are still waiting to be read.
Thanks, June. Yeah, L.L. usually IS right. That’s why she always ticks me off so much.
Wow, Laurie, this is a great explanation of what a cover is supposed to do. I admit I love the hydrangeas in your original, but I immediatly saw your son’s point once you reduced it to thumbnail size. I love that he explained exactly what he saw when he looked at it.
I agree with June, your son has done you proud! Congratulations on your newest release!
Thanks, Tina. I have to admit my son’s ‘lecture’ was a real eye-opener. I haven’t been able to look at book covers the same way since. (which is probably a good thing) I’m amazed by how many covers on Amazon are really bad from a digital marketing perspective. You can’t even read the author’s name or the title, and these are covers designed by the Big Six publishers who you would think would know better.
L.L. is wise, as is your son.
I didn’t think the cover for my first book, TASTE ME, represented what the hero, Lukas, looked like with very much accuracy. Hair length and color are both off, and the height and physical size are not even in the ballpark. By the time I saw the cover, there wasn’t time in the production schedule to even consider using another model. While I wouldn’t stop reading a book due to this issue, as a reader and as an author I find it rather annoying.
Cave painter. That’s hilarious. I love that point and I totally see with the before and after covers. It’s a great time when you can change something like a cover at will, isn’t it?
I wish you many happy sales!
For myself, I’ve never not bought a book because of the cover. I HAVE been disappointed to discover the contents were different than I expected or that the people on the cover didn’t look like the people described in the book. But most of the time I still read the whole thing. It’s all about the writing, not the cover (once I’ve purchased, that is!)
Thanks, Kat. Ability to change covers, blurbs, or revise is one of the most wonderful parts of being an indie author. If I find a typo, I can have a revised version up within 8-12 hours.
I agree it’s all about the writing. If an author does a good job with her description and character development and gives the reader a compelling story, by the third chapter, most readers won’t care if a chimpanzee is on the cover.
That said, covers have been known to greatly influence my decision about buying a novel. If it doesn’t look appealing to me, it has to be written by an author I love before I’ll buy it.
For example, I NEVER would’ve plunked down my hard-earned cash for one of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s books with the old landscape covers, except I knew how entertaining her stories are. I’d love to know what the marketing department was thinking when they designed her older covers.
L.L. may be wise, Tammy, but she’s also a pain in my A-double-S.
I, too, find it annoying when cover art drastically contradicts what the author has written. That’s why I said I don’t TOTALLY agree with my son’s statement that the outside is for shoppers and the inside is for readers. Readers often look at a cover and get an impression of the characters they can’t shake and it negatively impacts the reading experience. That’s why I don’t usually like covers that show the characters’ faces. My idea of handsome and someone else’s can be totally different.
I would never stop reading because of a art discrepancy, but it is irritating.
I liked your first cover, except I thought the guy looked a bit small to be a traditional romance hero. However, it gave a good feel of the subgenre and tone, and at least your publisher put your title and name in a readable size font.
Lori, A great lesson. Something for us to keep in mind when viewing our covers or designing them. Thank you for sharing this, really, thank you!
Congrats on the new release.
Thanks, Autumn. It was a real light-bulb moment for me, so I figured it might be for some other people, too. Of course, I may just be more clueless, which L.L. would say was the case.
Great post! In my assassin novel, the heroine fights with a weapon as small as an arrowhead. Much as I’d like to depict that weapon on the cover, the reality is that the reader won’t be able to see it, especially in a small image like a thumbnail. So we’re depicting her with a large dagger instead (not entirely inaccurate since she occasionally uses larger weapons). The dagger simply conveys the idea of assassin better.
That sounds like a wise move, Amy. Thanks for stopping by!
GREAT post, Laurie. And LL is hilarious…not to mention very wise.
Yeah, the original cover for the new release? Totally looks like a children’s book. Love the new one. Doesn’t seem like the same story at all!
And this was timely, since I’m getting a new cover designed as we speak, so a good reminder to keep in the back of my mind.
Thanks, Amanda. Sometimes it helps to remind ourselves of what our main objective is–to SELL our books so people will read them.
Well, I hate to say I agree with your son, but I agree with your son. Lol. The first cover looks devotional to me. I like the silhouettes of the second design better. And I’m not a big fan of kids on the cover. If I want romance, kids don’t equal that for me. So I think LL and son are brilliant. Many sales, my sister!
Liz
Thanks, Liz. I hate to say it, too, but yes, they’re both smarter than I am. That’s why, as much as they annoy me, (big sigh and an eye roll) I have to keep them around.
You know…I have a paperback version of The Memory Of You with the OLD cover, as well as a magnet for my fridge, and someday when you’re rich and REALLY famous I’m going to SELL both of them and make a mint!
I liked the old cover, but I LOVE the one your son designed.
Thanks for coming by, Heidi!
When I’m really rich and FAMOUS? I think you have a loooong wait for that, honey. But thanks for your faith in me!
I love the cover my son designed, too. I did NOT like it when he wanted to make the top olive green so it would look military. UGH! I had to remind HIM that my books are ROMANCES and that my audience is attracted to PRETTY.
The longer I look at my old cover for TMOY, the less I like it because of what I’ve learned.
Laurie, isn’t it amazing when our children tell us something that turns out to be right? I think the new cover for Memory of You is much better at conveying what that story is all about. And I do love the new covers for LL’s books. You can see that you worked hard to brand LL in the right way.
I recently went through a cover change with my publisher. My latest book originally had a Christmas tree on the cover and the publisher went out to sell it to the booksellers and they all hated the cover. It was dark and didn’t really convey my brand at all. I wasn’t so wild about it, either. But I was flabbergasted when the publisher sucked it up and actually changed the cover, which I gather is very expensive. The new cover is totally consistent with my brand. It’s warm and welcoming where the first cover was just dark and kind of creepy.
So even though we all know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, the fact is, we all do, to one extent on another.
Good post.
Thanks! You are so right, Hope. Covers are what sell books–particularly for unknown authors.
Loved this post, Laurie. Your son’s critique has given me a totally different perspective on covers. Because was right about the purple tree, and the ghost (and L.L. was right about the kids).
In the past, I have always taken the reader’s perspective: I want the cover to depict the story accurately. But I’m really struck by your son’s point that the cover isn’t for the reader, it’s for the shopper. What does it matter how accurate the kids on the cover are to the kids in the story, if they apply that you’re writing a sweet, family-oriented book (versus something sizzling hot)?
Thanks for helping me shift my world-view on covers!
Thanks, Elise. It’s really an eye-opener, isn’t it?
I was nodding the whole time I read this. I’ve been wading into the cover art waters lately myself, readying a cover for my own book. And I agree 100%. Simple is definitely best; it’s got to pop at thumbnail size. My other big issue is homogeneity. Big publishers are massively guilty of this when it comes to romance. Generic cover art, generic titles, what’s to distinguish your work from everyone else’s? OTOH, the image has to make the genre and tone clear, as you illustrate so well with The Parent Pact. Tricky, tricky, tricky!
Your current covers are great!
(BTW, we met @ RWA this year. )
(Err, that was supposed to have a “waves” in there, but I used brackets and it thought it was HTML. Oops. So, um, *waves madly*)
Thanks, Talia. Your name is familiar, but you’ll have to refresh my memory on what we talked about and where we met.
You’re spot on about the generic cover art and titles. It’s particularly bad with indie books. A lot of authors are buying stock photos and slapping a title and their name on. So those pictures have been used by four or five different authors. I saw a book for free the other day that I remembered downloading previously. I was about to pass it by when I realized it was a different title and author.
When I create my covers I make sure to combine images and manipulate them by either cropping or changing orientation so no other book can have exactly the same cover (aside from the title) as mine.
We met at the Golden Network retreat, when the speaker told us to network.
I’m dipping my toe in the indie waters soon, so I headed straight for you. (And then didn’t follow up online because of a family crisis that has consumed my life since then — my son was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s the week I got home. He’s doing much, much better now, thankfully.)
If it helps to solidify my face/name, I won the GH in STC this year.
I’m actually planning to shoot my first cover image myself. It involves arms only, so it should be relatively easy to pull off. And that should guarantee that nobody else will have the same cover!
Great plan! Make sure your camera is set to a high resolution. And if you can do your photo shoot outside in natural sunlight, you’ll get the best results. Unless you have photographer’s lights it’s hard to get a good picture indoors.
I don’t know if I’ve told you before how much I ADORE the cover for Hypnotic Seduction. It’s just perfect.
Thanks, Amanda, I’m particularly fond of that one, myself. It took a bit of brainstorming to think of a way to tie the hypnosis angle into the cover in a way that was instantly recognizable.
Well, I don’t do romances but I think there’s a lot of truth to that across genres. I hope that anyone who sees my medieval guys slaughtering each other doesn’t buy my books expecting a historical romance, although I still occasionally get a review complaining about violence. LOL
Thanks for coming by, J.R. I think historical fiction readers know there was a lot of violence way back when, just as a lot of romance readers know people in love have sex. However, some of your readers may not like descriptive violence the same way some of mine aren’t thrilled with fully described love scenes. We can’t please them all. You write what you write and your audience will come.
Ah, marketing. I’m glad there are people out there like your son who can direct us, because I’m no expert.
I asked for a different cover for AVENGING ANGEL for several reasons, and got it. It has the hero and heroine engaging (or about to) in a sexy kiss, and has tension, but the suspenseful feel is less than the original they’d sent me. I just found out they’ll be putting AA out in print, which is awesome, but they told me they’ll be changing the cover. I’m curious to see what it’ll be…
I love your cover Anne Marie, but my first impression is it’s a sexy contemporary. The black and white gives it a slight suspenseful feel, but suspense is not the overall impression.
I think it depends on where the emphasis is in your work as to how good a marketing tool the cover is. It definitely catches one’s attention. However, is it catching the right readers’ attention? If your work leans more toward romance and less toward suspense, it’s great. If your book is more about the suspense, I think it misses the mark for someone looking for that genre.
In any case, I would check out a book with that kind of cover art and make my decision from the blurb.
Wise words from L.L., Laurie!
I’m a little bit embarrassed to say I sometimes buy a book because I’m in love with the cover. I’ve been disappointed by a few, especially when I pick up a book that *looks* like it might be a fun, light-hearted read and it turns out to be completely different, or vice versa.
I understand that, Vanessa. I read an historical romance over ten years ago that had a cut-back cover. When I opened the top layer, there was the most perfect naked man tangled in the sheets–which barely covered his package. I actually ripped the picture out of the book when I was finished and pinned it up by my desk for inspiration. The book was good, but the cover . . . I still have to fan myself every time I think about it.
Talia Daniel Quinn is the lucky winner of the digital copy of The Parent Pact!