Monday, November 3, 2014

Covers: Revealed!

Mom always said, "Don't judge a book by its cover!" But truth be told, we do judge, don't we? That reality makes many authors shake in their shoes. Why? Because covers speak to readers. And we don't want the cover of our novel saying the wrong thing!

But what makes a cover appealing? Is it the color? Is it the image? Or is it something else we can't quite define?

As a reader, I love covers with combinations of colors. I love images that are true to the action found inside the book. And I love an over-all look that makes the cover comes to life on my computer screen and e-reader.

As a writer, I wondered if my cover would even have one of these elements. When my fabulous editor at Random House's e-imprint, Alibi, sent me the cover for my December 2 debut e-book, THE KILL LIST: A JAMIE SINCLAIR NOVEL, I clicked open the file with fast fingers. And here's what I found!

Available December 2, 2014 wherever e-books are sold.
In that kaleidoscope of gorgeous color, there's my heroine, Jamie Sinclair, the ultimate outsider, relegated beyond the barbed wire fence of an army installation where a little girl has been taken from her bed. For me, color, image, and everything came together on this cover. And it's true to the story I crafted.

But my good fortune didn't stop there! The good folks at Alibi have just put the finishing touches on the cover to the sequel, THE KILL SHOT: A JAMIE SINCLAIR NOVEL which hits the virtual shelves on March 17, 2015. It's my pleasure to share that with you now.

Coming March 17, 2015 to an e-reader near you.

And there, in another sweep of rich shades, Jamie's one step ahead of trouble, running for her life through London's Heathrow International Airport. This design isn't only true to my story, it's a beautiful blend of color and image. If it's possible, I think I love it even more than the cover for the first novel!

So whether you're drawn to color, image, or something else, if you'd like to judge my e-books by their covers, please feel free! I hope you'll like what you see.

In the meantime, let the R8 know. As a reader or as a writer, what draws you to a book's cover? Is it color? Image? Or something else altogether?
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8 comments:

  1. Connie GillamNovember 3, 2014 at 5:27 PM

    I'm drawn to the overall feel of the cover, which means to me the colors, the title and the figures or landscape.
    It's great when it all comes together, but horrible when it doesn't.
    Love your covers, btw.

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    1. Nichole ChristoffNovember 3, 2014 at 7:40 PM

      Hi, Connie. Thanks for visiting the R8!

      I couldn't agree with you more. When all the elements come together, a cover can be great. Or else it's really horrible!

      And thanks for loving my covers!

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  2. Mackenzie LucasNovember 4, 2014 at 6:18 AM

    Love the new cover! It certainly shouts thriller. And I like the cooler colors. Awesome. The cover artist did a great job. Good luck on your upcoming release!

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    1. Nichole ChristoffNovember 4, 2014 at 1:07 PM

      Thanks, Mackenzie! You bring up a good point about cooler colors vs. warmer colors. Hmmm...I'll have to look at the books I buy and take a little survey to see if cool or warm colors attract me to particular books!

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  3. Misha CNovember 4, 2014 at 4:42 PM

    For me, because I'm a weirdo, I think I'm more attracted by the title font than the colors and/or images. I love the font on (and everything about) your covers, because it's very bold and confident. I like a title to say, "This book knows exactly what kind of story it's telling, and you are going to have a great time reading it." But again, that's just me. :-)

    Congrats on the beautiful covers! Can't wait to read these books!

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    1. Nichole ChristoffNovember 8, 2014 at 1:42 PM

      Thanks, Misha! Your covers are always awesome so if title font is what you look for, I'm gonna start paying even more attention to it, too!

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  4. Lisa McQuayNovember 5, 2014 at 7:04 PM

    Great cover!! I love the colors and it's hard to pick a favorite. I love a clever title as well. Darynda Jones' First Grave on the Right comes to mind. Congratulations.

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    1. Nichole ChristoffNovember 8, 2014 at 1:44 PM

      I agree, Lisa. There's something about Darynda's covers that just lets my imagination take off. Maybe it's those jeweled sandals! Thanks for being excited with me about my covers, too!

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