Monday, April 22, 2013

What the Feck (WTF): Cover Trends



What the Feck?! (WTF?!) 
Is a new feature here at The Book Nympho.
Every Monday we will post a book related topic 
that had us thinking WTF?! while reading a book 
or talking to others in the book community.



Cover Trends
When they all start looking the same.
by The Book Nympho


It's getting harder and harder to distinguish books from each other because their covers are so similar these days.


First up is the men's items. Like the tie, cuff links, keys, etc.


Take a look....





I guess these work for the peeps that want to read the hot and steamy books without people knowing they are reading them. But as much as these cover are being used, they're not fooling anyone.

I can't but help that these overs are trending because they are cheaper. You don't have to pay a tie but you do have to pay a cover model. Sure there's still the photographer to pay but you've cut down the cost by eliminating the models.



Sylvia Day's Bared to You received a new cover. Take a look at the previous cover....




Did they change it to make it "saver" for bookshelves or to make the trend? I personally like the 1st cover because there is no doubt in my mind that this book will have hot sex scenes. But then again I'm a perv and like the fleshier covers. LOL






Next up is the trend of using sweet couples and slapping the same fonts and title blocks over them for the covers.

Exhibits  A, B and C.....





I know. I know. You should not judge a book by it's cover. But looking at these similar covers I can't help but wonder if the stories under them are just as similar.


Now to be fair, with so many books out there and only so much stock photos and font types there are going to be similar covers.





What do you think of the cover trends of late?
Is it a true trend or cheaper printing cost?





11 comments:

  1. yes - the fifty shades trend. i am not a huge fan. everything looks the same. i mean, if it gets more people to maybe pick it up and not be scared to be seen reading it in public, then i guess i can deal with it. but i wish they would at least use different images or colors. they all look the same to me. i prefer hot abs on my smutty books. the couples trend is also slightly annoying only because a lot of it is stock photos of the same couple. so in those cases, they really do look the same.

    i am a huge cover person though so i really appreciate a unique cover.

    fishgirl182 @ nite lite book reviews

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  2. Great post. So NOT a fan of the bland trend of covers on erotic romance books. Just not a fan.

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  3. I do my own graphics and have done a couple of my covers, so I spend ALOT of time looking at stock photos of half naked men for ummmm...business purposes. There is a series of BDSM implement pictures that I've seen on at least a dozen different books. When they use just like handcuffs and their title, it makes the book look almost exactly like another book by another author to the point where I've wondered if it was three books in the same series. :P For example, I see these handcuffs all over the place. http://www.fotolia.com/id/10693996

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  4. I'm not liking the new cover trends at all. I kind of get the more erotically charged books, simply from a marketing standpoint- it's tougher to sell the sexier books in family friendly stores- like target and whatnot. However, even the YA books are getting into it. Look at Immortal Rules and Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa. The old Immortal Rules cover was awesome w/ a girl and bloody tears. Now, it's super boring. The Eternity Cure is one of the most boring cover's i've seen. If I hadn't already read Immortal Rules and loved it, I probably would not have picked up Eternity Rules with such a boring cover. Books are about creativity, and the covers should reflect that. OK, there's my rant... Book Savvy Babe

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  5. Yeah. The old saying don't judge a book by it's cover aside. The cover is what draws me into a book to see if I want to read the book blurp. To me the cover is the 1st impression like meeting a person. Are they well groomed? Well dressed? Cute (in my single days of course LOL)?

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  6. Agreed. I'm really tired of the Fifty Shades wanna be covers! LEAVE IT ALONE PEOPLE!! I loved the Bared to you original cover and when it read it that was the cover! Publishers are going back and redoing all their covers and it sucks.

    Entangled Pub seems to like their covers b/c you can ALWAYS tell its from one of their lines. Their Brazen line has the dark sexy covers.

    Now I noticed the self pubbed trend too. The couple in the cover hugging or kissing or whatever. I'm over most of them. LOL

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  7. I hate the "let's make erotica look like dystopian YA cover" trend aka the one you have on top. Seriously, I just can't stand it! GRRRR ARGHHHHH!

    I don't like non-descript covers anyway :)

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  8. I personally loved the original cover of Bared to You and was really confused when I saw the new one when it staretd floating around.

    As much as I love the sexy covers, I have to admit that I do like the more timid covers expecially when I am busting out my book at lets say the dentists office and I don't want younger folks to see the smexy covers of my books. Yes, I get embarassed sometimes when I'm at a public place and I bust out this book with an "erotic" cover. Thank goodness for my Kindle or iPad. I've been able to "hide" the the fact that I'm reading some really racy books. LOL.

    But I agree...a lot of the covers are starting to look a like. I love entangled publishing but I really think all of there covers are starting to look too much a like and I start mixing them up.

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    Replies
    1. I think the covers are great for "hiding" the more racier books in public but now that EVERYONE knows what 50 Shades is about (or think they know) I don't think those covers are fooling anyone. LOL

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  9. Seems like in a minority here, but I love those covers (50 shades type), I find them sophisticated and not cheese, but than again I've never been a fan of the "almost naked guy" in the cover like Flavio...Oh sorry I meant Favio...LOL
    However, I'm not crazy about the cute couples on the covers, in that case I'd take the almost naked guy.
    Also, I guess I'm happy b/c audiobooks used to have the most horrible covers ever!!

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  10. I just wish they could be more creative, which doesn't always mean expensive. It seems like someone comes up with a great concept and everyone else wants to glom onto it.

    We're (readers) an interesting group, open to new authors, titles and, yes, cover concepts. I'm really not liking the trend where it all looks the same.

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