Rant or Rave Monday 2.22.10

So we thought we'd do a little ranting today on something that we've given a lot of thought to...and that's cover art. As avid readers, we've come to realize that the cover art of a book is a large part of a book's overall success. We all know that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but should and won't aren't the same thing. We rely on a book's cover to attract our attention. With thousands of books lining the shelves, a book's cover should say, "Hey, pick me, pick me!" Otherwise, you'll just walk on by and may miss out on reading a great book.

This especially applies to new/first-time authors. Well established authors who have a strong fan base could probably put a turd on the cover and someone will read their books. However, if you're a new author, you really need to rely on your book's cover art as part of your marketing strategy.

Case in point, The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich which Isalys referenced on Friday's Vlog Post. We've heard about how funny & well-written these books are, but the truth is that we haven't read them because the cover art just isn't all that appealing. It seems more of a deterrent than a lure.



Note from Isalys: To be perfectly frank, I find the covers to be obnoxious and little too much of a throwback to the good 'ol 1980s. They weren't something that I was excited about adding to my shelf. However, I will say that Janet makes them memorable with the lime green and highlighter orange color action she's got going on, lol!

I have added the first book to my TBR list because I trust my friend's judgment and will read it on her recommendation :)

♥ Here are a few of Isalys's favorite covers ♥
{I Heart Vanessa's choices too!}




♥ Here are a few of Vanessa's favorite covers ♥
{I Heart Isa's choices too! lol}




What can we say, we have the same taste =)

Do you think covers are important to how well a book does?
What are your favorite and least favorite covers?