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2 weeks ago Lis reviewed Sparring partners by Leigh Morgan, and there was not that much love for the cover. So I got an email asking if my readers could give some opinions on two new covers. Your brutally honest onions are needed. Come forward. Do not be shy.
But first this is then the original cover:
What if everything you always thought you wanted could be yours simply by saying "I do"? Billionaire Jordon Bennett needs to find a wife, now, to secure his position as CEO of B.H. Holdings. Reed Mohr could use a miracle to help pay for her alternative elder care facility, Potters Woods. Inside and out of the dojo, can these two survive sparring with each other?
And here next are two new covers. They are not finished but you get the idea about how they would look.
First: The man
To quote the email:
"This design is certainly sexier. My main interest right now is how women respond to a single man on the cover as compared to possibly having a man and a woman. "
Ok so how to you all feel about this one?They were afraid women would think of sports rather than romance.
The second cover: The couple
"We would like to try and develop a consistent theme for the covers that will appeal to women readers. "
How about this one? Spill it now, and do not hold back.
My opinion? Well the guy is totally hot, I like it, but then the second one with the man and the women, I guess that must be my fav. No, now I went back to the man again, lol. I like both.
So which of these 3 covers is your fav? What works? What doesn't work for you? Perhaps you like the old one.
Help is appreciated and the comments will be read.
I would guess the second cover gives a better idea of the book.
ReplyDeleteThe first cover is way too sweet, almost makes me think it is a christian romance. The second cover I think the man-candy is enticing but beyond that it doesn't appeal to me, feels very generic. The third cover, ditch the man candy and place man-candy from cover two in it. I really like the composition of cover three with the woman. Personally I would cover their faces with the title of the book either.
ReplyDeleteThe second cover, the first one is just not appealing to me. Sure, it's a guy with a chiselled chest, but it makes me not want to buy the book. The second cover, however, makes me want to buy the book and read it.So, the cover with the man, the woman and a pair of boxing gloves.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I don't like all three. If it is full of sex then the either of the two new ones would be fine, but my instinct tells me that this book isn't full of sex. Mmmm, maybe they need to rethink.
ReplyDeleteI like the second cover too :)
ReplyDeleteWhat Leontine wrote!! Also, are those gloves the woman's holding actually going to fit on anyone's hands? They don't look proportionate.
ReplyDeleteI like the first one with the male on it, but I'm not to keen on covers with just a half naked man or women on them(even if it is a romance novel).
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. The firs of your new options lacks the female presence.
ReplyDeleteThe second has it all, but I, too, would lower the title just a tad. The guys body is not bad, but after seeing the guy on cover one the guy on my favourite cover looks prety insignificant! LOL Cover him up!
I vote for cover # 2
Sherry Gloag
Sherry Gloag’s The Heart of Romance
Hmmm, the first cover looks too much like an historical romance cover to me...Maybe I need my glasses but I don't see anything indicating boxing!
ReplyDeleteThe second one is very nice but I sort of like the third because it's more romantic. Too bad the male model in the third cover isn't wearing boxing gloves. The gloves that are there need to be blended more. They look as though they were stuck on there as an afterthought.
I guess you got more then 2 cents from me!
Instead of typing a long post,I'm just going to summarize.
ReplyDeleteI echo what Leontine said! LOL!
My honest opinion.
ReplyDeleteOne is a nono. This because the cover also does not reflect the story nor the main character. It is Reed who sparrs and Jordan who follows. The coloring is also wrong. Just like the lettering/font is not sticking out enough.
The second cover is better, though it is still not what I would like. Just like the first one the letter is not fitting and not "added" well enough that you can read it right.
If I remember right, the spar at a dojo with a sensei. The gloves they're holding are boxing gloves. They're not used at a dojo, but that is just added critique.
My advice would be: look at some online e-publishers, like Samhain Publishing, Dreamspinnerspress or Loose ID and look at the covers there and then compare to what you want. You'll see the difference in what I mean.
I know it depends on a large part on how much you are willing to spend on a cover and it is not easy making one or finding a cover artist to make one for a resonable price!
Good luck! :-)
I like the cover with both the man and the woman, but the boxing gloves look kind of odd in the photo. If it didn't look odd (kind of cut and paste photo-shop) then that's the one I would pick.
ReplyDeleteI think the second cover is more appealing, as it's not as...well...provocative? Rauchy? haha you know what I mean ;)
ReplyDeleteThird is probably the best, but I don't know.. it doesn't quite get me either. Too static? Too reminiscent of a bodice ripper (not that their is anything wrong with that, but the book reviews just didn't scream that to me)?
ReplyDeleteI like the cover with the couple on it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the second cover seems to be trully the best of these three, especially better than the original one, it is not perfect. If the main characters are sparring partners and they are equal, why not show it on the cover? Now it seems that the woman kind of hides behind the man, too afraid to face him.
ReplyDeleteYou don't need a naked man's torso with an impressive six-pack to catch the interest of your readers btw. There are so many books with similar torsos on their cover. Go toward something unexpected.
*grins* I box & kickbox and the cover with the boxer is truer to the physique of the male boxer but wouldn't actually fit with the book.
ReplyDeleteThe last one would be the eyegrabber & reeler in. *grins*
Thank you all for your comments :)
ReplyDeleteI got an email that Leigh and her husband had read them. So you have all given them something to think about. It is appreciated :)
And I am back rooting for cover 2 with hunky guy ;)
I like the second cover best. I didnt think it was a sports story when I first saw it. I dont like the look of the gloves on that third cover.
ReplyDeletehttp://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
Although I admire the man's six pack, I prefer th cover of the couple.
ReplyDeleteYeah, like a lot of others already said, the last cover is the best, although not perfect (yet). What both covers lack a bit is originality, they have a '13 in a dozen' feel to them.
ReplyDeleteLike the second cover with the man only :)
ReplyDeleteI like the 2nd one!!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone :D You all are the best
ReplyDeleteThe first cover is something I would never pick up on my own. It would have t0 have been recommended to me b/c if I saw it in a store I wouldnt think it's not exciting enough or romantic enough for my tastes.
ReplyDeleteThe second cover is my favorite of the 3! It's sexy, and combined with the title makes me think romance:)
but not anything like an erotica, because the sexy the guy is not showing too much and is shirtless for a reason: boxing. But does the hero actually box? If not I would feel mislead.
Cover #3 is nice but somehow feels a little bland.
Btw, I wanted to let u know I posted an award for u here! :)
The cover with the men only. :)
ReplyDeleteI like the 2nd cover but those gloves need some work ;)
ReplyDeleteOh my! The first is a no no no. The second - I'd avoid. The third - unless it really is about boxing I'd take off the boxing gloves pic and just use the couple behind them.
ReplyDeleteI'm just getting into designing covers and I would have definitely liaised with the author about exactly what the book was about before getting creative! The first one looks like they just wanted to use a spare picture up. The second one is better, but if it's not about boxing it does lean towards a bio of a boxer non-fiction book - and the last one, seems like the boxing gloves were just an afterthought.
Apologies if I offend anyone but this is what I would be thinking if the book cover was for my book! I wouldn't have been happy.
Thanks to all who have shared their opinions on the design of our cover. We really appreciate all of your input. You have helped more than we can say. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteThanks all :)
ReplyDeleteLeigh and Vince
I hope you got some good advice!