Great Covers

I'm one of those lucky people who always seems to get a great cover. I'm not sure why. Sometimes I think my books sort of lend themselves to good covers. Other times I think the editorial staff just plain likes me ... thanks, ladies! And still other times I think it's the luck of the draw.

I just answered a survey today about online media. Basically, the questionnaire wanted to know what kind of online activities I engaged in. I know everybody is always trying to figure out why one author becomes more successful than another. And lots of involved entities (writers, agents, editors, publishers ... internet providers) would love to discover that tweeting or facebooking or blogging or even having a website put one author over another in sales. But, seriously, though I love to blog and tweet and meet my peeps on facebook, I think it's all about the covers.

If I'm in the mood for a book about a family, a cover that shows a hero and heroine with a child will snag my attention. If I'm feeling Cinderella-ish, a cover like the one for MAID FOR THE MILLIONAIRE, with the heroine dressed like a princess, dancing with a prince, will always catch my eye. If I'm in the mood for supsense, show me an eerie-looking cover, give me smog and shadows and I'll lap up the book the way Miss Sophie drinks her morning milk.

I have a TBR pile about a mile high. But I have to confess most of the books are freebies I've gotten at conferences. When I actually pick up a book at a bookstore or online, I read it! There is nothing wrong with the books I've gotten for free, I simply wouldn't have chosen them. I guess I like to choose my own books.

Wow. I never realized how independent I was until I wrote that last line!

Could that be true with all of us? Do we like to be swept away by a cover? Do titles capture our interest? Is that really why we choose one book over another because a cover or title promises us a great adventure, a great love or simply just a great experience?

I think so. Reading is all about putting yourself into another town, another life. No other medium is so intimate. Covers and titles play an important part in enticing us to that other world.

Which is why I'm so glad I've been lucky with covers. I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my cover for my August book MAID FOR THE SINGLE DAD because I know the editors will do the story proud.

susan