As I mentioned last week, yesterday Mundie Moms hosted an exclusive cover reveal for both the new ASHES paperback (coming in August) and SHADOWS (due out 9/25/12). The lead-up was great fun--lots of tweeting, FBing, excited fans--and now I get to share these covers with the whole wide world.
Be interested in what you think, too.
You remember the post I did about a month ago comparing the various treatments ASHES has gotten overseas? Well, take a peek at the old ASHES look
and now compare it to the new look ASHES will assume in paperback
and, finally, SHADOWS.
I'll be honest. My first response was a Scooby-Doo uh-wuh? I'd grown very attached to my creepy-weird, gender neutral original cover. The new look felt . . . whoa, wait a second. I LIKED being creepy-weird, you know? But I DO remember that when I first that original cover, I'd been a little concerned about the lack of color. As it turned out, that was a legitimate concern. With the all-black/gray tones, the book got lost and easily overlooked. *I* missed it once because it was the last one on the shelf and, literally, in shadows/overshadowed by books on either side. So the addition of a little bit of color for that eye-pop is important from a purely grab-your-attention sense.
Most fans like the new direction. They really respond to the colors, like the air of mystery. Many, however, prefer the older, starker look. Both camps feel that each cover tells a different kind or piece of the story.
So what do you think? Does the new look speak to you? What kind of story does it promise? Are you intrigued? Indifferent? Turned off? What qualities in a cover appeal to you?
By the way, you still have plenty of time--until April 23, 21012--to enter the very nifty giveaway hosted by Mundie Moms. As JD said so well, don't be caught at the end of the world unprepared and without a decent read.
7 comments:
Ilsa,
I haven't read your books yet, but those new covers really POP!
Amazing what a cover can do for a book.
I'm intrigued.
Paula
I love them. Stunning colors & I love the layering of images. The vertical titles are genius. Three thumbs up!
Paula . . . well, then, get cracking :-) Seriously, if a cover is inviting, that's half the battle. Of course, the story between the pages has to speak to you as well. No cover will conquer that.
Jordan: I've been so on the fence because I'm a creepy, weird person and the first cover is creepsville. I wish I could find the first treatment for the new ASHES look and post that; it was trashed because, as someone rightly pointed out, the girl looked like a pole dancer :-) For real. A lot of swishy hair and hip action. But I DO adore the colors, and the more I think about those vertical titles, the better I lke them.
Isn't it good we all have two big toes, too?
Ok, you creeped me out with the big toe thing. Just sayin'
I liked the creepy cover too, but considering your target audience, these might appeal to a broader group of readers.
Your vertical titles are the first I've seen. To pull them off, you need the color. And the shadowy images carry the creep & mystery thing.
Anytime you have a new cover it's a new opportunity to gain new reads. Ashes was one of my favorites from 2011 and I hope people will see the new cover and pick it up. Love it!
Wow! I LOVE the new covers! And the way the letters are vertical instead of horizontal also ROX. Very eyecatching all around. Congrats!
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