Cover Debate: Mike Carey's 'Dead Men's Boots'

On the off-chance you've been following the discussion that's sprung up in the comments section of the previous thread and have been getting annoyed flicking back and forth between here and Amazon to compare the two covers and see what all the fuss is about (I know I have), here they both are:

The version on the left is the one that was originally circulated by Orbit. The version on the right is the one that it was replaced with, and that will be on the cover of the book when it hits the shelves towards the end of the month.

Please feel free to add your own comments on the relative merits of the two on either this post or the previous one, should you feel the urge.

August 17, 2007 | Filed Under Art, Books | 16 Comments

Genre Cover of the Month - Vote Feb '07, Noms open Mar '07

Okay then, here we go with the first selection of nominated covers for the inaugural Genre Files Genre Cover of the Month accolade...

A quick note before we start: Nominations are now open for the March '07 Genre Cover of the Month, so please do head on over to the GCoTM page of the site for details of how to nominate your favourite covers during the coming month.

The Nominees

This month I've selected six book covers for the shortlist, based on the nominations sent in by various people (many thanks to everyone who participated) plus one that I've included myself.

[Clicking on a cover will take you to the relevant Amazon info page, where you'll be able to see a slightly larger cover image...]

The Voting

Please remember, I'm asking you to vote for the strongest book cover, not the best book itself.

It doesn't matter whether you've read the book or not, or whether you liked it or not if you have. What I'm interested in is, in your opinion, which of the six covers is the most effective. Not necessarily the most eye-catching or the most aesthetically pleasing, although both of these factors are important.

In essence though, I'd like to know which of the six covers above would be most likely to persuade you to pick up the book in a bookstore, or to click on a link online, and either buy the book there and then, or at least want to find out more.

In short: which book cover does the job of selling that book the best?

Please use the Feb '07 Poll to register your vote, or send me an email instead and I'll register the vote on your behalf.

If you'd like to discuss the covers, or add a comment as to why you registered your vote for a particular title, then please do feel free to use the comments for this post.

The Winner...

Will be announced when voting closes on March 31st. I'll email the author, publisher, artist / designer to let them know, and ask for any comment they might have on the design of the cover, then post whatever responses I'm able to elicit.

Unnecessary Footnote

Please, don't bother voting dozens of times for your favourite cover. Ballot-stuffing isn't big, or clever, and it's not like we're deciding the fate of the world here or anything, y'know..?

March 1, 2007 | Filed Under Art, Books, Marketing, Publishing | 12 Comments

Quick reminder: Cover of the Month, Feb '07

Today's the last day for nominating the best book covers you've seen this month for the Genre Files Feb '07 Cover of the Month accolade. Full blurb, guidelines etc. here.

And many thanks to everyone who's sent in their suggestions already. I'll look those over and try to get the first voting form sorted out tomorrow, but it might have to happen after the weekend, schedule allowing etc.

February 28, 2007 | Filed Under Art, Books, Marketing, Publishing | Leave a Comment

Cover of the Month - Feb '07 open for nominations

Right then, I've posted a general page of rules & regs etc. over at the appropriately-named Genre Cover of the Month page.

Please feel free to nominate-away, as you see fit; the more participants the merrier, etc. Nominations will close at the end of the month and I'll set up a poll so you can vote for a winner.

February 7, 2007 | Filed Under Art, Books, Marketing, Publishing | Leave a Comment

'Genre Cover of the Month'… what do you think?

I'm thinking of experimenting with a 'Genre Cover of the Month' feature / accolade, to run alongside the series of pieces I'm going to be writing soon on the art, craft and science of genre book covers. It'll be for a number of reasons: to generate research material for the articles, out of interest to see what sort of response this sort of thing might be able to generate, and as a bit of fun as well.

Decisions - Yes, by 'Woodsy' via www.sxc.hu Here's the general idea:

1) Any reader of The Genre Files will be welcome to submit up to three covers for a given month's accolade. Ideally, they should be covers of new books first published in that particular month, but we'll see how that goes.

2) At the end of that month I'll select a shortlist (length dependent on number of entries) of either the most-nominated, or just the best-looking (in my humble opinion) of all the covers that have been submitted that month.

3) I'll set up a poll so folks can vote for the cover that they feel should win the accolade. Voting will stay open for the following month (or two) to allow as many TGF readers as possible to participate.

4) I'll then declare a winner (bearing in mind that February's winner might not be unveiled until April or May), and attempt to get in touch with the author, publisher, publicist and cover artist (if applicable) in question, for any comment they might like to make as to why they chose that particular cover design, what techniques they used to achieve the effect etc.

5) There might also be a 'wooden spoon' category, depending on how mean I'm feeling, to give folks a chance to name and shame the worst covers they see (although we might have to find a way of omitting self-published authors, it'd be like shooting fish in the proverbial hogshead).

6) I might (depending on how generous and/or flush I'm feeling) send some sort of Amazon voucher themed prize to the person who nominated the winning cover in the first place, as a thank you.

7) We'll see how it goes. Like I said, it's an experiment at this stage and if it doesn't take off, then no harm, no foul.

Do let me know what you think, folks. Would you be interested in joining in? Or is it a dumb waste of time? Or is it already being done on hundreds of other blogs, and I've just been too damn lazy to check? Comment away, and in the meantime, I'll get some rules & regs drawn up and posted to a permanent page.

February 2, 2007 | Filed Under Art, Books, Marketing, Publishing | 6 Comments

New Poll: Genre Book Covers

I've posted a new poll, on the subject of genre book covers. This is by way of a spot of general head-count research for a piece (or more likely a series of pieces) I've been planning on writing for a long time now, on the general topic of genre book covers: the good, the bad and the ugly.

What I'm after is a feel as to whether your gut reaction to a 'bad' cover would be enough to put you off actually buying a book. I've tried to give a varied spread of responses, although obviously I might not have covered all possible bases, but it should be enough to give me a rough idea of whether a poorly-designed - or just too-obviously sci-fi, or too-horror, or too-fantasy, etc. - cover might have an immediate, negative impact on sales.

So if you've got a minute, please do visit the appropriate poll page and register your opinion, if you feel so inclined. Or scroll the screen until the poll-widget-thingy in the right-hand column appears, and the use that. Thank you in advance, very much appreciated.

February 1, 2007 | Filed Under Books, Marketing, Work | 5 Comments