Erotica-ebook covers

[LilaDubois]

There has been a lot of talk and discussion regarding the covers for ebooks, especially ertotic ebooks.

So my questions are:

Who has the best covers?

Why do you like those best?

[LilaDubois]

and now to answer my own question...

LOOK AT MY SUPER COOL COVER! YAY! *points to avatar*

this is by April Martinez through Liquid Silver!

It is a fantasy novel and I really like that you get a feel for that just by looking at the cover.

[JanDarby]

April Martinez is just the best. She did my cover for What Alice Wants, and I'm hoping she'll be doing Her Favorite Vice too. Of course, it would help if I'd do the art fact sheet. Sigh.

JD

[veinglory]

At the risk of incriminating myself I would just say that it's a factor to consider when choosing who to submit to.

(I am an unreformed Poser-hater)

[LilaDubois]

I'm with you, and I not sure why other people will be angry with this. As a reader if the cover makes me cringe I will only buy it if I really, really want that particular book.

I took the covers into consideration when I submitted.

[Lee_OC]

April Martinez did the cover for my upcoming book. She rocks!

[Stacia Kane]

April Martinez's LS covers really are fantastic.

At the risk of sounding suddenly like a WCP cheerleader, they do generally have nice covers.

[James Buchanan]

I pick up books based on the cover. Then if the blurb interests me I buy. So, when surfing, and I see a "eh" cover... I probably won't read the blurb. One author who I really like just released a book and the cover art blows so much it turned me off. Really, really turned me off.

[Nakhlasmoke]

I also judge a book by its cover. Sorry to say. *shrug*

Cheesy covers to me = cheesy story, even though I *know* that the writer has no say (just about). When the time comes to submit, yes I will submit first to houses whose covers I like. This is obviously assuming that it's a good publisher.

I can't say who has the best covers because I'm not quite at that point yet, but it is something I'll factor in when I start submitting.

[Stacia Kane]

I also judge a book by its cover. Sorry to say. *shrug*

Cheesy covers to me = cheesy story, even though I *know* that the writer has no say (just about).

Trust me, sometimes we have no say at all. None. There's no "just about" about it.

[BarbaraSheridan]

Samhain and Linden Bay have super covers.

[James Buchanan]

I got input on my last (comes out Nov.) and actually got to "talk" a little with the artist b/c she had NO clue about Japanese Rope Bondage (goes serial this month). But I didn't get to see it until the final product. With the others, it was either a stock cover for the line, or a photoshop. With Phaze, you get a lot more input (so far) but that is because several of their cover artists are authors as well. It's photo shop for the most part, but they say, here's the sites we have licenses with, go pic out elements you'd like and we'll work on it. So, if you don't like my AV... that one's all my fault.

[JulesJones]

I'd certainly look over the covers on a publisher's website when thinking about whether to submit to them. It's the old thing about looking at a potential publisher with your reader hat on -- would you as a reader want to buy books from that publisher? If not, drop them to the bottom of the list, because other people will probably feel the same way. But look at a reasonable sample, because every house, no matter how large, has its "What _were_ they thinking of?" covers. :-)

I wouldn't say all Poser art sucks, because my Syndicate books have Poser art by the fabulous April Martinez, and they don't suck. But that's a case of a good artist using Poser to create something that feels right for those particular books.

I've been pretty happy with the covers I've had from Loose Id. They've been by April or by Scott Carpenter until now, but the latest one is by Anne Cain, and it is fabulous as well. There was a certain amount of squeeing from my flist when I posted it in my LiveJournal last week. :-)

[pepperlandgirl]

I have been very pleased with my covers at Liquid Silver (David Burt does all my covers and I always request him by name. I love him), Whiskey Creek (especially for the Pumpkin House and Mad World. Same artist. I'll also always request her by name), and Samhain (the artist explicitly assured me that Poser was never an option). I'm less enamored with the art work at Amber Quill in general, though the one cover I have with them is good, and I have my fingers crossed for the other one...

[sunandshadow]

Here's a question I've had for a while, if you included a packet marked 'reference materials for cover artist' with your manuscript would the publisher actually give it to the cover artist?

I'm an artist myself and I love the medium of book cover design, so it would drive me up a wall to have no input on what my book looked like.

[James Buchanan]

Here's a question I've had for a while, if you included a packet marked 'reference materials for cover artist' with your manuscript would the publisher actually give it to the cover artist?

I'm an artist myself and I love the medium of book cover design, so it would drive me up a wall to have no input on what my book looked like.
Most give you that type of packet to fill out after the books contracted. It would be a littl presumptious to send it in whith the MS. However, you should also check the publishers website, there are several with calls for cover artists on them.

[JanDarby]

I can only speak as a Liquid Silver author, but when books go to contract, LSB gives its authors a questionaire for the cover, and the artists are open to receiving mock-ups of the cover, excerpts from the book, pictures used for the author's inspiration in creating characters/locations, etc.

I fell immediately and madly in love with my first cover, right off the bat, but other authors have asked for some changes and the artist worked with them until they were satisfied. One author ended up with a cover that was, well, interesting, and she got some grief for it, but it turned out that the feature generating grief from critics was a feature she herself had insisted on and the author believed the artist had executed it exactly as the author intended it to look.

Anyway, the cover artists at Liquid Silver (and presumably at other reputable publishers) really do want to create a cover that will pique interest, and they work with the writers.

JD

[pepperlandgirl]

All the publishers I've worked with expect authors to fill out art info forms. Some are more detailed than others. Amber Quill has maybe 4 questions, whereas it takes a good hour to fill out the one for Liquid Silver...