Tantalizing covers
|July 28, 2007|
Roxanne commented on the cover, but what do the rest of you think?
They were aiming at something non-genre, which I think just means it doesn’t have bullets or handcuffs on it. The image itself doesn’t tell you anything about the plot, but it does evoke a definite mood.
I like the cover a lot, but I guess what I’m wondering is, if you saw this cover on the other side of a bookstore, would you walk over to look at it? From a publisher’s point of view, the purpose of the dust jacket is to make someone want to pick the book up. This one does that for me, but what do I know–most of my favorite authors are either dead or out of print.
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It’s got that hidden-secrets-in-a-forgotten-old-book look that people are interested in just now, so it should work.
This cover would make me pick up the book! (Even aside from the fact it says “Laurie R. King” on it, which is alone enough to convince me to buy it). I really like the way it looks, and it will stand out in a bookstore.
I’m not sure whether the cover matches the short description of the book, however. I have no opinion at all as to whether it matches the full story :-). I can’t put my finger on what I’m concerned about, so I will leave this comment in case it can pull forth a more useful reply from someone else.
Laura
With ‘touchstone’ as metaphor (physical or INTELLECTUAL measure by which the validity of a concept can be tested), the book invites one to look within to discover the touchstone as well as the measuring, so is excellent, to my thinking. I must say, however, that LAURIE R KING at the top of the book is all the invitation I need!
I like the cover a lot, but I agree with Laura—it doesn’t seem all that connected to the blurb. The disembodied hands against the dark background actually make me think of mimes. Or sign language hands. The cover would intrigue me if I saw it on a shelf, though, which is the most important thing.
The hands make me think three things:
1) Magicians.
2) “The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence.” _Maria Montessori
3) Museum exhibit curators who have to handle old books with gloves.
That being said, the tactile play on words is, well, a nice touch. 😉
I think it’s a good cover and actually a bit sexy…perhaps odd since nobody else sees that sort of thing in it.
I would pick up the book based on its cover. The hands/book combination makes me think of academics in fusty old libraries.
I like the cover, but you’re right – it doesn’t mesh with the plot. The cover does intrigue me and would make me pick up the book (even if I didn’t know the author.) I have to admit, though, I was expecting a cover with an English estate wreathed in mist or something, after reading the description and knowing the look of your other recent covers. The hands and book shot surprised me, but I would definitely walk over to pick up the book, just to see what it was about. (I like covers with books on them.) I am so excited to know it is coming, and sooner than I thought. Christmas present!!
Thanks for your comments–funny how it’s hard to know how you feel about a thing like a cover until you talk about it. Love the idea of the magician, not too keen on the Dan Brown flavor. Actually, I got the true cover just after I’d posted this and something had gone wrong in the printing process, so that the red of the title was very dark and the author’s name almost invisible. I am assured those will be corrected. My baby has a face.