Cover Trends

  • Cover Trends 2014: By GENRE!

    I’m throwing a little twist into this year’s Cover Trends post!  Instead of grouping them by type (ie BIG HEADS, BIG WORDS, SOMETHING GREEN), I’ve decided to sort them by genre.  Now you may disagree on how I’ve classified some of these books, but I’m doing my best. I’m by no means a genre-guessing guru (sorry, I couldn’t avoid that alliteration). A lot of these books could cross into multiple categories, but I hope you can see the trends I’m trying to point out.

    Contemporary

    Text-y is Sexy

    I found more TITLE HEAVY covers in contemporary than any other category, but this type of cover is very, very prevalent across all genres. Here are just a few I discovered:

    15789443 17788889 17869397 18340649 9780062245359 9780062294050 cvr9781416983316_9781416983316_lg cvr9781416993933_9781416993933_lg

    Couples are Cuter

    I mean, can you write contemporary without a romance element? (Hint: The answer is yes, but the abundance of teen twosomes on these covers makes it clear that it doesn’t happen often).

     15832932 Untitled-1 18298225 20601687 9780062279200 cvr9781481407007_9781481407007_lg

    Dystopian

    Barrens Abound

    I know, it’s dystopian, Becky.  The whole point of the genre is that the world is broken, and these covers make that pretty darn clear.

    13601681 18457362 9780062071101 9780062085801

    The Eyes Have It

    Do great big eyes give you the creeps?  Because they totally do it for me!

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    Fantasy

    Pretty, Pretty, Princess

    I may be a little bit partial, but I have soft spot for fantasy covers.  Maybe it’s the colors, maybe it’s the girl main characters, maybe it’s the luscious wardrobe.  But obviously there is a trend for the genre: girls in great clothes holding an interesting item.

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     The Enigmatic Emblem

    These covers don’t tell you who the main character is, the time period the story may be set in, or the problem the people might be facing, but they draw you in with the question:  What in heavens name does that mean?  You want to know now, don’t you?  See.  Marketing at its finest.

    SnowLikeAshes 9780062221216 17236366 14061957

     

    Historical

    Swirls and Girls

    This trend is much harder to spot — especially because this is the first time I’ve ever looked for books to drop into a purely historical category! Again, girls make up the subject matter, but there is one thing all these covers have in common.  Do you see it?  The authors names are in all caps while their titles feature some sort of script.  Okay, okay, I was stretching for that one.  I really just wanted an excuse to show that some historical novels are in the marketplace!!

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    Sci-Fi

    Going Green

    I’m decorating my new home with fresh blues and greens.  It appears the publishing industry is doing the same, especially in the science fiction category!

    17605075 17617762 182958179780062122414 978006219980517225463

    Thrillers

    Ode to Bond

    Or maybe it’s Charlie’s Angels?  Either way, the thriller category seems ripe with shadow girls with killer bodies.  Heh…Killer.

    16179216 cvr9781442482272_9781442482272_lg

    Other Random Things I Spotted

    Halfsies

    Oh! Hello boy and girl divided by two different atmospheres!  I wonder if your stories have anything to do with this couple overcoming their environments in attempt to get together. Cause that’s what the covers are saying to me, but I could be totally wrong.

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    Get Snaked

    Nasty, sneaky little creatures.  I’m guessing these novels have a wicked, sneaky character in common.

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    People Where They Just Shouldn’t Be

    Turn your head to the side.  Nope. Still floating.

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    Your Face is Red

    And slightly difficult to see.

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    Déjà vu

    I don’t know why, but we are seeing a recurrence of some pretty potent themes.  The original is on the left. The newer version is on the right.

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     And that, my friends, is a wrap.  Let me know if there is a category or trend I’m missing and I’ll add it!

     Oh! Oh! And if you haven’t entered yet, my CINDER, SCARLET, and CRESS Giveaway ends tomorrow.

     

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