Cover Trends: Part-of-My-Face-is-Missing Replaces Headless Bodies

When I go to a bookstore, I stop at the endcaps and pick up the first cover that interests me.  THEN I read the back cover synopsis. I know you all do it too! 
 
Book cover design totally fascinates me, and I do at least one post each year on the trends I see.   Here’s what I’ve got so far:
 
Part-of-My-Face-is-Missing is replacing the Headless Bodies trend.  I think the mindset is the same:  the reader could still think of themselves as the main character, but now the designers are giving them a hint of what the character might really look like. 

 



There-Is-Stuff-On-My-Face is a close second to  Part-of-My-Face-is-Missing.  We saw this developing a bit last year (think Incarnate, by Jodi Meadows).





Small People on Big Backgrounds is also on the upswing.  This trend began developing (I think) with the original cover of Shatter Me. Apparently it’s working.







This-Book-Is-Full-of-Words is something new to my list this year. I think the designers are replacing flowy dresses with flowy fonts.




I’ve also seen an influx of Big-Symbols-and-No-People.  Hmmm… partial heads, small people , no people.  I’m sort of seeing a progression here.




Did You Really Think Flowy Dresses Were Gone?  Cause they aren’t.  And I don’t think they ever will be.  As long as the YA reading population swings toward the X-chromosome, flowy dresses will be popular.  The dresses scream romance, and what teenage girl (for real or at heart) doesn’t love romance? 

 
 
I don’t think we’ll ever get away from Cloud Covers either.  There’s something about those cumulus stratus formations that makes you want to escape into story. 
 


 
There were a couple of covers that I couldn’t Pigeon Hole, and for that I think they are super cool.  The two I linked below actually have something to do with the story and, to me at least, that makes them appealing. 
 

 
 
All the books are linked to their Goodreads pages.  Which cover sucked you in?  Which one did you click on to learn more?
 
 
Also, HAVE YOU ENTERED MY GIVEAWAY?  You should, because who doesn’t like free books? 
 
 

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