What Makes a Cover - A Blog from My Guest - Wendi Zwaduk

I want to thank Anita Philmar for having me on her blog, here today. I love her blog and have looked forward to this post. So, she let me have a wide open topic idea...what should I talk about?

Didn’t take me long to come up with an idea. I have a couple favorite times of the year. No, I don’t mean Christmas (although I love Christmas). I’m talking about the arrival of the Cover Faery. Yes, it’s a glorious time.

Ok, yes, sometimes it can be bad. I honestly can’t complain. Yes, there are times when covers are...not what the story looks like. I’ve been blessed. When the Cover Faery comes to me, it’s exciting.

I just got the cover for one of my upcoming releases and yes, I whooped and hollered. It worked for the story and was just plain pretty.

So, let’s talk about the actual covers. With Ever Fallen in Love, I got lucky. The people on the covers look like Megan and Tucker and I liked the flag along the bottom. It gives the hint of a race theme without being overpowering. The yellowy-orange tinge goes along with the yellow flag/caution that takes place in racing. There’s danger and things can’t proceed until the danger is taken care of. That’s a pivotal part of the book.

Without naming any examples, there are some covers that took me completely out of the story. I couldn’t fathom the characters looking like the people on the cover and my brain insisted on trying to plug them in. Didn’t work. There are other covers that totally kept me from going further with the book because either there was something that I found gross or was presented in a less than fashionable light. No one wants a bad cover and what is considered a ‘bad’ cover is up for debate.

I’ve had authors tell me they just do not like their covers. I wondered why. I mean, most all the covers I’ve seen are fine. Drew me into the story and made me want to know more. So what’s a ‘bad’ cover?

Honestly, I don’t know. Because it has only a woman on it? Well, women read romance – maybe its so we can identify with the heroine. Men read romance. Maybe the same principle applies.

What makes me—a self avowed cover whore—want to nab a book and read the blurb?

Kink. If it’s got a little bit of bondage, I’m more than likely to turn the book over or scroll down to read the blurb.

A dark haired man. There’s a couple of dark haired men who are everywhere, but I am a sucker for a chiseled man with dark hair and a little scruff.

Heroines that look realistic. I’m going to take some heat here, but I am not stick thin. If the book is about a woman who isn’t built like a twig and she’s portrayed as a twig, I tend to grit my teeth through the read.

Ok, so I’ve given away some of my preferences, I want to say one last thing. These are my opinions and keep this in mind: authors are usually allowed to give insight into what they’d like for a cover, but they don’t often have the final say. Just because one asks for a Rubenesque blonde and a guy who resembles Brad Pitt, doesn’t mean that’s what one will get. What ultimately sells me on a book is the blurb and the excerpt. The cover is icing on the cake.

What sells you on a cover? Favorites? I’d love to know and talk about it!

I always dreamed of writing the stories in my head. Tall, dark, and handsome heroes are my favorites, as long as he has an independent woman keeping him in line. I tend to write books with titles taken from songs because music is one of my many muses. I earned a BA in education at Kent State university and as well as a Masters in Education from Nova Southeastern University. I've tried my hand at teaching, waitressing, and retail sales, but writing holds my heart. I love NASCAR, romance, books in general, Ohio farmland, dirt racing, and my menagerie of animals. I have six books under contract and more than my brain can handle percolating. I can't wait to share them with you!

http://www.wendizwaduk.com http://wendizwaduk.blogspot.com