You CAN judge a book by its cover...

I love book covers.

I hate to admit it, but I’ve bought books based on their covers, like Angels and Demons, where the title is written to be read upside-down as well as rightside-up. The book wasn't so great, but the cover was awesome.

Covers do make a difference.

When my Connor Westphal series first came out, the covers were classic mystery covers—graveyards, skulls, blood, cats. Then, when the books sold to Japan, the covers looked more like “Barbie Does Murder,” with a cute blonde riding on a motor scooter. The German version was just the opposite—dark, gloomy, like “Connor Does Poe.” What a difference.

After deciding to e-publishing my Connor Westphal series, I had to find someone to design new covers for the books. I wanted something different from the originals, something that suggested these were cozy, fun books with a strong female protagonist set in a colorful Gold Country town. That’s about as much as I knew. Luckily I discovered Karen Phillips at Left Coast Crime and I couldn’t be happier with her work. She made Connor and her dog Casper really “come alive.”

The covers for my middle-grade series are completely different. Quirky, modern, fun. They capture the mystery element and spookiness of Alcatraz, while showcasing the four bright kids on a quest.

In my opinion, Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich have boring covers. But then they don’t need to worry. It’s their names that sell their books. They could put a picture of a dead cat on the cover and the book would sell.

I’ve had a lot of favorite book covers over the years—too many to list. But here are a couple of recent ones that show the range of mystery novel covers today.

Ann Parker’s cover for Mercury’s Rise is perfect for her historical western mystery series. I love the black and white images that suggest that time period. The cover instantly transport me.

The cover of Carole Price’s new mystery, Twisted Vines, captures both elements of her story, combining Shakespeare and the wine country. The spirit of the Bard hovers over the vineyard.

Staci McLaughlin’s new mystery, Going Organic Can Kill You, has a classic cozy cover, with a friendly farm, cute little animals, and a pleasant atmosphere. Hard to imagine murder lurks among the corn and tomatoes…

All great book covers that show the range of mysteries. And there are so many more.

Of course, a book cover like this might be the solution to any cover quandary…

Comments

[Staci]

Covers definitely attract a reader's attention. I don't think I've ever bought a book strictly based on the cover, but a good cover will make me pick up a book to see what it's about.
Love the cover for your new Code Busters Club book!

[penny warner]

Staci - I LOVE the cover of your new book! Hope you don't mind me sharing it with the world...or at least the LadyKillers blog...

[Carole Price]

I've loved all your covers, Penny, particularly Dead Body Language above. And I do pick up a book by its cover/author. What happens after that depends on the subject.

[Susan Shea]

All this talk about covers reminds me SPINES are important too!

[penny warner]

Carole, good point. Your TWISTED VINES cover is one of the best!

[penny warner]

Susan, I would hate to have a spineless book... ;)

[Ann]

Love the variety of covers. I do wish we could see the Japanese and German covers for Dead Body Language... they sound very interesting! And what a pleasant surprise to see Mercury's Rise among your favorites, thank you, Penny! (I love the image too... so glad Poisoned Pen Press did as well.)
Interesting, Susan, spines often get lost in the discussion of covers, and they certainly shouldn't, as they are often all we see of a book on the bookstore shelves! Hmmm. I'm going to go peruse spines a bit now...
:-)

[penny warner]

Hi Ann, I tried to find the covers on Amazon but my German and Japanese skills aren't that great...