Tag: Illustrated covers

Do you prefer covers with photos or illustrations?

Bookish Question #325 | Do you prefer covers with photos or illustrations?

I’ve been buying and reading Christian fiction for a long time.

Many of the first books I bought and read had illustrated covers. Most look horribly dated now because of how much illustration styles have changed.

But the photographic covers from the same era also look dated, especially the contemporary titles, because clothing styles have changed.

The rise of imaging software such as PhotoShop has changed the look of photographic covers. It’s now relatively easy to merge multiple photographs into a single cover image, which wasn’t possible back when I first started buying Christian fiction.

Now, the choice between photos or illustrations on covers seems to be largely driven by genre.

Women’s fiction and rom com are more likely to have illustrated covers than, say, historical romance or romantic suspense. Contemporary romance can go either way.

Overall, I can’t say I have a preference. I wouldn’t choose or not choose a book because it had an illustrated cover … or because it had a photographic cover.

It all comes down to the genre and what I want to read at the time.

What about you? Do you prefer covers with photos or illustrations?

Do you prefer covers with words or pictures?

Bookish Question #324 | Do you prefer covers with words or pictures?

As a general rule, I prefer covers with pictures over covers with words.

The reason is that covers with words are often nonfiction, and I tend not to read nonfiction.

There are some fiction covers with words, but they tend to be hand drawn fonts. For example, here are recent covers from some of my favourite contemporary romance authors:

And here are some typical nonfiction covers with words:

So yes, I tend to prefer covers with pictures, but that’s largely driven by genre.

What about you? Do you prefer covers with words or pictures?

Do you Like Illustrated Covers?

Bookish Question #235 | Do you Like Illustrated Covers?

Illustrated covers … some readers love them, and some readers loathe them.

Which are you?

I always think a book’s cover should clearly show the potential reader the genre.

Illustrated covers are part of that.

One genre that uses a lot of illustrated covers is fantasy. I guess it’s hard to find a real elf or dwarf or dragon to photograph 😉

Science fiction tends to use illustrated covers for the same reason. But they are a different kind of illustrated.

Fantasy can be detailed paintings. It can be detailed symbols or emblems. Both tend to be hand-drawn feel (or at least look hand-drawn), and both clearly say “fantasy”. In contrast, science fiction tends to use computer-generated illustrations of spaceships or far-off planets.

Another genre that uses a lot of illustrated covers is rom-com.

These are my favourite, because I like the genre most. They tend to feature bright colours and hand-drawn fonts, and always strike me as amusing and cheerful—just the emotion I’m looking for if I choose a rom-com.

I have also seen contemporary romance novels with illustrated covers, as well as some Young Adult novels. In both cases, I think the illustrated cover gives the novel a slightly quirky feel, perhaps suggesting a novel that’s a little offbeat.

The best part about illustrated covers is that they are original.

I’m not going to see the same illustration on another title, in the way I sometimes see multiple covers using the same stock photograph. That’s an advantage for the author, as it means readers are less likely to mix up their book with one from another author.

Authors who use illustrated covers also tend to use the same illustrator for the series, so it’s easy to see the books are connected … which is an advantage for readers looking for the next in the series.

What about you? Do you like illustrated covers?

Do you Prefer People, Places, or Illustrations on Book Covers?

Bookish Question #203 | Do you prefer people, places, or illustrations on book covers?

It depends …

Book covers are a marketing tool, so different covers indicate a different kind of book:

  • Romance and romantic suspense novels tend to have people on the cover – usually the main character, or the couple in a romance.
  • Historical or literary novels often have places on the cover, as do fantasy or science fiction novels (which often have spaceships). This tells the reader something about the setting.
  • Romantic comedy or chick-lit novels often have illustrated covers.
  • There is also a trend for hand-drawn text covers on literary novels. These might be the book title, or may have some kind of pattern behind the text.

I have to admit a particular liking for a well-drawn illustrated cover.

These covers are invariably drawn for that novel and that novel only, so the covers are unique. One of the problems with stock photography is that multiple authors can end up using the same photograph.

So I’m always drawn by an illustrated cover … but that doesn’t guarantee I’ll buy the book.

The book description has to be equally engaging to convince me.

What about you? Do you prefer people, places, or illustrations on book covers?