Okay, here goes...
Starting in August, Intrigue will be featuring newly redesigned covers. (In fact, Harlequin is redesigning all their covers this year--adding a few new lines to the new look each month) Here are my current release, ASSUMED IDENTITY, with the current look, and my September book, TASK FORCE BRIDE, with the new design. What do you think? Like one better than the other? Like elements of one that you'd combine with elements of the other one? Would you'd like to see something completely different? Which style better says romantic suspense or says Harlequin to you? What are some of your favorite covers? Or does the cover design make any difference to you?
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| June 2013 |
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| September 2013 |
Happy Reading,
Julie Miller
www.juliemiller.org
I don't really like one better than the other, but I do like that the new cover has a little bit more detail like the mirror.
ReplyDeleteI was pleased with the image, too, Jane. (especially since it's an idea I suggested to the art department) I like the font, too. My main reservation, I think, is that most of the new covers thus far seem so dark--gray & black tones. I guess they're going for a "darker" more moody look. But some of them are a little blah. I love mine, I think, because there's so much contrast with the wedding dress & mirror.
DeleteThe cover design does not really make any difference to me. So long as I can read all the important bits I'm happy.
ReplyDeleteI love that turn of phrase, Mary... "The important bits"...that's what I love best about a book, too.
DeleteA book cover does get my attention, but it is the back page that gets me to buy the book....and of course certain authors are an automatic buy...smile. I've always enjoyed the covers of Intrigue...thought they fit well with the danger, but the new covers seem to bring out the romance part of the story more. I think it will entice more people to give an Intrigue a try.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brenda!
DeleteGood point. I do think the covers look more like the Romantic Suspense line used to--and I thought the change was meant to help improve that line's sales by tapping into the Intrigue market. But I think you're on to something there. By playing up the romance, we may get more non-Intriguers to try our line, too.
So would you like to compare back cover blurbs then? (it may depend on what your favorite story lines or pet peeves are, but here are the blurbs for the same two books:
DeleteASSUMED IDENTITY:
Kansas City Hero
Scarred inside and out by a past he can't remember, Jake Lonergan doesn't know if he's a heroic undercover DEA agent or the hit man who killed him and assumed his identity. While he is determined to remain in the shadows, it's Robin Carter and her baby girl who force him back into the light. When the gorgeous single mom is attacked, Jake comes to her rescue…and finds it impossible to walk away from this fragile little family. Now, with a dangerous stalker determined to get his hands on the only woman who got away, protecting Robin and her daughter becomes Jake's priority. But with his memories still in question, Jake fears what will happen when the bad guy comes calling. Can he prove he's the good guy Robin is convinced he must be?
TASK FORCE BRIDE:
USA TODAY bestselling author Julie Miller's The Precinct: Task Force series heats up when a plain Jane and an experienced cop pose as an engaged couple.
Something about Hope Lockhart fascinated Officer Pike Taylor. The cop and his canine companion had been patrolling the neighborhood around Hope's bridal shop for months, trying to capture the criminal who targeted her. Was it the way she hid her voluptuous beauty beneath a plain Jane exterior?
Hope bore the scars of a troubling past. And despite a profession steeped in romance, she'd never known the love of a man. But when Pike is assigned to protect her by posing as her live-in fiance, his tenderness may give Hope the courage to open her heart for the very first time.
What do you guys think? Can you tell a difference in the blurbs, too?
I think a cover redesign every few years is a good thing. A new cover design will catch the eye of prospective new buyers, and will possible draw back readers who have stopped buying a particular line. I'm glad to see that there is still some purple on the cover so that long time readers will be able to easily find the Intrigues on the bookshelf.
ReplyDeleteI think that's Harlequin's philosophy, Kathy--mix it up every now and then to keep it fresh.
DeleteMy favorite part is the spine of the book (and sorry, I couldn't get it to copy here (wrong kind of image file). But it sports a purple fingerprint with an I in it. It's a really cool logo (albeit subtle) for Intrigue, I think. I believe it will make the books eye-catching when they're turned spine-out on the bookshelves, too.
I like the look of the new covers. There appears to be more detail and that gets my attention. I also like the way that more of them have couples rather than just the hero.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that comment from others, Susan--that they like more of the couple pix on the cover. (Although, I'll admit my hero-alone covers have sold very well--don't know if it's the cover or if it's what's inside? )
ReplyDeleteI'm still psyched that the art department used an idea I suggested--that doesn't always happen. ;) We're asked to submit 3 cover ideas, including one with the hero alone (so the other 2 can be anything)--sometimes, though, they go with something else entirely.
Like Susan, I like the couples on the covers. I often buy because of the author but look to the cover, front and back, to buy new authors. At first look, I felt the cover too dark but with the inclusion of the logo and the bit of purple, like the last change, I think they will grow on me.
ReplyDeleteWhile I love the image, Lilsis, I thought they were pretty dark, too. I wonder if they were going for something grittier? more suspenseful?
DeleteAnd groan...they look a LOT like the new design for Harlequin Romantic Suspense. Only the fonts are different. Makes me wonder if the ptb are trying to get some crossover sales between the lines. Hope readers can find what they're looking for. (I read some HRS, too, but they're a different read/different pace--they shouldn't be the same, imo)
Honestly I don't pay much attention to covers other than the name of the book and the author's name. But of the two you posted I like the older cover the best because it's less cluttered. Which is probably a little strange...
ReplyDeleteI see what you mean about looking cluttered, Ellen. I think that's one thing they improved when they redesigned the covers previously (to look like my June cover)--they got rid of a lot of the flashes/logos for miniseries/quotes/etc. and tried to contain them all above the image.
DeleteI, too, shop by author's name first. But if it's someone new, the cover can catch my eye and intrigue me enough to check it out.
I'm also hearing from readers that they're having a hard time "seeing" what line the newly designed covers belong to. Anything that makes it hard for readers to find what they're looking for isn't good imo.
I like the new one better. Cover designs are important to me when I am looking for a new book to read. The better the cover the more likely I will review the book before buying.
ReplyDeleteTrue, BW. Unfortunately, I've misjudged and dismissed some books (esp. indie-pubbed books with those non-humanish looking people on the covers) because it looks like a cheaper and, unfortunately, in my trained-by-modern-advertising brain, inferior book. So if I don't know the author, I'm not likely to pick it up or click on it online to learn more about it.
DeleteCovers will grab my attention for a book, but it is the blurbs that will get me to buy them... I love the Harlequin covers... the new looks are great.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Colleen! I buy first by author, then, with someone unfamiliar to me, I pick up the books whose covers draw me in and check them out. But it's the blurb that makes me buy a book, especially from someone new to me.
DeleteLike nice covers on books. Like the TASK FORCE BRIDE cover.
ReplyDeleteThanks, bn100!
DeleteJulie Miller, you seem to be blessed with great covers either way. I always liked the distinctive purple Intrigue covers because it made them were easy to spot. But I love the larger image and the composition of the cover for Task Force Bride, it is fabulous. I primarily shop for books by authors name, so it would be nice if that was featured a bit more on the new covers.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Gayle. The author names are smaller. Or maybe with the slanted font, they're harder to read?
DeleteAnd yes, I've been blessed by the cover gods! Especially with this Precinct: Task Force series.
I have never bought a book based on its cover design. I used to look for the publisher (Intrigue) and then buy based on the back blurb. Once I started to blog, though, I refined my choices. I now don't read the blurbs, as I might later think I've read a book when in fact I haven't, because I read it so often in the blogs. I simply buy based on the author's name. For example, if it says "Julie Miller" on the spine, it has my name on it, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteAs for your two covers above, I want the publisher to be consistent, in that ALL books have the same features in that line (Intrigue), so here's hoping! I like the smaller "Intrigue" area, as the rest of the info needs more space and "Intrigue" doesn't (in my eyes) require all that space it has occupied for years. However, I DO take exception at losing YOUR NAME below. Your name needs to be MUCH BIGGER; it is a drawing card for finding/buying your book. Major faux pas on the publisher's part there....
I didn't read your two blurbs, again, because I don't want to think I've read the book when I haven't. At least not yet. So I can't comment on the differences. Sorry.
Thanks, Julie.
Interesting about reading the blurbs, Laney4... you DO read a lot! And, sometimes the blurbs are generic enough that they'll just talk about the story hooks--and there are only so many storylines out there. Sometimes, only the characters and setting set one blurb apart from the other, so I imagine it could get really confusing about trying to remember what one has read. (Of course, what's between the covers will vary greatly based on the author's voice and many other factors).
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for wanting my name bigger! ;) That's always a nice kudo for an author--to reach a certain pinnacle where the publisher starts highlighting the author name rather than the title.
And the winner is... Susan F.!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Susan--Maggie nosed your name out of the pile of entries and selected you as the winner of this blog post. So please send me an email and let me know if you'd like a copy of ASSUMED IDENTITY, or a title from my backlist (and maybe give me 2 or 3 choices since some I don't have extras of anymore). And, let me know if you prefer a print copy or an e-copy of the book.
Thanks for all your feedback, everyone! I appreciate you stopping by. And I hope you continue to enjoy my books!
And hey, if anyone of you are aspiring authors, know someone, or would just be interested in hanging out--I'm leading a free class on synopsis/blurb writing at www.Harlequin.com June 10-14. Come ask any questions you have about writing, and please sending your aspiring writing friends to join me.
Best,
Julie Miller