We’re chatting about covers on Chapter Break. ‘Cause you know we all judge books by covers, whether we admit it or not. We judge the style, the color and font choices, and just the overall look. That might not keep us from reading the book, but we do still judge.
This month, we are switching it up to discuss the trend in similar designs across different book covers. Nothing like hoping a favorite series has a new book to only learn it’s a completely different author\series!
The original series: DANGEROUS DAMSELS by India Holton
The Imposters:
It’s like one artist got hired to do some book cover art and they can only give one haircut.
No don’t get me wrong, I like this style of cover. It’s cute, and easy on the eyes. The items in the cover usually differ and have something to do with the book itself. The characters in the middle, whether their silhouettes or fully drawn, represent the characters. It’s a good way to get a glimpse into the story.
But copy cat? Yes, yes it is. Unoriginal. Because the style is easy and it works – big blocky letters for the title that are easy to read, character pictures that are drawn (not real model photos), leafy border that’s swirly, and some hanging items that are tangled in those leaves.
Visually pleasing, but not original. Although, how often do we have a totally unique cover anyway? Or, to be honest, a plot.
This is driving me crazy! I was all exciting for a new book in the Dangerous Damsels series. I love those books. They are adorable! But no. I was duped! Why are all these other witchy books in the same style of book cover? I don’t understand.
The elements:
First, we have the flowery\viney filagree around the edges with hints about the plot within. I like this! Flowery covers always catch my eye. And with the plot points, like like the different house styles in Dangerous Damsels are very engaging.
Second, we have the couple in line drawings. I’m fine with this in general. Gives us a good idea of the couple, without putting images in our heads with cover models.
Third, the fonts. These are all fine as well. And are at least similar across the series.
But finally, we have the rant. I feel like the subsequent books are all capitalizing on the success of the first series. And yes – ok – I didn’t look to see which series was published first. But you get the idea. I keep seeing more and more similar book covers, not just these witchy ones. How is a book supposed to stand out when all the covers look the same? Or maybe the idea is that they DON’T stand out? I haven’t read any of these other books. And who knows, maybe I’d like them. But I’m turned off by the covers. Not that they are unattractive on their own. But that they are copies of something else. Be original, book cover designers!
What are your thoughts on this cover?
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