Category: Book Cover Contest

2012 Best Overall Book Cover Winners

Winner of the 2011 Readers’ Choice Best Book Cover
as voted by LDS Publisher blog readers
is…

EpicTalesMisfitHeroThe Epic Tales of a Misfit Hero by Matt Peterson
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Designer: Angela D. Olsen
Cover Artist: Neil Robinson

Here is the award image that you may download for use on your website or blog.

RC_BestCover12

 

 

Winner of the 2011 LDS Publisher’s Choice
Best Book Cover is…

EverneathEverneath by Brodi Ashton
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Cover Designer:

Here is your award image that you may download for use on your website or blog.

LP_BestCover

 

Congratulations! I’m excited to see the covers 2013 will bring.

2012 Genre Finalists Awards

Before I announce the overall 2012 Best Book Cover Winners, here is a recap of the genre finalists and the awards. Authors, publishers and cover designers may download the award image and upload it to your own blogs and/or websites, if desired. Right click on the image and select “Save Image As…” to save to your computer.

RC_BestGenreCover12

Readers’ Choice Genre Winners
(Click on the Genre link to see details about the cover.)

Athena by Heather B. Moore
General/Women’s Finalist
•••

Carnival Girl by Sonja Herbert
Historical Finalist
•••

Deadly Undertakings by Gregg Luke
Mystery/Suspense Finalist
•••

Banana Split by Josi S. Kilpack
Cozy Mystery/Romantic Suspense Finalist
•••

For What It’s Worth  by Karey White
Traditional Romance Finalist
•••

Family By Design by Heather Justesen
Light/Comedic Romance Finalist
•••

Dispirited by Luisa M. Perkins
Speculative Finalist
•••

Witch Born by Amber Argyle
YA Speculative: Character Finalist
•••

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
YA Speculative: Other Finalist
•••

After Hello by Lisa Mangum
YA General Finalist
•••

The Epic Tales of a Misfit Hero by Matt Peterson
Children’s/Middle Grade Finalist
•••

LP_BestGenreCover12

LDS Publisher’s Choice Genre Winners
(Click on the Genre link to see details about the cover. My comments
about each cover will be added soon.)

Athena by Heather B. Moore

General/Women’s Finalist
•••

Carnival Girl by Sonja Herbert
Historical Finalist
•••

Dead Running by Cami Checketts
Mystery/Suspense Finalist
•••

Code Word by Traci Hunter Abramson
Cozy Mystery/Romantic Suspense Finalist
•••

For What It’s Worth  by Karey White
Traditional Romance Finalist
•••

The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson
Light/Comedic Romance Finalist
•••
Dispirited by Luisa M. Perkins
Speculative Finalist
•••

Bonded by Michelle Davidson Argyle
YA Speculative: Character Finalist
•••

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
YA Speculative: Other Finalist
•••

Altercation by Tamara Hart Heiner
YA General Finalist
•••

Evertaster by Adam Glendon Sidwell
Children’s/Middle Grade Finalist
•••

Take the Silver Award if your book was one of the five genre finalists, but is not on the list for Readers’ Choice or LDS Publisher’s Choice.

GenreFinalist_slvr12

2012 Overall Best Book Cover

I’ve tallied up the votes in the genre categories and the finalists for 2012 Overall Best Book Cover (in alphabetical order) are:

AfterHello
•••
Athena
•••

BananaSplit

•••
CarnivalGirl
•••
DeadlyUndertakings
•••
Dispirited
•••
EpicTalesMisfitHero
The Epic Tales of a Misfit Hero by Matt Peterson
Children’s/Middle Grade Finalist

•••
FamilyByDesign
•••
ForWhatItsWorth
•••
Everneath
•••
WitchBorn
•••

A reminder: Please do NOT vote for your favorite author or story. Vote for the book cover that is most appealing to your eye.

Vote using the blue box below.

Voting ends at midnight, January 30th. Overall winner will be announced on January 31st.

I have already selected my winners and they will be announced on the 31st as well. Yes, it is possible for the same cover to win both the LDS Publisher award and the Readers’ Choice award. Next week I will post commentary about why each cover was selected for the contest.

*Sorry for the lapse in ability to vote. I’ve created a new poll that I think will let more than 100 votes be collected. If you voted using the previous Survey Monkey link, please do not vote again. Those votes WILL be counted. You’re on the honor code to only vote one time.

 

Vote for your overall favorite 2012 Book Cover from these genre finalists.
pollcode.com free polls 

2012 Children/Middle Grade Book Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember: Vote for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Saturday, January 26, 2012.

*Another highly competitive category. There are six covers for you to vote on.

 AlbreksTomb

Albrek’s Tomb by M.L. Forman
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Cover Designer:

I love the color of this book. It’s just…green. And gorgeous! I like the font choice for the title and the letters are differing sizes. It makes the title itself a piece of art. I also like the magic lights swishing around the dwarf. And I like that it’s a TOMB. I mean, if the book is called Albrek’s Tomb, the cover image should be a tomb, right?

SeedsRebellion

Beyonders: Seeds of Rebellion by Brandon Mull
Publisher: Aladdin
Cover Designer: Lisa Vega?

I liked the first Beyonders cover, but I like this one even better. A sword fight where one guy is blindfolded? Intriguing. And you know this art work was created just for this story. The colors pop. The swords cut across the image, slicing it in half. The title almost gets lost in the image, but I don’t even care because the action pulls me to the book.

EpicTalesMisfitHero

The Epic Tales of a Misfit Hero by Matt Peterson
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Designer: Angela D. Olsen
Cover Artist: Neil Robinson

I like this cartoony/paper cut-out style. It’s different and fresh. It’s also the only non-fantasy cover in this category. I guess you can see where my taste runs. I love that the main character is front and center, with the bear and the storm behind him. I also love the other scouts shown. Caricature at its best!

Evertaster

Evertaster by Adam Glendon Sidwell
Publisher: Future House Publishing
Cover Designer: Goro Fujita

I haven’t read this book yet, but there is just something so haunting and intriguing about this cover. I like the style of the artwork, the use of light. I like that the title is prominent but doesn’t overshadow the artwork, and I like that the author’s name is tucked in under the title. For a book like this, and for grabbing the attention of middle grade readers, the author’s name is not nearly as important as the title and the image. As I had the various covers up on my computer screen side-by-side, my eyes just kept returning to this image. I could not NOT look at it. That’s why it got my vote in this category.

MagiciansLastWord

The Magicians’s Last Word by Julie Wright
Publisher: Covenant
Cover Designer:
Cover Art: Kevin Wasden

I love the almost retro look to this cover, particularly the two main characters. Sort of late 50s, early 60s feel to it. I’m probably telling my age here, but it made me all nostalgic. But does it work in 2012? Yes! I tested it out on some kids, ages 6 to 12. They loved it. Of course, their eyes went to the blue guy first, but they all said they liked the space suits the kids are wearing. They and I also liked the circuit board design and how it carried through on the internal pages of the book. The only downside for me is the silver gray title box. I might have moved that down toward the bottom of the cover.

OneBoyNoWater

 One Boy, No Water by Lehua Parker
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Cover Art: Corey Egbert

Remember the green cover? Well, this one is blue! I’m amazed by how much can be done with one color. I love it. I love the boy in the center, the Hawaiian frame around him, the water shark rising up to get him. I like the title in the oval at the top. I like the look of the font (although it loses points because I can’ tell what that first letter is…”N”?). And I like that splash of yellow. Great cover!

Click here to vote!

2012 YA General Book Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember: Vote for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Saturday, January 26, 2012.
AfterHello
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Cover Designer:
I like the elements of this cover. I like the background image—the colors and the fadedness of it. I like the red stripe with the author’s name and the red swirly thing off to the side. I like the photographs. I like the simple font choice of the title. But in many ways, this one has too many things to look at. It’s too busy and makes my eye jump around all over the place. Having read this book, I understand that this was most likely intentional. And as a big blurry unit, yes, it caught my eye in the bookstore and I picked it up for a closer look. That’s what a cover is supposed to do. But once I started looking at the individual elements, I was less captivated. It’s almost like it’s trying too hard. And yet…it still catches my eye every time I walk past it in a bookstore…
Altercation_New

Altercation by Tamara Hart Heiner
Publisher: WiDo Publishing
Cover Designer:

This book cover is a perfect example of how much a cover can influence a reader’s decision to buy or read a book. Have you seen the first cover for this book? No? Click here to see it. Other than the coolness of the hand and the trees, there’s really nothing in that old cover that would make me give that book a second look. And while this cover doesn’t do much to develop the theme of the story or give you any hints as to what the story is about, it’s still 100% captivating to me! There is just so much action in that image, so much movement. I’m intrigued. And the straightforward title and author font frames it rather than distracts from it. And that is why I picked it as my winner.

Breakaway

The Breakaway by Michelle Davidson Argyle
Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing
Cover Designer: Melissa Williams

This was my very close second choice. There is just something so menacing about that man’s shadow on the wall behind this girl. I want to know the story behind it. I want to know what happens to her. I’m not sure the title font is a choice I would have gone with (it seems almost too light and fun for the image, which is what made this a close 2nd)  but I do like that it picked up the blue from her shirt and sort of ties it to the image. Great cover.

FindingJune

Finding June  by Shannen Crane Camp
Publisher: Sugar Coated Press
Cover Designer: Jackie Hicken

I love this cover. It is such a fun and colorful image and fun font. It just feels light and fresh and … fun! Yes, fun. I’ve read the book and it wasn’t what I expected from the cover, but it is still a great cover and it got my attention and held it for awhile. Sometimes I don’t like the current trend of cutting off heads from a cover image, but it worked for me in this one. I would, however, have chosen a plainer font for the author’s name.

WhatDidntSay

What I Didn’t Say by Keary Taylor
Publisher: Keary Taylor
Cover Designer:

Yellow! I love it! I love the faces of these two people on this cover. They are so full of life and love and I want to know their story. Great way to set off the title with a spiral notebook—places us right in YA territory. Good font choices for both the title and the author’s name. Clean, simple, fresh.

Click here to vote!

2012 YA Speculative Covers: Other

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember: Vote for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Saturday, January 26, 2012.

*These are covers that feature something other than the character’s face as the central design.

Everneath
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Cover Designer:
This book came out in January 2012. I remember when I first saw it, it took my breath away! I couldn’t stop looking at it. I thought then that it would take a pretty exceptional cover to boot this one out as my overall favorite. And I was right. Okay, here’s what got me: 1) Color. Red and black, startling and captivating at the same time. And it’s not against the usual white background, but a creamy one. For me, that cream background make the red and black even more compelling. 2) The Image. Oh. My. Gosh! Look at that dress!! It swirls and curls all over, turning from red to grays. And the bottom of it looks like it’s turning into those roiling clouds of black and smoke. Like the girl is dissolving into the darkness below her. 3) The Title Font. Again, red. And gorgeous! And a work of art with that swirl. And…I just love, love, love it. And the author’s name? It’s there but it’s not at all obnoxious. I don’t even mind the little blurb because it fills up the space, and yet I can totally ignore it if I want to. And now, a FULL YEAR LATER, I still love this cover!!! Oh, and why does this book fit this category, rather than the character category? Because of the red dress. That’s the central image, not her face.
 KeepersCalling
Publisher: Walnut Springs Press

Cover Designer:

This cover got a lot of nominations, which is why it’s here. Not that it doesn’t have some good things about it, I’m just not sure it would have made my list here because there are soooo many phenomenal covers in both YA speculative categories. But here is what I do like about this cover: the light coming out of the hands. That gives us the speculative feel. I also like that gear or cog or whatever in the background. I don’t know if this book has steampunk aspects to it, but it feels like it does. I also like the way the series title is minimized, while the book title is featured. I think that’s a good choice for the first book in a series by a lesser known author.
 PrincessSilverWoods
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Cover Designer:

Again, RED! Red seems to be a theme this year—or at least color. The title font is okay. The font for the author’s name feels a little dated to me. The image is okay. But that red cloak. Yep. That is going to grab the eye of every YA-reading female that walks past it. For sure.
 PsionGamma
Publisher: Jacob Gowans

Cover Designer: Britta Peterson

I love the sci-fi feel of this cover. Everything about it gives you that feeling. The shading in the title font makes it pop out—high chrome. I have know idea what that star thingee is, but I love it. It contrasts well with the other colors, making it pop. I like the way it’s cutting into the white thingee and makes it look like it’s bleeding. Love it!
Surrender
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Cover Designer:

An example of when less is more. I love the simplicity of this cover. I love the teal. The simplicity of the fonts. I love the image of the humingbird in the jar. I love the whole understatement of it. Very, very cool! 

Click here to take survey

2012 YA Speculative Covers: Character

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember: Vote for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Saturday, January 26, 2012.

*Another category with too many choices, so I’m breaking it into two. These are covers that feature the character as the central design.

I went back and forth a million times in this category. I honestly, truly love every single one of these covers. I am intrigued by the faces, the expressions (or lack of them), the colors. And every single one of these made it on my “To Read” list simply because of their covers. Seriously.

BondedArgyle

Bonded by Michelle Davidson Argyle
Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing
Cover Designer: Melissa Williams

After much consideration (and actually, after picking another cover first, then changing my mind, then going back and forth between the two), this cover finally got my first choice vote. Everything about it captivated me. I love the image of the fairy girl, her pointy ears, the beauty of her skin, the coloring. She is exactly what I imagine a fairy or elf would look like. And I love the reflection in the water. It’s like peace and struggle, fantasy and reality all mixed in together, but separated by the title. I love the title font. It is just beautiful. That big B is gorgeous, but then all the other letters have little fairy lights around them. And I love that the author’s name is visible, but doesn’t distract at all from the image of the cover. Gorgeous! Rhemelda does a great job with their covers. Why did it finally move to 1st place and stay there? The mysteriousness of that reflection.

Demons

Demons by Heather Frost
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Designer: Erica Dixon

Oh, my! Those eyes! That face! Cover model crush! He is just so mysterious and frightening, but attractive at the same time. But the best thing about the cover? That the blue of his eyes is picked up in the description and the authors name, while the white of the title pops it to the forefront. I like that the font is so clean and simple. Great cover.

Desolate

Desolate by Ali Cross
Publisher: Ninjas Write
Cover Designer: Dale Pease
Artist: Fanye L.O.

Desolate. Doesn’t that cover image absolutely convey that? The colors, the position of the character, the lonely swing, the stark water and landscape behind her. Even the red of the title adds to that lonely, lost melancholy. I love it! I also like the way the author’s name and the title of the book frame that central image. Great work.

ShapeshiftersSecret

The Shapeshifter’s Secret by Heather Ostler
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Designer: Rebecca J. Greenwood

This was the other cover that I went back and forth on. I love it! Look at her eyes, her face! Look at the way her hair wraps around her on one side, while light wraps her on the other side. Oh my gosh! I want to know what her secret is! I love the font used for the S, and the splash of red color outlined in white that makes it pop out. I like the filigree in the background. I even like the little blurb tucked in close by her neck. This is really an awesome cover! 

WitchBorn

Witch Born by Amber Argyle
Publisher: Starling Books
Cover Designer: ??

I love this cover. I love the color of it. I think I like it even better than the cover to book 1, because that one was definitely an illustration while this one looks like a real person. I really like the butterflies all over the place and the way her hair is blowing—kind of like she’s caught up in a butterfly storm. I like the font choice or the title and the little stripe along the bottom with the series info. It’s noticeable but doesn’t detract at all.

Click here to vote!

2012 Speculative Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember: Vote for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Saturday, January 26, 2012.

*These are for adult speculative fiction. YA comes next. And yes, there are six covers for you to vote on. It was too hard to narrow it down any more than that.

Speculative is quite possibly my favorite cover category, just because you can go absolutely crazy with it. It was fun looking at all of these covers.

BeautifulSorrows

Beautiful Sorrows by Mercedes M. Yardley
Publisher: Shock Totem Publications
Cover Designer: Yannick Bouchard

This cover is a juxtaposition of sweet and innocent, with scary creepiness. First, the illustration of the young girl is haunting and beautiful. I love it. And she’s drawing with chalk. So sweet. So innocent. But then, you read the title. And you see the cracked and barren land she’s drawing on. And then you see the storm clouds gathering… it gives me a delicious shiver. I loved it. This is probably my second favorite cover in this category.

Dispirited

Dispirited by Luisa M. Perkins
Publisher: Zarahemla Books
Cover Designer: Jason Robinson

A great haunting cover. This is one of the few times that I think a black and white image really works. That photo gives you the long lonely road, barren trees, creepy house. While Beautiful Sorrows made me shiver, this one makes me shudder! I can hear the ghostly moans just looking at it! And the title is yellow. Great choice. This one wins for me because the stark imagery of it absolutely captures the essence of a scary, horror, demony, ghost story.

DreamspinnerKurland

Dreamspinner by Lynn Kurland
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Cover Designer: George Long
(Artist: Dan Craig)

I picked this one for the classic fantasy look of it. Snow covered mountains, castles, forest, and a strong main character front and center. I love the blues and golds. Great speculative/fantasy look.

MurdersWhitechapel

Murders in Whitechapel  by Kindal Debenham
Publisher: Wandering Leaf Publishing
Cover Designer: Robert Ennis

Steampunk and creepy doll murder. Yes! This image is just so…creepy! I mean, is that blood on that doll’s dress?!? I like the smashed lens in those glasses. I want to know the story behind it. I even like the blue brickwork in the background. The only thing I don’t like is the series title so prominent and the book title so small, in relationship to each other. I’d probably have gone with only two lines on the series title, and a much larger book title. And that font choice is difficult to read. But the image…cool!

PriestessEggstone

Priestess of the Eggstone by Jaleta Clegg
Publisher: JournalStone
Cover Designer: Denise Daniel
(Artist: Philip Renne)

Another nod to the classic imagery—this time sci-fi. I have no idea what this book is really about but I love the images. The monsters, the girls outfit, the gray square space-ship type walls behind them. Very, very good! The title is just right. (I like it when the book title is more of the focus than the series title). I like the sci-fi look to the font. Good cover.

RockBandEvil#2

Rock Band Fights Evil (#2) by D.J. Butler
Publisher: D.J. Butler
Cover Designer: ??

I totally love this cover! I mean, what’s not to love, right? You’ve got the windblown hair and monster fighting costume of the main character. An oversized sword. A many-tentacled monster. And the title? I love it!! I also love that bright blue background and all the swirly smoke at the bottom. This has a sort of tongue-in-cheek feel to it. I’d expect a very modern, demon-hunting story line. Love it!

Click here to vote!

2012 Light Romance Book Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember: Vote for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Saturday, January 26, 2012.

*Note: This is the category for lighter romance or romantic comedies.

Emmalee
Publisher: Walnut Springs
Cover Designer: ??
I love this image of the main character looking right at you. She’s fresh, clean, clear, as are the colors of her dress, hair, even the shopping bags she’s carrying. This is exactly what a light comedic romance should look like. The downside to this one is the author’s name looks like it’s been tattooed on her forehead, and the title—even as big as it is—gets lost. And the series title totally disappears. And yet, that fresh, sweet face makes me look every time!
FamilyByDesign
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Designer: Angela Olsen
This cover got a lot of reader nominations. I like the colors of it. I like the simpleness of the font, and how that blue at the bottom grounds it. But I think the image is too tightly framed. It feels like it’s being squeezed. And it’s a busy cover. Sometimes busy is good, but sometimes my eye flits around too much and doesn’t now where to land. For me, this is a little bit too much. 

PrankWars

Publisher: Triad Media and Entertainment
Cover Designer: Jacqueline Fowers
This cover is just so fun! You can tell right away by the image that this is a romantic COMEDY. It’s fun. I like the softer background. Personally, I’d probably put the title at the bottom in the bright pink. Stamping it across the image is a little too distracting for me. Not sure where I’d put the author’s name—maybe up at the top. And there’s room to the left for a little blurb. But I do love that basic image. It’s awesome!

PridePrecipitation

Publisher: Word Garden Press
Cover Designer: ??
I really like this style of cover for romantic comedies. It’s cute, attractive, and whimsical. Sets the tone of the story and I feel like I know what to expect from the book. In this cover, I like the way the colors work together to set a mood. I might have changed out the font for the author, just so there’s a little variety in the text. But very good main image.

ReluctantBachelorette

Publisher: HEA Publishing
Cover Designer: ??
I love this cover! You have an intriguing cover model. In this one, that half-face trend works for me. I love those big flowers in the image. Very, very good and solid and expresses the mood and feel of a lighter romance. And it’s pink! Yay! The author’s name is visible but not distracting. And I love the way the title is set off, in that pink shaded box that doesn’t block out the image behind it. I also like the fonts—the clean but quirky “bachelorette” with “reluctant” emphasized both by font choice and color. This cover is the epitome of light romance. Very good job!

Click here to vote!

2012 Romance Book Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember: Vote for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Saturday, January 26, 2012.

 *Note: This is the more traditional romance category.

Edenbrooke
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Cover Designer: ??
This cover got a lot of reader nominations. I like this cover, but it’s almost too busy. I really like the image at the top—it whispers soft romance. And I like the image at the bottom. It places us in a time period. I like the title font, it’s nice and swirly and romantic. But. All together on the same cover is too much for me. I lose the title because my eye is too busy jumping from the top image to the bottom image. And when it finally settles, it’s the author’s name at the bottom that carries the weight. Not sure that’s the best thing for a lesser known author.
ForWhatItsWorth
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Designer: Erica Dixon
I love this cover. Everything about it speaks romance to me. I love the colors of it, the pretty pink contrasted with the gray. I like that the author’s name is set off up there at the top, where you can notice it and then ignore it while you look at the cake. I love the wedding cake image with the tag for the title. I like the font choices and they way they’re used in an artistic manner. I even like that little blurb at the bottom in the swirly border. Of all of the romance covers, this is my favorite!
 HeirsSouthbridge
Publisher: Covenant
Cover Designer: ??
Another cover that got a lot of reader nominations. Like the Edenbrook cover, I like the different elements of this cover, but all of them together are almost overwhelming. I’m not sure I like that cover model but she certainly gets my attention. The title is almost too small and gets lost in the background. I do like that cowboy, but not sure I’d put him there. The one difference between this one and Edenbrooke is that Jennie Hansen is a popular enough writer that her name will help sell the book. So having it be one of the main focal points of the cover works.
 MostImportantCatch
Publisher: Spirit Dance Books
Cover Designer: Thomas Gasu
I really like this cover. You have a very pretty girl as the main focus of the cover. That’s good. If you’re going to have a face that big on the cover, it needs to be attractive. The title stands out well in that green stripe and I like that “Catch” is emphasized. I also like that the curve in the green is a mirror of the football image below it. The author’s name gets lost a little, but it’s okay. You can still see it. The cover seems to flow from the girls eyes, down to the football. It’s nice and smooth to my eye. I like it.
 Persuasion
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Designer: Rebecca Jensen
I love this cover too. Another good example of an attractive girl as the focal point. I really like all that swirly filigree around the edges. It softens it and gives it an air of romance. I really like the placement of the title, the big P and the green background of the box that you can still sort of see through. (Not really, but it feels like you can see through it.) Author’s name is just right in size and placement, as is the blurb to the left of the girl’s face. Caught my eye.

Click here to VOTE!

2012 Cozy Mystery/Romantic Suspense Book Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember: Vote for the COVER, not the story or the author.  

Voting deadline: Midnight, Saturday, January 26, 2012.

 

AllFallDown

All Fall Down by Julie Coulter Bellon
Publisher: Julie Coulter Bellon
Cover Designer: LibrisPro

I like the relative simplicity of this cover. I like the way it moves from light to dark. You certainly get the feel of suspense with it. However, you don’t get much romance. In fact, there’s really not even a hint of romance and it’s too severe for a “cozy” mystery. I’d probably have put it in the mystery/suspense category except it’s marketed as romantic suspense. I like that the author’s name is big—Julie Coulter Bellon has a fan base that will read anything she writes—but because of the color choices it doesn’t over power the title. Good image. Good cover.

BananaSplit

Banana Split by Josi S. Kilpack
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Cover Designer:

This is a cozy mystery. While I like the cover, the clever use of image in the font, the colors, the whimsy of the banana split itself, it doesn’t have the hint of murder that most of the other covers in this series have. There’s the net, and because I’ve read the book, I know that’s the instrument of murder, but it’s not immediately recognized as that by an uninformed reader. However, it’s still a really nice cover and I like it!

CodeWord

Code Word by Traci Hunter Abramson
Publisher: Covenant
Cover Designer:

This cover might also be better suited for the straight mystery/suspense category, except that I’ve read it and I know it’s a romantic suspense. So I put it here. And I love it. I love everything about it. The placement and font of the title. The color and placement and size of the author’s name. The way it frames the image seems to pull me into that tunnel. The long corridor, the woman running for her life… I love it! It caught my eye the first time I saw it and continues to catch my eye every time I see it.

LineOfFire

Line of Fire by Rachel Ann Nunes
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Cover Designer: ??

I like the bracelet on this cover, the way the heart is wrapped in chains and there’s a key hanging from it. That gives me the feel of romantic suspense, as does the colors. The city view is a little distracting to me, and I think the choice of font and size for the title causes it to get lost. But overall, I like the feeling this cover creates. It’s intriguing.

SecretsRedBox

Secrets of the Red Box by Vickie Hall
Publisher: Vickie Hall
Cover Designer: Vickie Hall

I really like this cover. The black framing the image gives us the feeling of being trapped. I like the font choice of the title. Looks cool. The author’s name is a little dated in font choice, but it’s not too bad. But the best thing…those eyes! And the words all over her face. That is totally cool! Love it!

Click here to Vote!

2012 Mystery/Suspense Book Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember: Vote for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Saturday, January 26, 2012.
Have you noticed a trend in mystery covers? A lot of them use frayed fonts—meaning, the font has frayed edges, or cut outs, or holes in them. I noticed it for both this category and the romantic suspense category. Not sure what I think of it yet but in these examples, it looks pretty cool.
ColdJustice

Cold Justice by Kathi Oram Peterson
Publisher: Covenant
Cover Designer: ??

This is a great cover for setting a mood with image and cover. It makes me shiver! Great font choice and placement for title. I like the way it goes from cold black to red. The image itself is just so hopeless and depressing. But in a good way. And at the bottom of the cover, we go back to the cold, dead, bleak black. Awesome!

DeadRunningCover

Dead Running by Cami Checketts
Publisher: Birch River
Cover Designer: Janna Barlow

(Notice the font?) I really like that Dead red font. It gives me the feeling of dripping blood without the actual dripping blood. I love the simpleness of the author font. I like the red of the shirt. But the thing that really won me over in this cover? The cross-hairs. Those cross-hairs sealed the deal for me. A great example of a suspense cover!
DeadlyUndertakings
Publisher: Covenant
Cover Designer: ??
(Again, notice the font.) This is not my favorite Gregg Luke cover but it is pretty cool. I like the play on the words for the title. And the font and color choice. I have no idea what embalming fluid looks like, but I’m pretty sure I’d believe it if someone told me it was that sickly green color from the title. I like that the author’s name pops in red, but doesn’t take over the cover. The image itself doesn’t scream “suspense” to me. It’s almost too clean and clinical. But coupled with the title, it works.
PreciousCargo

Precious Cargo by Jean Holbrook Mathews
Publisher: Covenant
Cover Designer: ??

(See font.) While this cover doesn’t scream suspense at me either, there is something very haunting about that child’s face. And the font almost looks like it’s been shot up by bullets. I love the dark background behind the image and the colors used in both the title and the author’s name. It really made me look closely, pulled me in. Great job.

Venom

Venom by K.C. Grant
Publisher: Covenant
Cover Designer: ??

This was a cover that I remembered from way back in January. I loved it then, I love it now. I love the font and color choices of the title. I like the artistry of the V and the M. I like that the placement of the author’s name doesn’t interfere with the image of the cover. I love the loneliness of the man and the way the colors and shadows stream out behind him. I love that you can’t really see him clearly due to the size. I love the warmth of the yellows and the cool of the blues and grays. But. And this is the one thing that kept it from being my first choice for this category—that image doesn’t really say mystery or suspense to me. It needs some little something to twist the suspense. But otherwise, great cover!

Click here to Vote!

2012 Historical Book Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember: Vote for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Saturday, January 26, 2012.
Historical is probably my least favorite category of covers. A lot of historical books seem to just throw on a period image and be done with it. They don’t add in anything to really capture the eye, to intrigue me. But maybe that’s just me. Historical fiction is not one of my favorite reading categories either. What do you think?
StormsGather
Publisher: Covenant
Cover Designer: ??
I like the collage feel to this cover—the flag, the compass, the map. The title font is a nice touch. And the author’s name looks cool. The series tag is sort of distracting to me but overall, not a bad look to the cover.
BeyondWhiteRiver
Publisher: Covenant
Cover Designer: ??
This cover got quite a few reader nominations. To me, it’s a modern woman in a period costume, with a farm. Nothing really grabs me. I do like that scroll. That’s kind of cool. Maybe someone who really likes the look of historical novels can chime in and tell me all the ways that I don’t know what I’m talking about…?
CarnivalGirl
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Designer: Brain Halley
This cover I loved! I like the blue and the sun at the top, and the way it pops against the other colors. I like the carnival tent behind the title. I like the font used for the title and the way it curves. I like that yellow. I like the frilly dingbats above and below the title. The train image is less captivating for me, but it still works with that old-fashioned sepia tone. I like the simple clean lines of the author’s name. Great cover!
Espionage
Publisher: Covenant
Cover Designer: ??
This is another cover that kept me looking because of one thing. His blue eye. Yep. It grabbed my attention and held onto it. Every time I walk past it in the bookstore, I have to look. I like the flowing script of the title font that is totally at odds with the the feel of the cover image. But then, that’s what espionage is all about: pretending to be something you’re not. Good job.
SteamshipToZion
Publisher: Covenant
Cover Designer: ??
Again, a cover with lots of reader nominations—so obviously, I’m not getting this. It’s a period image of a boat. I do like that dingbat under the author’s name and the way it spreads over the width of the cover, drawing your eye down to the boat. That is a nice touch. And I like that frame for the title. And in the bookstore, the colors of the sky are really nice. Can’t quite get the full effect of them on the computer screen.

Click here to vote!

2012 General Book Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post.

Remember: Vote for the COVER, not the story or the author.

Voting deadline: Midnight, Saturday, January 26, 2012.

 

Athena
Publisher: Covenant
Cover Designer: ??
I love this cover! I love all of the covers for the Newport Ladies Book Club series—but I didn’t think I should put all four of them together in a five book voting category. Especially when there are other covers I also like. So I put all four of those books up on my screen, and you know what? It was really, really, really hard to pick my favorite! There were things I liked about every one of them. I love that top of the covers have a distinctive design that holds the entire series together, but it trades out colors for each book. I love the flowing script that makes each title fun and fresh. I absolutely love the images on the different covers—each one so different and yet giving you the same fun, fresh, summer reading feeling. So why did I finally settle on Athena? Because of the red/blue contrast. It just pops.

 

BigInJapan
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press

Cover Designer: ??

This cover is just cool. It’s simple and complex at the same time. I love the Japanese text background. I love the red on top of the gray. I love that the title is small and reverse color. And I love the size and placement of the author’s name. Sometimes simple is simply awesome!

HousekeepersSon
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press

Cover Designer: ??

This is such a lonely cover. The boy, all alone—almost curling in on himself. The colors of the forest behind him, fading out to nothing. It’s eerie and silent and provocative. This cover put the book on my To Read list.

RentCollector
Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Cover Designer: ??

I’m looking at this cover and my first thought is, “Who the heck pays rent in a dump like that?” And the answer is, “I have no idea.” And that intrigued me enough to pick up the book and read the liner notes. And the liner notes made me read the book. That’s the point of a cover. This one isn’t really outstanding. It doesn’t grab you like some of the others. But it sparked a question that I needed an answer for. And that’s the point of a cover. 

RootsOliveTree
Publisher: William Morrow
Cover Designer: Mary Schuck
This cover received a lot of reader nominations. I’m not sure why. Because while I read the book and loved it, the cover was not what caught my eye. In fact, it’s a cover I would have passed by if I hadn’t read the liner notes while I was creating the spotlight post for this book. But because it got so many nominations, and I promised that I’d include nominated books, here it is. There’s nothing really horribly wrong with this cover, it’s just kind of boring. And that’s too bad because the book is really, really good!

Click here to vote!

2012 Book Cover Contest

Time for the 4th Annual Book Cover Contest!

I have pre-selected five finalists per genre category. You get to vote for your favorites.

When the voting is over, we’ll award Readers Choice and LDS Publisher Choice Awards.

 

 

Posting & Voting Schedule:

Jan 21: General & Historical
Jan 22: Mystery/Suspense & Cozy Mysteries/Romantic Suspense
Jan 23: Romance (Traditional) & Romantic Comedy
Jan 24 :Speculative (Adult) & Speculative (Young Adult)
Jan 25: Young Adult General & Children/Middle grade
Jan 26: Genre Voting Ends at Midnight Mountain Time

Jan 28: Genre Winners Posted & Voting Begins on Overall Best Cover
Jan 30: Overall Best Cover Voting Ends at Midnight Mountain Time

Jan 31: Overall Winner Posted

 

For those of you who are new to this contest…

I’ve divided the covers into 10 genres, each genre with its own post page.

I’ve picked my top five favs (or nominated favorites) for each genre and posted them in alphabetical order.

Covers were picked based on how attractive I thought they were, and how well they communicated the feeling of the genre and the title. It had nothing to do with what is actually inside the book.

My personal tastes lean toward a cleaner look. I don’t like cluttered or fuzzy images. I like all styles—photographic, artistic, and clip art. I don’t care how big the title and/or author name is but it has to blend well with the image and not detract from it. I really like clever use of fonts—a dated font is usually going to nix a cover for me.

We could argue the artistic merits and complexities of these covers till the cows come home, but let’s don’t, because basically, choosing a book by its cover is an emotional response to the visual imagery and it’s going to be different for everyone.

Guidelines for voting:

 

  • Pick your favorite COVER, not your favorite book or author.
  • Vote using the link to the poll at the bottom of the post. You may vote for one book in each genre category.
  • Feel free to leave comments stating why you liked a particular cover, or not. Be subjective—why/how did it grab you? How did it make you feel?
  • You may point out that I obviously have no taste because I missed THE best cover in the genre (just don’t call me names).
  • You may send all your friends over to vote, but please tell them to vote for the most visually appealing cover, and not for your book because you’re friends.
  • You may vote through midnight, Saturday, January 26, 2012.
  • On Monday, January 28th, I’ll post the winners from each genre and then you can vote on which of those is, IYHO, the best cover of 2012.
  • Final voting will end at midnight, Wednesday, January 30, 2013. Winner will be announced on Thursday, January 31, 2013.
  • There will be two awards in each category: LDS Publisher Choice & Readers Choice. In some cases, the same cover may win both awards.
  • Prizes: Bragging rights and a WFFI* because your book won.

P.S.: Once the contest is over, I’ll post why I liked each of the covers.

P.S. #2: I’ve included the name of the cover designers when that info was available. If you know one that I left off, please let me know via email & I’ll update the post.
*warm fuzzy feeling inside

Nominate Covers for the 2012 Book Cover Contest

It’s that time again! Voting for the Fourth Annual Book Cover Contest officially begins on Monday, January 21, 2013.

But nominations start now.

You have until midnight on Friday, January 11, 2013, to nominate a book cover for me to consider for the contest. I get the final say, but if enough of you really like a particular book cover, I’ll put it on the short list (even if I personally hate it) (unless it’s just really, really awful).

Here are the conditions for nomination:

  • Must be a fiction book by an LDS author.
  • Must have been published in 2012—republications with new covers will be considered.
  • Nominate your favorite COVER, not your favorite book or author. This contest has nothing to do with what’s inside those covers.
  • Send nominees to me via email with BOOK COVER in the subject line.
  • Yes, you may nominate your own book or a cover you designed—as long as you honestly, truly feel that it’s amazing.

I’d love for you to spread the word about these nominations but please, please, please, stress that you nominate based on your true love of the cover and not your love of the author or story.

Last year there were a lot of posts and tweets that said things like, “Yay, I made the finalists! Go vote for my book.” And a lot of replies that say things like, “I hope you win! I voted for you like you asked.” I truly hope I don’t see any of that this year. I want the covers to win based on genuine visual appeal, not which author has the most friends.

As you spread the word, tell your friends to vote for the cover they like best. It may very well be your cover. But then again, it may not be.

Want to nominate but not sure what’s out there? Click this link to see the 2012 titles posted on this site.

2011 Best Book Cover

Winner of the 2011 Readers’ Choice Best Book Cover
as voted by LDS Publisher blog readers
is…

 

Author: Laura Bingham
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Design: Megan Whittier
Here is the award image that you may download for use on your website or blog.

Winner of the 2011 LDS Publisher’s Choice 
Best Book Cover is…
Publisher: Daniel Coleman
Cover Design: Jodie Coleman
Here is your award image that you may download for use on your website or blog.

Congratulations! I’m excited to see the covers 2012 will bring.

2011 Genre Finalist Awards

Before I announce the overall 2011 Best Book Cover Winners, here is a recap of the genre finalists and the awards. Authors, publishers and cover designers may download the award image and upload it to your own blogs and/or websites, if desired.

Readers’ Choice Genre Winners
(Click on the Genre link to see details about the cover.)

Genre: Historical

Genre: Romance

Genre: YA General

LDS Publisher’s Choice Genre Winners
(Click on the Genre link to see details about the cover
& my comments about each cover.)

The Tomb Builder by E. James Harrison (tie)
Genre: Historical

Garden Plot by  Kristen McKendry

Genre: Romance

Take the Silver Award if your book was one of the five genre finalists, but is not on the list for Readers’ Choice or LDS Publisher’s Choice.

A Sermon and A $50 Amazon Gift Card Contest

Today is the last day to vote for your favorite 2011 book cover. It ends at MIDNIGHT, Mountain Time, tonight.

I’m seeing a lot of posts and tweets that say things like, “Yay, I made the finalists! Go vote for my book.” And a lot of replies that say things like, “I hope you win! I voted for you like you asked.”

While I’m grateful for the help in spreading the word, just a reminder, this should NOT be a popularity contest, as in “Because I’m your friend, I’m voting for you…”

Please, please, please…

As you spread the word, tell your friends to vote for the cover they like best. It may very well be your cover. But then again, it may not be.

I realize I can’t control this and you may not be able to control it either. I mean, your mother is going to vote for your cover even if she thinks it’s the most hideous thing she’s ever seen. Just saying, please, encourage people to vote for the cover they find the most visually appealing.

End of sermon.



Now for the Whitney Reading Contest…

LDS Women’s Book Review is sponsoring their 2nd Annual “Read ‘Em All” Challenge and I’m signing up! I didn’t get all of them read last year, but this year, I’m on schedule!

(See my sidebar? I’m more than halfway done.)

Here’s the post with the details:
How to Read 35 Books in 81 Days and a Challenge

Let me know in the comments if you’ve joined too. I want to know how steep my competition is.

2011 Best Cover Finalists

The Readers’ Choice in each of the genre categories are now going head-to-head for the 2011 Best Cover of the Year Award! They are listed below in alphabetical order. Use the poll at the bottom of the post to cast your vote.

Remember, you’re voting for your favorite COVER, 
not the story you liked best or the author who is your best friend.  
  
Voting deadline: Wednesday, February 15, 2012; midnight, Mountain Time.
  

Publisher: Cedar Fort   
Cover Design: Danie Romrell

Publisher: Covenant
Cover Design: ??
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Cover Design: Barry Moser
 Embers of Atlantis by Tracy Hickman
Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games
Cover Design: Mathias Kollros
Publisher:? (Temporarily unavailable;
will be back on market end of February.)
Cover Design: Jodie Coleman

 

Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Design: Angela D. Olsen

 

Janitors by Tyler Whitesides
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Book Cover: Brandon Dorman

 

Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Design: Angela D. Olsen

 

Publisher: Covenant
Cover Design: Christina Marcano
  
  
  NYC: Murder Brooklyn Style by Loraine Scott
Publisher: American Fork Arts Council Press
Cover Design: Daniel Silva
Variant by Robison Wells
Publisher: HarperTeen
Cover Design: ??
Wings of Light by  Laura Bingham
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Design: Megan Whittier
IMPORTANT—Additional voting guidelines:
The free polls will only let me list 10 answers per poll, and there are 12 finalists. (Ooops! Didn’t realize that earlier.) Although there are TWO polls posted below, I’m trusting in your integrity when I ask you to please only vote in ONE of the polls—either A or B, but not both.

Each of these books have won the Readers’ Choice Award for their category. I will post the LDS Publisher Choice Awards for genre and overall cover winners after the voting is completed.

Final Day to Vote for 2011 Covers

Today is the final day to vote for your favorite 2011 Book Covers. There are 12 genre categories. If you haven’t voted, please scroll back through the past several posts and vote in each of the categories using  the polls at the bottom of the posts.

Remember, we’re voting for the COVER, 
not the story or the author.  
    
Voting deadline: Midnight, Friday, February 10, 2012.
     

2011 Children/Middle Grade Realistic Book Covers

Realistic, as in more realistic than straight fantasy, although a
few of these have some fantastical elements to them.

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post. 

Remember, we’re voting for the COVER, not the story or the author.  
Voting deadline: Midnight, Friday, February 10, 2012.
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Cover Design: Barry Moser
What I liked about this one is the traditional illustrative look and feel of it. I love the nose-to-nose of the cat and mouse which brings the focus right there. I also like the curved type of the title and subtitle. And the illustrations on the inside are darling! (Click the link on the title to go to Amazon, then click the “Look Inside!” option.)
 
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Design: Brian Halley
I love that creepy guy behind the children. That grabbed my attention right away. The cloudy eyeball totally freaks me out—in a deliciously hideous sort of way. This would be a book that I would have stored face down when I was in elementary school. The one downside to this cover, in my opinion, is it feels a little busy. There’s too much going on for me to have chosen it as the best in this category. But still, it gives me the creepy shivers every single time I look at it, so it HAD to be a finalist.

Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Design: Rachel Sharp/Megan Whittier
This cover would really have appealed to son when he was younger. I think the cartoony look to it grabs the attention of readers who want something fun, but not too deep. I like the illustration of the boy on the front. And I love those paint splats. Fun!
 
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Cover Design: Sally Gardner
I have really enjoyed all the covers in the Splurch Academy series. I think Sally Gardner does a great job illustrating these books. This one, however, has something special to it. I love the yellow that brings your eye right to the boy. I also love all those tentacles coming out of the pool. I think this cover hits the target reader perfectly.
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Design: Jen Boss
I haven’t read this book so I don’t know if the cover matches what is inside but the title and the cover design match perfectly! Everything about it evokes long and lazy summer days, walking barefoot, maybe splashing around a swimming hole or picking strawberries. I love the girl’s face and that big floppy hat. I love the font choices for the title, the mountains in the background, the farm, the swirly stuff. Often when you have this many items on a cover to look it, it can feel crowded and busy but this one just worked for me. I love everything about it and that’s why it’s my pick for this genre.
 

2011 Children/Middle Grade Fantasy Book Covers

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post. 
Remember, we’re voting for the COVER, not the story or the author.  
Voting deadline: Midnight, Friday, February 10, 2012.
Voting guidelines & details here.  

Hazzardous Universe by Julie Wright
Publisher: Covenant
Book Art: Kevin Wasden

This is a fun cover. I like the font choice. I love the connecting lines that look sort of like alien circuitry. (Not that I really know what alien circuitry would look like, but it gives me that feeling.) I love the placement of the two kids in the center, and the stylized illustrations. I also love the two aliens. They’re fun and add to the cover without taking away from the human children. The internal illustrations are great too.

 The Horn of Moran by M.L. Forman
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Book Cover: ??

I love the colors on this one. I like the blue and purple together. I love the font choice for the title. I like the illustration and the way that face is sort of hidden in the black swoosh. (How many of you missed that? I did the first several times I looked at it.) I think this would definitely appeal to 9 to 12 year old fantasy readers. The series title, Adventurers Wanted, gets a little lost there at the top, but otherwise, this is really cool.

Janitors by Tyler Whitesides
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Book Cover: Brandon Dorman

Now this is one awesome cover! I think it’s the best one by Brandon Dorman that I’ve seen. Great colors. Great illustration. It feels very 3D to me—those muscles just bulge off the page and the steam from the mop pot seems to flow right out at me. I love the title font and the way the “T” was done, but the author’s name gets a little lost in the image. Otherwise, Totally Cool! This was almost a tie. I went back and forth for a long time between this cover and the one I finally chose, so I’m very glad it won the Readers’ Choice award for the genre.  

Return to Exile by E.J. Patten
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Book Cover: John Rocco

This is my choice for the genre winner. Why did I pick it over Janitors? Because it gives me a little more information. The boy is running, as if he’s being chased. That creepy tree and those creepy birds are pretty awesome. But the think that got it for me? The steampunk/clockworks imagery. I don’t know if the story is steampunk at all (it’s still on my To Read list) but the cover is fascinating and creates all sorts of questions in my  mind: What’s he running from? Is he the hunter or the hunted? What do those clockworks have to do with the story? And Return to Exile? Really? Why? The cover alone put it on my reading list—and that’s what a cover is for. Great job.

 Skipping Stones at the Center of the Earth by Andy Hueller
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Book Cover: Angela D. Olsen

I love this cover. It, too, has a 3D feel to it. I like the dark red clouds (I’m assuming magma) at the top and the way the building gradually appears out of them and draws your eye down to the center of the image of the boy skipping rocks. I like how the rocks and the water are bigger, giving the image the feeling of depth. The only issue I have is that it’s got an awfully long title that sort of takes over the cover. But given that, the the designer did a great job curving that top line of text down, then using the word Earth to almost point our eye down to the central image. Very well done.  

 

2011 YA Speculative Book Covers (Girls)

And by “girl” I mean these covers totally appeal to girls.
Boys probably would not be caught dead carrying them around.

& just a note…this was the hardest category for me to narrow down
because I loved so many of the covers in this genre.

Please vote for your favorite cover using the poll at the bottom of the post. 

Remember, we’re voting for the COVER, not the story or the author.  
Voting deadline: Midnight, Friday, February 10, 2012.

As I said earlier, this was the hardest category for me to pick a winner. YA fantasy is the genre I read for pure pleasure, so I am the target reader here. It was hard to pick only five covers and of these five, it was really hard to pick only one winner. Every single one of these covers caused me to look again—which is what you want a cover to do. Every single one of them are on my To Read list because the covers were so intriguing that I had to read the promo/sample chapters. I’d already purchased four of them before this contest, and I plan to get the fifth one too. That is the power of a good cover.
 

Become by Ali Cross
Publisher: Ninjas Write Publishing
Cover Design: Ali Cross/Fanye L.O.

I enjoy YA paranormal stories and this cover captures the feel of that genre. I love the central character image—beautiful, intriguing. The author’s name stands out clearly but doesn’t detract from the image. I love the purple of the title and the way it provides a bright contrast to the darker blue-green-gray image. The short, one-word title dominates the bottom of the cover but, again, doesn’t distract from the central image. I’m not sure I would have chosen the title font. I like the swirlyness of the B, but the rest of it is pretty basic script. And the bevel or outline blurs it a bit. I do like the script of the subtitle. Adds to the intrigue of the book and balances the entire image as a whole.
 

Crossed by Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Cover Design: ??

I loved the cover for Matched but I like this one even better. My eye goes right to that image of the girl breaking from the blue globe. So intriguing. It has movement and power. I like the way the fractured glass goes flying off the edges. The blue is a great color choice against the gray background, and the gradient adds interest. I like the simplicity of the title font, and that backwards R adds intrigue. Reminds me a little of some of the USSR imagery…(wonder if that was intentional). I like the Y and the I in the author’s name. Her name is so small compared to the rest of the cover but the space around it makes it stand out. This is a book that I’d buy for the cover alone. So of course, it gets my pick for this genre. 

 The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Cover Design: ??

This cover excels at fontage. First, there’s the title. AWESOME! I love the way the letters are different sizes and how the K fits into the C. That entire word is fantastic. I like the way the author’s name is handled too. It has the feel of the time travel of the story. (Oops. Spoiler. Sorry.) I love the locket itself. Beautiful. I’m not sure why we have to have the designation that this is a novel on the front of the book (LDS publishers do that a lot. Anyone know why?), but since it is there, it’s done well, filling up the space in a font that you can choose to ignore if you want. I personally don’t love the colors, but they fit the feel of the story. 

Wings of Light by  Laura Bingham
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Cover Design: Megan Whittier

This cover tells me everything I need to know about this story. There’s the castle in the background, giving us the time period, as well as the fantasy feeling. The bird is stylistic with a magical feel, and looks like it is both burning and rising at the same time. Cool. The colors of the title and author’s name seem to be filled with light that pull them off the page. I love the title font and the way the letters seem to move and fly, like the bird. To a fan of YA medieval fantasy, this cover rocks! I loved it.

Witch Song by Amber Argyle
Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing
Cover Design: Eve Ventrue

This is another cover that speaks directly to the targeted reader. That face! Oh my gosh! Haunting, sad, beautiful. The locket/necklace she’s wearing draws your eye straight to it. The thorns that seem to pull at her, trap her, add intrigue. I like the title placement and font choice—spectacular. But I’d have made it a little lighter so that it stood out a bit more. Not sure I like the placement of the author’s name. It gets lost in her hair. Maybe I’d have put it on the other side. But still. This is a great cover that put the book on my To Read list.