Book Cover Awards

Got a few emails stating confusion over the award images and who gets them for their blogs. I realized that not only did I not do a good job of explaining, but also that they weren’t even all available for grabbing here.

Sorry. The winners are listed immediately below the image they can use. Some covers received multiple awards. Use any or all of the ones you’re eligible for.

The Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
Publisher: Scholastic

Sun Tunnels and Secrets by Carole Thayne Warburton
Publisher: Walnut Springs

Growing Up Gracie by Maggie Fechner
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Genre: General/Women’s

The Widower’s Wife by Prudence Bice
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Genre: Historical

The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: Middle Grade

Deadline by Clair M. Poulson
Publisher: Covenant
Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Imprints by Rachel Ann Nunes
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Romance

Mr. Monster (UK Cover) by Dan Wells
Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
Genre: Speculative

Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult

The Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy


Sun Tunnels and Secrets by Carole Thayne Warburton
Publisher: Walnut Springs
Genre: General/Women’s

The Widower’s Wife by Prudence Bice
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Genre: Historical

Choke by Obert Skye
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Middle Grade

The Overton Window by Glenn Beck
Publisher: Threshold Editions
Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Imprints by Rachel Ann Nunes
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Romance

Queen in Exile by Donna Hatch
Publisher: Walnut Springs
Category: Speculative

Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult

Matched by Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Genre: YA Fantasy

Congrats to all the winners!

And thank you to everyone who voted.

2010 Best Book Cover

And the winner is—as voted by LDS Publisher blog readers:

Sun Tunnels and Secrets by Carole Thayne Warburton
Publisher: Walnut Springs
Category: General/Women’s

My favorite cover of 2010 was:

The Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
Publisher: Scholastic

The image doesn’t quite do it justice but that illustration is gorgeous, compelling, inviting and perfect for Nielson’s target reader—girls 12+. I also like the font choice.

Both of you can copy the image of the gold trophy in the sidebar and post it on your blogs. Please link back to this post.

I’ll be going back to the genre posts and commenting what I liked about each book cover and which I chose as the genre category winners.

2010 Best Cover Finalists

The winners in each of the genre categories are now going head-to-head for the 2010 Best Cover of the Year Award!

(If you want to see how the voting breaks down, click on the poll in each genre post and it should take you to a page showing the percentages.

Although I originally said I’d add my favorites to this list, I decided to only list the ones that won the votes. Only two of my favorites actually made the cut. When the voting is all done, I’ll post comments on each of the genres, stating what I liked and why.

So, without further ado, here they are (in alphabetical order by title):

Choke by Obert Skye
Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Category: Middle Grade
Imprints by Rachel Ann Nunes
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Category: Romance

Matched by Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Category: YA Fantasy

The Overton Window by Glenn Beck
Publisher: Threshold Editions
Category: Mystery/Suspense

Queen in Exile by Donna Hatch
Publisher: Walnut Springs
Category: Speculative

Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
Publisher: Razorbill
Category: Young Adult

Sun Tunnels and Secrets by Carole Thayne Warburton
Publisher: Walnut Springs
Category: General/Women’s

The Widower’s Wife by Prudence Bice
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Category: Historical

In this poll, you may vote for two. Vote through midnight, Sunday, January 9th. I’ll post the winner on Monday.

2010 Book Cover Contest


Welcome to the Second Annual Book Cover Contest!

(See First Annual Book Cover Contest HERE.)

I’ve divided the covers into eight genres, each genre with its own post page. Yes, last year there were seven genres but, like the Whitney Awards, this year I split YA into regular YA and YA Fantasy. There were just too many to share the category—and really, the YA Fantasy has an unfair advantage.

I’ve picked my top five favorite covers 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.

So, here are the basic guidelines:

  • Pick your favorite COVER, not your favorite book or author.
  • Vote using the VIZU polls at the end of each genre category post. You may vote for one book cover in each genre.
  • Please 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—and tell us in the comments which covers you may think were unfairly overlooked. (Just be nice and 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 Thursday, January 6, 2011.
  • On Friday, January 7, I’ll post the winners from each genre—both Readers Choice (your vote) and Publishers Choice (my vote).
  • After the genre winners are posted, we’ll vote over the weekend for the overall winner—chosen from the genre winners.
  • On Monday, January 10th, I’ll post the overall winner—both Readers Choice (your vote) and Publishers Choice (my vote).

*If your book cover is one of these genre finalists, feel free to grab the silver image at the top of this post as an award to put on your blog or website. Please link back to this site so your site visitors will know what the award is all about.

2010 General/Women’s Book Covers

Band of Sisters by Annette Lyon
Publisher: Covenant

LDSP comment: Band of Sisters is a definitely a book for women. I thought the image of the women’s stacking fists communicated that very well. I also liked the color. I didn’t care so much for the title in a box, right there in the middle of the image, but I did like the scroll work around it.

Growing Up Gracie by Maggie Fechner
Publisher: Cedar Fort

LDSP comment: I loved everything about this cover. It would definitely have me picking it up from the bookstore shelf and flipping it over to read the back. I like the image, that it takes up the entire cover and that the truck is off center. I like the fonts used for the title and the author’s name. I like their placement on the cover and that they don’t detract from the image. I even like the scrollery at the very top and the “a novel” in the middle. This book is my choice in this genre.

Leaning Into the Curves by Nancy Anderson & Carroll Hofeling Morris
Publisher: Deseret Book

LDSP comment: This is what I call LDS Chick Lit. I think the cover did a very good job of communicating that. I loved everything about this cover, too—the colors, the image placement, the fonts, the little flower in the top left and bottom right. It didn’t bother me one bit that the legs are a little too shapely for a “mature” woman. This is my second place choice—and I really debated a long time between Leaning Into the Curves and Growing Up Gracie.

My Gift to You by Lori Nawyn
Publisher: Covenant

LDSP comment: I chose this as one of my genre finalists because of its simplicity. I like the lacy background. I like the blues. While the title and the cover match, I’m not sure I would have chosen that title myself. I might have gone with something a little catchier.

Sun Tunnels and Secrets by Carole Thayne Warburton
Publisher: Walnut Springs

LDSP comment: Of all the categories, this one had the fewest covers to choose from. I chose Sun Tunnels and Secrets because of the cool image of the tunnels. I agree with some of the comments that the cover is a little dated and, other than that image, doesn’t do much more to invite me to pick it up. I have to admit, this was an add in because I wanted five books in each category, and I’m surprised that it won the Reader’s Choice for both the genre and the overall.

2010 Historical Cover Finalists

Escape to Zion by Jean Holbrook Mathews
Publisher: Covenant

LDSP comment: I liked the old-fashioned feel of this cover. I especially liked the image at the top. I would have done more with that. I didn’t much care for the bottom image or the title banner that cuts the cover in half. But overall, it was enough to catch my eye and find a place in the contest.

Finding Rose by Stephanie Humphreys
Publisher: Walnut Springs

LDSP comment: Finding Rose is a lovely cover. I like the girl. Sometimes in photos like this, the model is wearing too much make-up. This one is a tad heavy on the mascara and her eyebrows are plucked a little too modernly, but I can live with that. In real life, the pink on the cover stands out a bit more, making it even prettier. I like the faded edges, the title fonts and the scroll work.

The Sheen on the Silk by Anne Perry
Publisher: Ballantine Books

LDSP comment: The thing I like most about this cover is the vivid colors. You don’t see that a lot on historical covers—and I love it. For that reason alone, it got a place in the finalists. Overall, it didn’t win my vote because I think it’s too busy, the author’s name is too big, and the title is sort of wimpy and lost in the design.

The Water Is Wide by Marianne Monson
Publisher: Deseret Book

LDSP comment: At first glance, this isn’t a very eye-catching cover, but the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. The muted colors fit the genre category (I know I just said that the vibrant colors got the nod in the previous cover. What can I say? I’m fickle!) I like the compass at the top, the background moire pattern and how it sort of splashes up into the darker color at the top. I even like the boat. And I love the font chosen for the title.

The Widower’s Wife by Prudence Bice
Publisher: Cedar Fort

LDSP comment: I really, really like this cover and it’s my winner in this category. It’s got a lot going on without being too busy for me. The placement of the title and the “A Novel” is perfect. I love the font choices and that cameo inserted for the ‘O’. The train, the letter and the seal place us squarely in the appropriate time period. Everything about it works for me.

2010 Middle Grade Cover Finalists

LDSP comment: I have to say that I really like all the covers I picked in this category. REALLY LIKED.

Publisher: Scholastic Press

LDSP comment: I love that giant robot thing. I love that we only see it from waist down. That is so awesome! It loses a few points for me because the two characters get lost in the awesomeness of the robot legs. Also, while I like the placement of the word Alcatraz, the rest of the title feels cluttery to me. Also, the author’s name just sort of hangs there at the bottom. Not sure what I’d have done differently, just giving my opinion on what is.

Choke by Obert Skye
Publisher: Shadow Mountain

LDSP comment: Love this cover. Love the image. Love the fonts. Love the placement of elements. The only thing I’d do differently is make the title stand out a bit more—which it does if you see the book in person—but still, it gets a little lost for me.

The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby
Publisher: Scholastic Press

LDSP comment: My favorite cover in this genre category! I LOVE that robot guy. (Hmmm, yes, I guess I have a thing for robot guys.) I love that his chest opens up to reveal clockworks and the title/author. I like that we see the kids looking in. One glance and we know this is a Middle Grade fantasy. Yep! Winner. The one thing I’d change is the font choice for the title. I’d go with something a little more substantial.

I like the UK version even better. If I’d seen it before the contest, it would have been here instead.

The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little
Publisher: Scholastic Press

LDSP comment: A very nice cover. Love the title font and placement. Love the image. Love everything about it. It just didn’t grab me quite as much as Clockwork Three or …

Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

LDSP comment: My second choice! And a very close second. I would definitely have grabbed up this book when I was a middle-grader. I love the font, the color, the placement of elements, the feeling of a secret magical hideaway. Love it!

2010 Mystery Suspense Cover Finalists

Blink of an Eye by Gregg Luke
Publisher: Covenant

LDSP comment: I haven’t read this book yet but it’s on my To Read Very Soon list because of this cover. Isn’t it just sort of creepy awesome? You zero right in on that eyeball and everything else is secondary. Including the title, which lost points for me. Author’s name is good as a visual element for size and placement. However, I might have switched the Title and Author elements—making the title big and the author’s name curve up the side. Or maybe not. What do you think?
Dangerous Connections by Julie Coulter Bellon
Publisher: Covenant

LDSP comment: I chose this one because of the gradient colors , the water drops, and that image in the center. My first thought was, “What the heck is that?” Then I realized, oh. Biochemical warfare. Awesome! Once again, the image here does not do the cover justice. The colors in real life are more eye-catching. I like the white author name, size and placement. I’m not as thrilled with the font choice of the title. Even though it’s the kind of type you’d see on army boxes, it still seems…odd. Maybe it’s more the size, color and placement that is off for me, rather than the font. Opinions?

Deadline by Clair M. Poulson
Publisher: Covenant

LDSP comment: Genre winner for me. Havent’ read it. Have no idea if the cover is a good representation of what’s inside but I love that cover! Every. Single. Thing. It just screams suspense novel to me. Love the newspaper, the blood, the title color, the big bold author name. I will definitely pick it up and give it a look!
No Place to Hide by Kristoffer Neff
Publisher: Granite

LDSP comment: This one gets the “ooo! creepy…” my award. From the title up, it works for me. Those eyes behind the boys are just awesomely evil. *shiver* However, I find that my eyes never really make it to that bottom third of the cover. Wasted space.

The Overton Window by Glenn Beck
Publisher: Threshold Editions

LDSP comment: Political Thriller. You’d know that from the cover, even if it didn’t say “A Thriller” under the title. I have no idea what the Statue of Liberty is holding in her left hand, but the cover makes me want to find out. I like the blue. I like the placement of elements. And I really like those birds. (Visions of Hitchcock, anyone?)

2010 Romance Cover Finalists

LDSP comment: This is a really good category to speak to the subjectiveness of covers. Jennie thinks some of them look fluffy and like they’re written for children. I couldn’t disagree more.

I love the whimsical nature of some of these covers. They let you know right away that the book is what I call a “Paul McCartney Romance” (music; lyrics)—a fun, light read.

So, who’s right? Me or Jennie? Both of us! That’s the point.

It was hard for me to pick a favorite from these covers because I love every single one of them, for various reasons. They all deserve notice and recognition!

The Broken Road by Shannon Guymon
Publisher: Cedar Fort

LDSP comment: I love the whimsy of this cover. I think it’s the best cover of all Shannon Guymon’s books, by far. I love the image, the loneliness of the empty bench and the road/town that stretches out behind it; I love the sweet and gentle colors; I love the fonts chosen for both title and author name; I love the placement of elements. Even the “A Novel” doesn’t distract for me. Yes, I just love this cover!

Cross My Heart by Julie Wright
Publisher: Covenant

LDSP comment: Another bench book. As I said in the comments trail, I debated between The Broken Road and this book for a long time because they had a similar feel and they both had benches. But in the end, I just could not decide which one to not include. I love the colors in this cover. I love the fanciful tree limbs. I’m not a big fan of putting titles in boxes or clouds, so that is the one thing I would have done differently. I might also change the font used for the author’s name. It’s old and it doesn’t go well with the title font. But that said, I still love this cover.
Imprints by Rachel Ann Nunes
Publisher: Shadow Mountain

LDSP comment: After extended deliberation in this category, I finally went with this cover as my favorite—but there were issues. I wouldn’t have chosen it as winner in this category if they hadn’t thrown in that couple at the bottom. That was necessary to say “romance” as opposed to chick lit or paranormal. I didn’t care for the font choice used for the title, or its size and placement in relation to the author’s name.

So with those issues, why did I pick this as a winner? Because this cover was so intriguing to me that it would have grabbed me no matter which genre it was in! It’s so ethereal and complex. I like the locket and the eye, and their placement relative to each other. I love the colors and the swooshes. I just could not make myself look away—and that’s why it won my vote.

Luck of the Draw by Rachael Renee Anderson
Publisher: Cedar Fort

LDSP comment: Again, I like everything about this cover. The playfulness, the colors, the big-eyed girls, the placement of elements. I even like the laundry in the background, even though I have no idea what it has to do with the story. A-plus!

Meg’s Melody by Kaylee Baldwin
Publisher: Cedar Fort

LDSP comment: Normally, I do not like these more realistic, photographic covers with people on them. They interfere with my imagining of the character—and sometimes they are so not how the character is described in the story. I haven’t read this book yet, so I’m not biased against it. I like the lacy overlay, the colors, the font choices for the title. And that photo says it all, doesn’t it? Given the genre, we know what this story is going to be about.

The Rogue Shop by Michael Knudsen
Publisher: Cedar Fort

LDSP comment: If Imprints didn’t grab me so forcefully every time I looked at it, this would have been my winner. I love this cover. The tux, the colors, the skyline at the bottom, the fonts, placement, everything. This is one really well put together cover! Kudos!

(Yes, I know this genre has six finalists. I couldn’t decide. Deal with it.)

2010 Speculative Cover Finalists

Mr. Monster (UK Cover) by Dan Wells
Publisher: Headline Publishing Group

LDSP comment: Winner! Winner! Winner! I loved this cover the moment I laid eyes on it early this year, and I still love this cover. The colors. The ripped paper. The eyes. Yep! This is probably my second favorite all-time cover for 2010. And yep, it’s totally and completely subjective. I can’t even explain why I like it so much, I just do!

Mr. Monster (US Cover) by Dan Wells
Publisher: TOR

LDSP comment: If I’d never seen the UK version of this cover, this would have been my winner in this category. I’ve talked with Dan Wells (in my daytime, alter-ego persona) and he likes this cover better. There are really cool aspects to this cover, like his name on the knife. And the one little drop of blood. But still…I like UK better. Sorry, Dan.

Queen in Exile by Donna Hatch
Publisher: Walnut Springs

LDSP comment: If this were a medieval romance, it would have never made finalist for me. The girl on the cover is too modern looking. But since it’s speculative, I’m letting that slide. She really is quite lovely. I like the title fontage and placement as an element. The castle in the background is almost too much, too busy. But overall, I like it.

Song of the Dragon by Tracy Hickman
Publisher: DAW

LDSP comment: Hickman covers have never been my favorites. They are generally too busy and the illustration too complicated for my tastes. But I really like this one. It’s simpler and cleaner, with my eye making a smooth transition from top to bottom, instead of leaping around all over the place. Hope his future covers are more like this one.

A Tapestry of Spells by Lynn Kurland
Publisher: Berkley Trade

LDSP comment: This is a more traditional epic fantasy cover. I like the colors. I’m really into blue this year. I like the placement of the image. It grabbed my attention right away so much that I didn’t even really need to read the author name or title—but I did eventually notice them. I really like the font they’ve used in this series.

2010 YA Cover Finalists (Non-Fantasy)

The Hoarders by Jean Stringham
Publisher: Cedar Fort

LDSP comment: I like this cover! I’m not sure that it’s the best for catching the attention of the YA reader, but it certainly caught mine. The only thing I didn’t like was the author’s name. Too small and too hard to read.

Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
Publisher: Razorbill

LDSP comment: A great cover—and winner for me! I think it would have great appeal to YA girls. I love that cautious, tenuous connection between the two hands, so fragile as is young love. I like the blurred snow effect. I love the title fonts and placement and the author’s name across the bottom. Even the little teaser in the top right is perfect. I repeat: Great cover!

Taming the Wind by Michelle Thompson
Publisher: Cedar Fort

LDSP comment: Another captivating cover that will really appeal to the target reader. That face with the hair blowing across it is great. Good placement of elements, good title font. I like the wilderness at the bottom. Very intriguing and on my To Read list based on cover alone.

Tombs of Terror by T Lynn Adams
Publisher: Cedar Fort

LDSP comment: I like this cover. I’m not sure about the level of appeal for teen boys but I like it. I especially like the colors and the title as graphic image. I also like the way it draws your eye into the center and right down that tunnel.

Wolves, Boys, & Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler
Publisher: Viking Juvenile

LDSP comment: This was a cover that grew on me. I always liked that blue background and the title as a graphic element. I liked the upside down wolf. But I wasn’t sure about the way it was put together. The one thing I really didn’t like was the girl. Her image is still my least favorite element of the cover, but the more I come back to this cover, the more it intrigues me.

2010 YA Fantasy Cover Finalists

LDSP comment: This was another category that was hard to judge because I really, really liked every single cover. And there were several other covers that I really liked in this category, but I had to draw the line somewhere.

Flecks of Gold by Alicia Buck
Publisher: Cedar Fort

LDSP comment: Unlike TJ, the blinding goldness of this cover was what attracted me to it. No idea what the book is about, but I love the cover. I really like the way they’ve set the title and the font choices. The author’s name is a good match with it. And I love those starbursts. Good work.

The Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
Publisher: Scholastic

LDSP comment: This has been my favorite cover of the year ever since I first saw it. I kept thinking something would come along to knock it out of first place in my mind, but nothing ever did. The image here doesn’t do it justice. If you get into a bookstore, look for it on the shelves so you can see the real thing. It is awesome! Colors: awesome! Font: awesome! Illustration: awesome! Element placement: awesome! I love this cover—and the story on the inside is pretty good too.

Intrinsical by Lani Woodland
Publisher: Pendrell Publishing

LDSP comment: This cover screams YA fantasy. I like the colors, the floating feeling, the image of the girl on the front, the placement of elements. The only thing I’d change is the title, to make it stand out a little bit more.

Matched by Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

LDSP comment: Matched is one of those books where the artwork is so awesome, you don’t care what’s inside. Look closely at that girl in the bubble. She’s melting! I love the clean simplicity of this layout. Great colors. I think this will very much appeal to the target reader (teen girls). The only thing that I’ve taken off points for is that I can’t figure out what the image has to do with the title. Have you read the book? Does it make sense when you’re done?

The Stone Traveler by Kathi Oram Peterson
Publisher: Covenant

LDSP comment: Awesome cover! Again the blue. 2010 is the year of blue. I have looked and looked and I can’t find anything I don’t like about this cover. Yes, it’s a little busy—but it works for me. I like the cat, the title (placement, font and diamond element). I like the South American feel of the carving at the bottom. And is that a planet in the top left? On my To Read Soon Because the Cover Is So Awesome list!

Coming Monday: 2nd Annual Book Cover Contest!


At approximately 7:00 a.m. on Monday, January 3, 2011, we’ll start our 2nd Annual Book Cover Contest!

Remember when we did it last year?

(See First Annual Book Cover Contest HERE.)

Well, we’re doing it again!

Voting on finalists: January 3 through January 6 (midnight PST).

Voting on the overall best cover: January 7 through 9th.

Winners posted: Monday, January 10th!

Help spread the word by putting one of these buttons in your sidebar:

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Voting starts January 3, 2011

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Voting starts January 3, 2011