I went to a book signing recently, not as a reader but as a writer. It was kind of a harrowing experience for me, because I’m one of those *super introverts* who finds human contact of any kind to be terrifying. Creepy dark forests with legendary creatures? No problem. Actual human beings with questions? Scariest things in the world.
And I was assigned to a table with a woman who writes romantic comedies – M/F romantic comedies to boot. She was a very nice lady, and we had a great time talking with each other, but the contrast between our books could not have been starker. People walking by commented on it. (This poor woman was stuck all alone in Queer Corner, a little ghetto in the back of the room for all of us who write LGBTQ+ fiction. I felt kind of bad for her, because I know she noticed, but that’s a whole other issue.)
“You’re dark,” passers-by would say. “Your books are dark, you’re dark, I can’t read that, it’s too scary.”
So, my seat mate and I worked out a little patter. My stuff was the stuff you read with the lights on, because you had to, while her stuff was the stuff you read later while hiding under your bed.
Now, I don’t think my work is particularly dark. As it happens, the only books that exist in paperback at the moment are Rites of Spring, Hunter, and Absolution. Those books have a certain darkness to them, and I do like a certain amount of angst to my books. But I’ll admit I have certain tastes.
(Okay, I thought Ravenous was the height of comedy. But comedy isn’t dark, right?)
The covers are what pinged those readers as “dark,” and that’s part of what I love about them. Even before you pick up the book, you know this isn’t going to be a fluffy story with bunnies and babies. If you went in expecting those things, or something highly erotic, you’d be disappointed. Covers are the first opportunity we have to connect with and speak to a reader.
It’s dark. You’re dark. I can’t read this one late at night.
A cover that’s right for your genre will help you find the right readers. If you’re writing erotica, you want a cover that will raise your reader’s body temperature (while staying within Amazon’s guidelines, of course.) A cover featuring sweet people holding hands will show a touching romance high on the emotional end of the spectrum.
Someone sucking on someone else’s neck? Vampires. Or teenagers. Either or.
I love my book covers, especially those for Hunter and Absolution. They say what needs to be said about the book, and help readers who won’t enjoy the kind of story I’m telling avoid my characters. All books can’t be all things to all people, and that’s okay. When you’re looking to publish, consider your cover carefully.