You can't tell a book by it's cover, but a good book cover can make a world of difference for writers and readers. Nevertheless, the elements that comprise a "good cover" can be rather nebulous. That's why this list is entirely my own. I am not being paid by anyone to make these selections and promote their book, nor is this representative of the Novel Rocket brain trust. I just happen to dig cover art. I know I missed some great covers; feel free to mention noteworthy ones in the comments.
At one time, it could be said that the Christian fiction market lagged in creative covers. But thankfully, things are changing. Historical / Amish / Prairie Romance-type covers dominate the market and, in my opinion, they tend to look... the same. This isn't to say there isn't good ones, but that after a while they look rather generic. On a bright note, however, indie publishers are making headway with competitive quality covers, notably, Living Ink Books and Marcher Lord Press. Anyway, this is my list and I’m stickin’ to it!
Honorable mentions: The Ale Boy's Feast, Winter, Vigilante, Kiss of Night, Hero in Hiding, The Baker's Wife, Corus the Champion, Roadside Assistance, The Inheritance of Beauty.
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
The 10 Best Christian Fiction Book Covers from 2011
Excellent choices, Mike. I'd agree on most accounts.
ReplyDeleteLots of similarities in these covers. Silhouettes in almost all of them. They're all either monochromatic or nearly so. Several have a misty/hazy feel. And the text is dominant in all of them. Definitely shows why you chose the design for your Winterland cover.
ReplyDeleteThis even shows the subjectivity in books. My taste and reading inclinations are not drawn to most of these. That doesn't negate any of them, it just highlights our differences in reading. :)
ReplyDeletehope you and the Duran clan had a Merry Christmas, Mike.
@Kat -- These selections definitely reveal my own tastes. Have any examples of covers you thought were standout this year?
ReplyDeleteThat first cover, the Healy book, is my favorite of these. I can feel the suspense without even opening to the first page. The illustration makes me want to grab the book and find out who that is, and what happens to her.
ReplyDeleteArt or no art, I would buy the Mikalatos just for the title.
Merry Christmas! I love this blog.
Love those covers, definitely.
ReplyDeleteAlso check out Through The Fury to the Dawn. The book has a very slick, moody cover that does a great job of conveying the tone of the book.
http://www.actionofpurpose.com/through_the_fury_to_the_dawn
(Urgh, I wrote a comment and google wigged on me, so I'm writing a new one and hoping I'm not doing it in vain. Watch me go through this and the other one shows up, too. :P)
ReplyDeleteYes, Mike, I do have a few favorites. Two are from my publisher, Splashdown Books: Winter by Keven Newsome and our group anthology Aquasynthesis.
Another is Sapphique by Catherine Fisher. It was this cover that made me want to feature a keyhole on my own book. I also love the cover of the preceding book, Incarceron.
And I have to mention a non-2011 book because I am madly in love with the cover--MG novel Dani Noir by Nova Ren Suma.
In general, I tend to grab books with dragons and gargoyles and the like on the covers. YA and MG fantasy nut :).
And, the last aside--I've noticed that YA/teen novels have an awful lot of covers with girls in long, flowy formal gowns. It bugs me. They are pretty, yes, but they all. look. the. same.
Interesting choices.
ReplyDeleteHi, Mike. Some very good choices here. I loved #'s 1, 4, 7, 8, & 10. My favorite might have been "The Promise She Keeps".
ReplyDelete-Jimmy
I think I like #10 the best.
ReplyDeleteNot sure why.
My favorite is The Bone House book cover!! Loved the first book in that series book cover too "The Skin Map"!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!
That "Freeheads" cover is definitely eye-catching in an Ayn Rand-ish kind of way. These are pretty bleak, stark covers...up my alley, as well as yours, but maybe ought to throw in a cheerier romance-type cover? Case in point--I think that new "Wildflowers from Winter" cover on Katie Ganshert's blog is pretty cool.
ReplyDelete