Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

It’s amazing how a picture can look so different just by changing the hair style. A similar effect happens with colors of clothing and shoes. Dereon Shoes makes a sandal called henna the same shoe in fuchsia looks completely different than in yellow. I’ve also seen the same effect with shirts and skirts of different colors. It’s interesting to think about.

It doesn’t look at all as if it’s the same guy, I agree. The first looks like a bit like he blowdries his hair and wonders where he dropped his blackberry.

If cover B’s hair didn’t look photoshoppy, I’d prefer it. Cover A is too reminiscent of 90s boy bands and The Princess Bride’s Wesley (pre Dread Pirate Roberts)

Wow, that is weird. I’m dying to know why they changed it. Did the author protest when the paperback was released and the pub finally submitted to change it in the digital? Did the market shift and everyone from Team Sawyer defected to Team Sayid? Also, which hair actually belongs to the original model? Or is there a whole industry providing blank bald model men with add-your-own ‘dos, a la Wooly Willy?

I voted for the dark ‘n curly because the other one makes him look too much like David Spade.

You haven’t given us the third option… neither.  LOL I agree Bib he does look too much like david spade and the dark haired one does look like a bad photoshop job

The second guy is obviously wearing a toupee. One that previously belonged to Tom Selleck.

I like the first hair. The second picture looks like it needs a good wash or he’s gone a bit heavy on the gel.

He looks a bit sketch on both covers, but I think the second one is a bit of an improvement. On that first cover, his tan is too dark for his hair, and it makes him look jaundiced.

Did the market shift and everyone from Team Sawyer defected to Team Sayid?

Thanks, Cara.  Now there’s milk all over my keyboard.

meaning25.  Meaning there are 25 other hairstyles for this cover?  Bring on the mullet version!

I’m not much for blonds—I liked Sawyer, but I’ve been Team Sayid since Naveen Andrews played Kip in The English Patient.  Still, that second cover looks like such a bad Photoshop job that I can hardly stand to look at him, so I guess I vote for the blond.

I hope I’ll live to see the day when digital editions let you build your own cover. You’d get a choice of backdrops, bodies, faces, toupees, props, and pick and mix. That might be fun.

These covers remind me of differences between US/North American covers and editions for other areas.  Sherrilyn Kenyon’s site shows seemingly endless covers.  Here’s a page for just one of her books.
http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/book_profile.php?id=6

If you click through the thumbnails, it’s amazing what Kyrian looks like in different countries!

I gotta go for guy #2. #1’s expression looks like he’s gonna have to tell the heroine he’s the product of 20 generations of inbreeding.

I went with model #1 because he looked more appropriate to the background.  Model #2 looks like a corporate up-and-comer who got lost on one of those teamwork field trips.

Also, they’ve heightened the contrast of the background in #2.  Perhaps model #1 with the background of #2 would be the best way to go!

It doesn’t appear #2 has anyplace to carry his tube of Brylcreem, which he obviously applies several times a day. On the other hand, #1 could probably get by with just touching up his highlights every four or five weeks…so based on practicality, I have to go with #1.

Frankly, I think this cover would be preferable as a chest shot.  I have trouble equating sullen and sexy.  However, I’m wondering if the hair might have been changed due to the recent brouhaha over YA covers that misrepresented the ethnicity of major characters.  There were multiple blog posts on the topic, and it may even have been mentioned in SBTB.  I can’t recall.  I just googled “book covers race fail” and hit the mother lode.  Here’s one with several useful links:

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So I’m wondering if this ill-advised hair adjustment is a response to a potential PR faux pas.  Personally, I’d be more offended with the notion that just because your name is Vega you inevitably look like Eric Estrada above the hairline.

What’s really funny is I saw this pb in the store yesterday and in spite of loving Christine Feehan, that blond guy looked like such a dork I didn’t even want him in my house. So I didn’t buy it solely because of the guy’s hair.  How shallow is that???  Sigh.

I’ve had my own share of angst about covers and their quality and/or contents. When I’ve finished a novel and am at the exciting stage of thinking up blurbs and covers, I have this idea in my mind of what I think a super-sexy cover would be, and 75% of the time, it’s not at all possible for the art department to pull it off due to resources and time—and sometimes, they disagree with my vision entirely.

My third book was about corporate secrets at a tobacco company that sells futuristic cigarettes called Blues that have no carcinogens and which burn blue. The cover ended up putting a cigarette in the hand of the hero, who doesn’t smoke! I just wanted a cigarette in an ashtray on the nightstand of their mussed-up bed as they went at it like rabbits.

As for Feehan’s cover (I love her!!!), it seems like the first hairstyle is the model’s natural hair, which is why it looks better than the Photoshopped hairstyle in the second cover. Also, the second hairstyle seems to have way too much hair product in it, so my vote is for the first hairstyle!

As a general rule, I don’t like blondes but I don’t like the brunette’s hair-style.

Therefore, I’d have to vote for the blonde ‘do on the brunette.

I’m not a real fan of either cover.

The blonde hair emphasizes a facial expression that is rather on the dopey side. Like he’s saying, “Huh? Whut? Dude, where’s my car?”

The dark hair changes it to more of a “mouth-breathing neanderthal” look.

At least that’s how they come across to me. LOL

I would say neither rings my chimes. I did vote for B because, as mentioned above, A looks too David Spade. I like David Spade but not on my Feehan. Also, both covers, the guy looks dazed as in where am I and what am I doing naked in this jungle. I hope that is not what they wanted to project.

The blond hair looks like it’s more in danger of catching fire. That would be very hot indeed…

Actually maybe that should have been an option. One cover could have had a guy with fire for hair. Can’t run your fingers through it without getting burned. Maybe it’s some kind of metaphor?

What does the hero supposedly look like? I’d go with whichever is closer.

In most cases, I like ‘em dark over fair, but there is something just not right about the second shot.  Possibly, it’s the thought that no matter how well he burned up the sheets the night before, I’m gonna have a hard time getting all that product out of my pillowcase the morning after.

I’ll take either one if they can fix my toilet and mow the damn lawn.

uhm, I think the model in general looks kind of intensely dim. However, my first thought was, “gee, well, what does the actual male character in the book look like?” I mean, here’s a situation where they could actually attempt to match at least the hair color to that of the hero’s.

I dunno, both of them look pretty stunned at their ability to ignite a forst fire with their explosive flatulence.

I’ll pick whichever one FITS THE CHARACTER!!!  I hate covers that are totally unrelated to the main characters.  If this guy is blond then use the blonde hair!!  If he’s dark and curly or maybe latino then use the dark hair.  Should be no question, based on the character.

I personally like the first cover guy better, even though I’m not a fan of blond guys at all.  But the second guy looks so much more appropriate in a burning jungle setting….

Okay, so I looked it up; he’s a leopard shifter in the forests of his homeland, Borneo. If he looks Borneo-an (don’t know the correct term) he should definitely have the darker hair, plus a few facial changes.

But I’m sorry, that layer of grease just wrecks it for me…

Who the heck is that guy? No, really, he’s a sort of Ethnic Chameleon. If I look at him and decide he looks white, he looks white. Hispanic? Same deal. African-American? Yup, I can see it.

Based just on the visuals, I voted for Model #2 because the coloring fit better with the jungle background *and* the panther next to him. Then El mentioned that the hero is a leopard shifter, so I was even more inclined to vote for Model #2.

#2 - the coloring fits him so much more and makes him much more handsome!!!  Since the panther is black you would expect his hair to go with his panther self!

Cara McKenna - thank you for that belly laugh. I have tears in my eyes from the laughing. Really, you can’t drag Wooly Willy into things often enough for me!

That’s some impressive Barney Rubble facial hair growth he has going on.

I have issues with his mouth breathing.  Maybe he could use some Vicks VapoRub?

both covers are so awful! The man is only the beginning the problem.

I only went for #2 because #1 looks too much like he’s trying to do an adult version of Justin what’s his face’s girly hair.

That being said, IRL both of them would make me gag.

I can’t vote because I prefer *neither* of them! Big ewwww factor for me, sorry. Plus, am I the only one concerned about the scent of his wild fire ... or the flames apparantly shooting out the trail of his passion???? Jeez.

What! No mullet??!!? ;oP

I agree with those who are voting for whichever looks like the character in the actual book. I hate it when random people who are clearly unconnected to the main characters are pictured on the cover.

No 1 looks like the guy out of Memento

I didn’t vote.  I’m just so thrilled that he has a head that I don’t care what kind of hair is on it. 

added44 - In the time it took to read this post, B&N added 44 books to their shelves with headless people on the cover

I havn’t actually started the Leopards yet (carps? finished and dieing for the next, Ghostwalkers, half way, Drake sisters, nope.)  so i have no clue what he’s supposed to look like..

Im all for #1 though and LONG LIVE THE DREAD PIRATE ROBERT!!!!!!!

er… never mind…

Oh man, this race is tight! Tight like the well-oiled raven curls everyone ought to be voting for.

Well, they’ve also darkened the entire picture in the second version, NOT coincidentally making his skin appear darker. I think this is an attempt to make the original model fit the lead character in the book’s ethnicity a bit better. But, good luck with that. Both are a FAIL for me.

The dark haired one for sure.  Now all he needs is blue eyes! sigh!

As others have stated, I’ll go with whichever one best fits the character—however, neither looks like a native of Borneo, so I’m guessing massive fail there.  Oh, and the “panther” looks like a big-ass vole.  (Guess I’ll choose cover #1 after all.  Westley and the ROUS!)

spamword:  try69 Haha!

“...she’s following his scent…”

I’m a painter, and I don’t want to diss the artist who did the original and maybe had it messed up by marketing…but really, on the trail of his scent and the poor kitty looks disgusted and the poor guy looks like he’s trying to pretend it wasn’t him… but most of all, the blob of freakin fire in the jungle is just wrong. The drama needs to be big fire in background with foreground featuring studly silhouette and dangerous cat stalking together into danger…

I can’t think of a less sexy tagline than “following his scent”.  He’s running around in the sweaty jungle changing into a giant kitty cat.  What do you think he smells like, chocolate?  No wonder he looks so depressed.

behind23 - there are 23 fart bombs going off behind me, but the real problem is the B.O.  Sorry, honey!

Can I say no to both and call it a day? What a dweeb. He looks like he’s half-stoned in both shots. Hey maybe that’s why he’s strolling through the jungle. He’s looking for more weed because the DEA found his and set it on fire behind him. Watch out for that panther! It looks like it mught have the munchies!

I am not partial to blonds but if those are my only two choices, I’ll go with cover #1. The second just looks like he stuck his head in the Gulf of Mexico.

Neither! Both covers look badly photoshopped (let’s not talk about this nose-job or the placement of the flames!).
And I agree with carrie on the tagline: a man that can be tracked by scent? Yuck. Double yuck! Whoever wrote this probably never used cramped public transportation in 90° weather… so unsexy…

Yuck. Double yuck! Whoever wrote this probably never used cramped public transportation in 90° weather… so unsexy…

LMAO with Brigit.  I do ride cramped public trans in South Texas every day at the peak of rush hour.  Sometimes it is so not fun or pleasingly aromatic.    Being able to smell someone out of site range is definitly not a positive thing.

Spam catcher word:  local53.  I think the 53 locals that get on my bus in the afternoons have neither heard of or ever used clinical strength deoderant.  :0)

Who cares about the hair.  Dude looks totally stoned.

(channelling the leopard’s opinion)

OK, both of these shots are just crap.  I look like some piece of roadkill my inebriated father dragged in.  I don’t even look pissed.  And I was going for pissed.  Really pissed.

WTF did they do to my eyes?  I’m edgy.  Those eyes don’t look edgy.  Those eyes say “ooooh, look at me, don’t you think I’d be cute all curled up on yer pillow?

And, not to put too fine a point on it, I am a leopard.  Leopard.  LEOPARD.  I am sleek.  I am graceful.  Do I see that here?  No.  No I do not. 

I look like a kind of loopy manbearpig.

Damn, the shit I do for art

spamword:  tried88 - I tried 88 times to feel better about this and I just can’t.  Imma go get me a beer.

I resent that YA kerfuffling.  That’s serious business, especially considering that the market is focused on teenagers who are impressionable and should be more accepting of other races.  *coughcough*  Plus how hard is it to find an ethnically correct cover model?  I mean, it’s not everyone who isn’t pale skinned was killed in a mass genocide. 

As to the covers:  Can I say both suck on so many levels?  Photoshop, bad looking heroes, and just something I would be ashamed to cart around.  Not because it’s a romance, but because the cover just friggin stinks.  That being said, I went with the darker guy, because I find him hotter and more brooding.  The blonde also gives me the chills in the worst possible way. 

didnt26 - I didn’t like either of these covers even a tiny bit.  For shame, cover artists, for shame.

Which one matches the hero?  Is the dude described in the book as blond or dark haired?  I want it to match more than make me go “Yum.”

The dark haired guy is definitely sexier and more appropriate for the cover. I mean, it looks like he is in the Amazon… how many naturally blond Latin men do you know?

And PS - Do these covers read Indiana Jones to anyone else, or is it just me?