Given the refinement of cover art that romance publishers have accomplished over the decades, why oh why can’t they get a handle on the packaging for science fiction romance covers? Covers are usually perceived as the main marketing tool for books. Case in point: listen to this Carina Press Marketing podcast in which Malle Vallik emphasizes their importance.
Paranormal romance, historical romance, contemporaries, and urban fantasies all seem to have been afforded that coveted cover sweet spot--right down to the last ruffle, tattoo, or shade of blue. So why does SFR lag so far behind? During an exchange with author Claire Delacroix (GUARDIAN) on the subject as well as some research, I gained insight into a few possibilities:
*Publishers are all about avoiding risk, not incurring it. This is especially true for niche subgenres.
*Lack of sales for said niche subgenre.
*In general, they are not the customer of science fiction romance (see Jacqueline Lichtenberg’s post on Marketing Via Social Networking). Therefore, they don’t know how to package it—either for fans or readers new to SFR.
*Budget issues (e.g., they don’t invest in skilled cover artists; reliance on stock cover images.).
*They haven’t yet encountered that particular SFR that makes them go, “Whoa! Let’s spend some money on this one!” despite the fact that they are not the customer.
*All of the above.
Until publishers decide they want to get serious about branding SFR covers, be prepared for images that are all over the map in terms of style and quality. For example, check out When Bad Covers Happen To Good Books, which features commentary on two SFR covers.
I don’t expect every single cover to nail it, but maybe two proverbial heads are better than one when it comes to packaging SFR. We may not all be cover artists (I draw a mean stick figure, but that's about it), but we are the customers. And even if the quintessential SFR cover arises from an as yet unknown source, it's still an important conversation to have given the importance publishers ascribe to that aspect of a book's packaging.
With that in mind, I’m going to give each of you a virtual hundred dollars for a very important task. Your mission: Share ideas on how to best design a science fiction romance cover, or compile a list of essentials for such a cover. Anyone who is a cover artist by trade is especially welcome to contribute.
As you develop your cover, consider these questions and issues:
What components do you think would help readers identify science fiction romance? What common motifs might unite the entire subgenre (with the exception of steampunk romance, which will probably develop its own visual cues)?
How might your cover appeal to both fans and readers new to the subgenre? How might it appeal to booksellers? Can you appeal to all three simultaneously? Would it make a difference whether the cover was for a digital book vs. a print book? And finally, regardless of medium, what would be your strategy if you could only use stock images?
Ready, set, go!
Joyfully yours,
Heather
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Science Fiction Romance Cover Conundrum
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
18 comments:
I think a good sci-fi romance should have a cover that is a fair compromise between the genres: it should be sexy and pretty, but also should appeal to the science fiction aspects of the story. I agree that it can be a feat to find that happy medium, but it definitely can be done.
Hi Heather! Thanks for the link love. It kills me when awesome SFRs are packaged in covers that no romance fan, and very few scifi fans, want to pick up. This particular problem baffles me when it comes to SFR because there are so many great images that designers can pull on.
Personally, I think SFR covers need to clone, borrow, and steal from the urban fantasy style, and show a strong, beautiful woman dominating the scene, but instead of a gritty urban backdrop, use something scifi-ish. It's all about persuading potential readers to try this style. Once they sample a few, I have no doubt they'll be hooked.
The problem is, there are no common elements. My SF ranges from near-future cyberpunk to more distant dark political thrillers and road pictures to flat out space opera.
Cliff Cody in his Space Exploration Ranger uniform, unfastened to show his chest, while his husbands Jake and Frank stand back to back with him firing at off-cover aliens is definitely SF, but it doesn't say Romance.
While Chuck and Seven standing shirtless beside Chuck's rig, with Chuck's hand just vanishing under Seven's waistband says "romance" but not SF. (actual cover)
There are elements that say SF: fancy computers, space ships, Blade-Runner-like cities, Matrix-esque streams of numbers superimposed on characters, but I wouldn't want to see these things just dumped onto romance covers.
Classic Clinch, him in a suit, her in a leather jumpsuit, superimposed nhumbers. I can see that becoming the default.
I've gotten lucky with the last two covers, but let me tell you I certainly worried about it--for months. I love that my publisher gives me an art request that sometimes takes up pages. I've also had a publisher that didn't ask for any input, which I think in scifi rom's situation, it's critical. The worlds are often complex and in order to catch the mood on the novel and get it right, you have to ask the author some questions about what their cover should look like. After all, nobody knows their books better. With my current publisher, I can attach examples, sketches and they even take excerpts from the story to the art request. My first bookcover with them nailed the story. It completely reflected the mood of my novel.
I've noticed more e-publishers seem to get the sci-fi rom covers right vs the brick and mortar publishers. Seriously, there's no comparison. Why's that? There are some gorgous covers on e-books out there for scifi rom.
"they don’t invest in skilled cover artists; reliance on stock cover images"
This is an excuse and not a reason, because I've seen some amazing cover art done on a shoestring. It's all about time and imagination.
At the very least, an SFR novel ought to have a starry background. Not all SFR has spaceships, but you see stars and think SF. My WIP (Young Adult) is near-future. The spaceships wrecked a long time ago and have become archaeology finds.
I'm sick of the erotic look, the lone powerful female center front, and, really, all Romance which is gritty, cynical, and raunchy. I am sooo longing for tenderness and romantic tension in the books I read these days. I think Dorchester did a great job with SFR in the past. Two of my favorite SFR covers are THE STAR PRINCE and CONTACT by Susan Grant, although I would've put starry backgrounds on them. The couples were fully clothed and posed in longing, tender ways.
I've been lucky to get some fantastic covers for my SFR from Anne Cain, Kanaxa and Dawn Seewer.
Your post made me look at them again and there's a balance of heat and tech, which I really like. There's also a glow to them, be it a star or reflected light from a moon/planet that suggests something SF
I can't link properly in a comment, but here they are, if you want to look :)
http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/kim-knox
Breaking Chance, Satin Spar and 7% and Rising are SFR
All the LSB books are SFR:
http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&category=Kim+Knox
I am really happy with my cover for Cybot Awakened. I wanted the cover to show this was a sci fi romance in a glance and I think it did that well.
I've had the unfortunate ebook cover in the past(not with this publisher) so I know what it is like to have a cover that makes you want to cringe!
I will buy a book because of a beautiful cover. Ebook covers do matter to me and I like to flip from the text to look at the cover now and then when I'm reading(if it's a good cover). I read on a pda.
Though my book is listed as erotic romance I don't think it is much hotter than mainstream/red categories. A sexfest in every chapter bores me so I can't write it. I do wish ebooks used a standard heat rating, it would be easier for readers. On Fictionwise this will be listed at erotica, which I don't even write! I would consider my writing R rated, not xxx. But what can you do?
Kim said it: a mix of heat and tech. There HAS to be a tech element, be it background, props, or treatment (filters are your friends!). When I design a SFR cover, I always, always start with the feel of the story, not particular elements. I always ask myself what is this book trying to tell readers? What's the theme, the mood?
So with 100$, I'd buy the bestest best stock photo of 1 superawesome background, and 1 character. The rest (specialized brushes and props) are easy to find for free. Then it's all about labour and love. I like to think I haven't made any of my authors cringe yet.
And (of course!) I've been thinking about this even more since we chatted. I'm wondering whether what we're seeing now is part of the necessary evolution of any market. Publishers who take SFR into their lists do so because they believe it has a market - the trick is getting more people to pick it up and give it a try, because it is perceived as a niche market still.
So, how do we tempt readers who don't traditionally read SF or F, and think they won't like books with space pirates, rogues, heroes and robots? Maybe what is happening - with SFR being packaged like paranormal romance, or even like erotic romance - is a ploy to get readers already buying in those markets (which are ginormous markets) to pick up an SFR book, be intrigued, and realize that even though there are otherworld or future world details, there's still a great romance, strong characterization, sexual tension etc etc - i.e. all the stuff they read romance for in the first place. Then - in an ideal universe - those readers will come back for more.
Once readers are routinely picking up the books, we'll see some real action in refining the cover design elements, to graphically communicate what niche the book reflects.
It's this week's theory. I kind of like it.
This ties in, btw, with the marketing of my Republic series (FALLEN, GUARDIAN, REBEL). When we talked about packaging, I wanted a paranormal romance look, with the hero alone on the cover, because I thought my readers would be more inclined to follow me into this very different niche if the package emphasized that I was still writing a hero-focussed romance.
Deborah Cooke
aka Claire Delacroix
I'm with Rebecca that one strategy is to take the stock-ish images from UF and paranormal romance-- i.e. the hunky guy with the ink, the badass chick with the tramp stamp, etc.-- and lay in a techno backdrop. Ann Aguire's covers have hit this note for me.
{lost in thought}
I don't think one system is going to do it. Science fiction romance combines two of the larger, more diverse genres in most bookstores. On the science fiction side, we borrow from every sub-genre in a very diverse genre. I bet we borrow much variety from romance, too. {pause}
I don't think it's enough to get a cover style that says "This is some sort of science fiction romance. Hope the blurb tells you what sort." I need more than that. I adore planetary romance, usually enjoy space opera, refuse to touch cyberpunk with a ten foot pole, approach steampunk and gearpunk with caution, check out military science fiiction carefully, and so on. If I can't tell which science fiction genre a book falls into, the cover isn't helping me much.
I'd be a bit surprised if rimance fans couldn't say something similar. {smile}
If one specific style of cover doesn't tell enough, what we need is a system of making systems. {pause} Specifically, I suggest having the background or setting for the cover reflect what kind of science fiction is in the book. Science fiction has worked out a whole complex of cover styles to tell readers what to expect... borrow every except the main characters. Military science fiction wants a space battle; space opera wants the inside of a ship or staion; cyberpunk wants those numbers Heather mentioned, and/or a gritty urban scene; planetary romance wants obviously alien flora, fauns, and/or cities... Use whichever one is most appropriate as the background of an SFR cover.
For choice of characters, including posture, relationship, and maybe even clothing, look to romance's standards. Use them to tell romance readers what flovor of romance is closest to what they'll find inside, the same way the background or setting would tell the science fiction readers which kind was involved. Someone mentioned showing the guy to show it's hero-centric. You could also convey heat level, and I'm not entirely sure what else.
I know this is a lot more complicated than starry backgrounds and an amorous embrace, but ultimately I think it would do a better job of telling readers which books they want to read, and which they don't. The easier it is for readers to find the books they'll like, the more repeat customers you'll end up with. It's those repeat customers who will make the genre catch on in the end. {lop-sided}
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
@Kimber An Do you think SFR should embrace the clinch cover to help distinguish it from paranormal/UF? What will convince publishers to spend the money on model shoots? Could/should heat levels be indicated by dark colors (for hot/erotic) and lighter colors (for sweeter)?
Once readers are routinely picking up the books, we'll see some real action in refining the cover design elements, to graphically communicate what niche the book reflects.
So at this stage of the game, do covers drive the sales, or stories? You know, which comes first...? If publishers put more effort into developing common motifs, would that help sales? Or is it a moot point for them until sales improve?
I took a peek at Christine Feehan’s early Dark series, and the covers are all over the map. The only thing that unified them were the font and the word “dark” in the title. Not sure if her situation has lessons for SFR, but I thought I’d mention them since paranormal romance faced a similar challenge of not that long ago.
@Anne & Angelia I agree the diversity in the subgenre is a challenge, perhaps more so for SFR than any other romance subgenre I can think of. As readers (especially those familiar with the subgenre), I can see the advantage of having the covers reflect that diversity (e.g., military SFR has weapons, space opera has starships, etc.). But will readers new to the subgenre be able to tell the difference between a military SFR and a cyberpunk SFR? Or space opera vs. post-apocalyptic?
From a publisher’s point of view, how would they best unite these stories (for the most part) under a common motif in order to make SFR unique and drive sales?
I like the idea of a balance between heat/romance and tech. Also, I’ve been wondering if SFR covers could perhaps reflect the exotic relationships the stories promise (as well as the equality between the h/h) by featuring the couples on covers as a matter of rule. So they’d be like historical romances except with the tech/sci-fi background (and when models are involved, futuristic clothing).
Heather, I can see that I went too far in classifying by cover, but we can't afford to have covers that say "this is a science fiction romance" and nothing else. If everything has a hugging couple with a starry background, we're going to lose a lot of readers we initially gain because they pick up too many books they want to avoid. {resigned smile}
For folks coming to the sub-genre from the science fiction side, we need a heat warning. I have too many friends who prefer science fiction and fantasy because they don't want detailed sex scenes. {half-smile}
I'm sure there are problems on the romance side, too. I suspect grimness or grittyness of setting is particularly important, tho I can't be certain. {smile}
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
Anne, I actually agree with you about creating covers that reflect the various subgenres and would love to see that happen, but of course I am not a publisher. However, I am invested in seeing SFR continue. That's what prompted my earlier question, because ultimately I'd rather have more choices even at the risk of generic covers.
Incidentally, I came across a post today via SFSignal about the topic of covers: Book Cover Conversations Are So Cliched. The blogger's main point was that publishers need to pay the bills, so they'll use whatever covers they think will work, even if that means similar covers across the board.
One commenter noted that "Even sci-fi generally goes with a great big spaceship so that you never pick up a book in error!"
I thought this comment captured the debate nicely:
"Should covers be designed only to sell? Is this really what we want? It’s a delicate balance – covers that sell or covers that appeal, covers that sell or great art that represents the book well, stock photos/illustrations or original art, covers that meet expectation or challenge them, hoods or bloody maps with script, covers with POC or whitewashed?
And one last parting shot – as the market shifts more and more digital and buying shifts more and more towards the internet, how much will the cover art of the future really matter?"
Interesting stuff, and clearly we are part of a very large conversation.
I have seen two anime/manga-ish covers a while back in the romance section. I tell you they caught my eye right off. I'd like to see sci fi rom go back to the hero focused cover and these cartoon inspired covers would have to be adult-ed up but I have seen those in graphic novels.
Some hot guys on those sometimes. Anyway just a thought.
Heather, I'm concerned that without a few key distinctions, we'll lose many readers. A while back, I was talking to a friend who said she used to like regency romances, but when they switched over to historical romances, she stopped because there was too much sex. {half smile}
I haven't suggested that she try SFR, for all that she loves science fiction and fantasy. Now that she's mentioned that as a problem, I won't, either. Not until I can tell her how to pick out the ones that close the bedroom door. Right now, I don't see any way to do that. {lop-sided smile}
I wish I thought she was rare, but several other fantasy and science fiction fans I know more-or-less agree with her. They don't want the sex to be too explicit, especially not if there isn't a very good in-story reason to show it. {resigned smile} That's why I want at least that clue in the covers. Without it, I really can't recommend they check SFR out. {spread hands}
I actually don't know of there's a similar issue for romance fans... but I can't help suspecting there is. {lop-sided smile}
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
The big publishers use what I call Trojan horse book covers and marketing tactics. The marketing people believe that SFR has such a small market that they need to disguise the fact that a book is SFR by using a really generic look and blurb so the reader won't realize they are picking up an "icky" sf novel.
Publishers have been using the same tactic recently with historical romances by giving them contemporary-style titles and covers that don't look historical.
All this does is annoy people who don't want that kind of book and hide the book from those that do.
Since this has been going on for years, I doubt we'll see the end of it as long as SFR is such a small niche in romance publishing. All we can do is try to point interested readers toward our books.
Anon, are you thinking of Dorchester's Shomi line? They had some manga inspired covers. They could have been better imho, but I *heartily* applaud the risk they took.
Actually, what'd be cool is some SFR manga. But my expectations for the art would be absurdly high and I don't think U.S. publishers want to go there as much as I do, LOL!
Anne, I just finished DARKSHIP THIEVES by Sarah A. Hoyt, and it totally closes the bedroom door. That might be a good one to recommend. I plan on blogging about it soon, albeit not really from the love scene angle. GABRIEL’S GHOST by Linnea Sinclair. Also, AGENT OF CHANGE by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Pauline Baird Jones' THE KEY. Catherine Asaro's SUNRISE ALLEY and ALPHA might be other ones to try. They have some tender scenes, about one each, and not very long. Whoa, somebody stop me!
I agree about the challenge of making recommendations. Word of mouth is all we have right now.
Publishers have been using the same tactic recently with historical romances by giving them contemporary-style titles and covers that don't look historical.
Wow, really? *Scratches head.* I’m not surprised when it happens to SFR, but historical romances? Wow. Had no idea. What a shame.
See, this is why I keep wondering if digital/small press publishers is the place where SFR can blossom, and also work out many of the marketing issues. Something to consider, at any rate.
Post a Comment