Cover art--need your help!

[Karen Marie]

I'm working with the art dept. on the cover for Shadowfever while also looking ahead at the series to follow. I'd like to open a very frank dialogue about cover art.

These are my initial questions:

1. What are some of your favorite covers, and why? (Please post thumbnails or small images)

2. What are some covers that don't work for you, and why? (Images, please.)

3. What do you like to see on the covers of books you're currently buying? What do you not like to see?

4. What do you honestly think of the first four covers in my Fever series? You won't hurt my feelings here.

5. How do you think the covers for the Fever series might be better portrayed?

I know I've thrown a lot of questions at you, but I'm looking at the designs for Shadowfever and planning the next series and Iwant all the input from readers that I can get.

Thanks!

[aprilssix]

Originally Posted by Karen Marie

I'm working with the art dept. on the cover for Shadowfever while also looking ahead at the series to follow. I'd like to open a very frank dialogue about cover art.

These are my initial questions:

1. What are some of your favorite covers, and why? (Please post thumbnails or small images)

2. What are some covers that don't work for you, and why? (Images, please.)

3. What do you like to see on the covers of books you're currently buying? What do you not like to see?

4. What do you honestly think of the first four covers in my Fever series? You won't hurt my feelings here.

5. How do you think the covers for the Fever series might be better portrayed?

I know I've thrown a lot of questions at you, but I'm looking at the designs for Shadowfever and planning the next series and Iwant all the input from readers that I can get.

Thanks!

I wouldn't care what you put on the front, because you are the author, i know it will be a terrific book and I would buy it in any way shape or form!

And i do wait IN- patiently for it come out..

Many thanks to you for all the wonderful books you have written and shared with all of us!

[D-Lo]

I've read All Of Highlader and Fever books. I have to say the covers on all of them are awesome. They seem like little teases to what lies inside awaiting to be explored. I find them consistent to the stories without giving away too much. As far as ShadowFever, Maybe a pic of Mac with an outline of a man overlooking the district or looking out of a mirror would be cool. Leave us guessing who the er, man is. Good luck, whatever you choose to do will be amazing as always. We Maniacs are totally faithful to your judgement. But please make it quick I'm dying for the next chapter in Macs world to come out.

[Ginger70]

Originally Posted by Karen Marie

I'm working with the art dept. on the cover for Shadowfever while also looking ahead at the series to follow. I'd like to open a very frank dialogue about cover art.

These are my initial questions:

1. What are some of your favorite covers, and why? (Please post thumbnails or small images)

2. What are some covers that don't work for you, and why? (Images, please.)

3. What do you like to see on the covers of books you're currently buying? What do you not like to see?

4. What do you honestly think of the first four covers in my Fever series? You won't hurt my feelings here.

5. How do you think the covers for the Fever series might be better portrayed?

I know I've thrown a lot of questions at you, but I'm looking at the designs for Shadowfever and planning the next series and Iwant all the input from readers that I can get.

Thanks!

I always like covers without faces. I like your covers because they are bright and only show the back of people. I hope I don't hurt your feelings when I say that I really didn't like the covers of the Highlander Series only because my husband would make fun of me

I thought the cover of Dreamfever was appropriate because it brought you into Mac's world

[Vashtya]

1. What are some of your favorite covers, and why?

Actually, out've my recent reading, the fever covers would have to be some of my faves.

2. What are some covers that don't work for you, and why?

See question 3 XD.

3. What do you like to see on the covers of books you're currently buying? What do you not like to see?

I like covers that are striking and bold, and that do a good job of portraying the tone of the story--if it's a story with darker undertones/overtones, I prefer the cover to reflect that--however, at least in regards to romance and the like, I really am not a fan of the covers that have half-naked men/women groping one another on them. They never match up to what I imagine the hero/heroine to look like, for one thing, and for another, while I have no qualms, ever, about admitting that I love reading romance novels...I don't like toting around a book with a cover that screams 'nothing but poorly written sex scenes!'

With that said, covers that portray nothing but a sprawling mansion and lawn can be boring and easy to overlook, so I'm not really a fan of those either XD.

4. What do you honestly think of the first four covers in my Fever series? You won't hurt my feelings here.

I was actually really impressed with them--there's enough to give a really good feel for the tone of the books, and yet there's enough ambiguity that I don't feel like my mental image of Mac (or any of the other characters) is ruined by art that doesn't match it.

5. How do you think the covers for the Fever series might be better portrayed?

I actually think that the covers for the Fever series have been pretty good-I'm not usually much of a fan of cityscapes, but in this case they fit the storyline, and they change enough to be a cool way to follow, at least in a limmited fashion, how the city's been changing over the course of the series, as well. (faefever and dreamfever are my faves, cover-wise, if only because there's something other than unrelieved cityscape, but darkfever and bloodfever are both really nice, as well.)

...hope that made sense. lol.

[zsasalter]

I Loved the past 3 covers, they realy set the mood and still leave the rest to our imagination. On the Shadowfever cover I would like to see some of the Fea relms bleeding into dublin, Mac on a cliff in the distance, so that we can't make out a face just an outline with the spear, looking down on her world. Something like that, with all the shadows and dark spots and a blood read moon. Thats all i realy have, I believe that you have an amazing mind that will make it all work. Personaly i think that if the cover was all pink with flowers it would still sell just as many copies because of what is inside. I know it isn't about how many you sell, but how happy you make your fans, at least to you. Thank you for all the amazing adventures your characters have taken me on, and helping me leave my life behind for just a few hours a day.

[wickedcoco]

I loved the covers of the Highlander novels. They bring mystery to the novel with a bit of sex apel imagination. The fever novels need more of that mystery sex appeal. Mac could look more bad ass, too. Not so skinny but a little more curvy and voluptuous. Mac's men should be on the cover with her, even if there only a hint of them on it.

[lindzrae]

First let me say that I love your books and if not for them, I would have to be committed!! I fecking hate sleazy covers of six packs and heaving bosoms. I love blues and greens with black. I think you have to stick with black and shadow background just because of the way the other covers look. Please don't put anyone on the cover. I love the picture I have in my head of the characters, which is why I hope these are not made into movies. But I digress. I think you should have a picture of a bugatti veyron, prowling through the hills with a hunter in the shadows following it. For me, that is MAC 5.0. I'd even settle for the Aston Martin V12 Vantage. I think that as much as Mac appreciates a good car, you have to put one on the cover. Or a rear view of an awesome car, ripping through the streets of Dublin. oh the visuals...*sigh*. well anywho, thanks a million and I can't wait for Shadowfever and the new series. Keep Kickin' ASS.

[AileenHeather]

1. What are some of your favorite covers, and why?

I read a lot, and bold covers like your fae series do attract the eye. I originally started reading you for your highlander series, at the library, which I still enjoy and have since purchased. Other styles I enjoy, are old style covers, simple. So many books try to stand out now because of being bold or different, the plain ones, stand out more to me.

2. What are some covers that don't work for you, and why?

Covers that dont portray where you are in a series of books. Or dont post in the first page or two, what books came before this novel that should be read before picking up the latest in the series. Some of the worst for this in current novels are, a few of the Sookie Stackhouse novels.


3. What do you like to see on the covers of books you're currently buying? What do you not like to see?

Im actually very dissapointed looking back at some of the answers on this, that people are embarassed by two people embracing on the cover of a novel. What matters isnt the cover, its that your picking up a book and enjoying it. Who cares what anyone else thinks? Its often rare that people pick up books and read on a regular basis, and as an avid reader, of nearly any genre, sometimes yes a cover with a romantic picture on it, is what I read.

In basics, the cover doesnt determine the picture in my mind while Im reading the book, it doesnt matter what the art is, it is what Im reading that makes the difference.

4. What do you honestly think of the first four covers in my Fever series? You won't hurt my feelings here.

I love the covers on the series, Im not sure what some people are talking about for darkfever with a naked man and woman on the cover, The cover Ive seen has a lightning bolt and a lamp, looking over a water way to a city. My favorite cover is probably FaeFever, but I also loved DreamFever, It portrayed a strong woman on the cover, and looking out over the city gave it a feeling of whimsy, wishing it wasnt like that, that followed through the book.

5. How do you think the covers for the Fever series might be better portrayed?

I like the way you've portrayed it so far, and from what Ive seen a lot of people like the shadow effect, on the covers, for Shadowfever Id almost suggest the same, but maybe use 4 characters, like Mac and Dani, at a forked road, with a shadow of V'lane down one fork and a shadow of Barrons down the other. Keep up the bold colourings that we love so much.

I also really like the idea of putting out a special edition with the book as the Sinsar Dubh, That would be pretty awesome to have set out on a table as a display book.

Goodluck, cant wait to hear more of when the next book is on its way out! Ive been impaitently hopping on one foot, since I turned the last page of DreamFever for it to come out.

[dewdropinn]

I love Haruki Murakami book covers.
designrelated.com/inspiration/view/Karen/entry/2166
They have that 1950's retro, graphic art feel.
Or Robin McKinley's Sunshine cover
epiphyte.net/SF/sunshine.html
Similiar to some of your covers, the monocramatic accented with blank. It's uncomplicated, yet eye catching.

Hope these example help. Love the fever series.

[Love me some Barrons]

I really have to say that I really liked the newer covers of the Highlander series, they were sexy. I hate cheesey covers with fabio-esque models...eww. The Fever series covers are really good, however, I didn't care much for Dreamfever. Not exactly how I pictured Mac. I prefer to not get a very detailed image so I can create my own. I do love how the overall theme and feel of the books have been conveyed through the covers. I hope that Shadowfever gives us a dreamy, surreal look at the dreaming realm or maybe a glimps of the Sinsar Dubh.