Part 2 of: Do you think that you can judge a (Cozy Mystery) book by its cover?
I have noticed that there seem to be different “categories” of cozy mystery book covers these days: There are some book covers that are scenes that (I feel) invite the cozy mystery reader to read the book… These covers almost scream: “This book is for you! This is a cozy scene with you in mind!” These would be the covers with idyllic settings on them.
These covers are usually in soft, inviting colors, with artists’ renditions of something we expect in our cozies: a far-away, (very British) looking landscape or building (preferably a cottage overlooking the sea or a hotel that caters to old colonels with their very young wives), a beautiful room in a house/mansion (again very British looking!), or a lovely item in a beautiful room>>> in a terrific house>>>> in a far-away, wondrous setting.
I have to admit to being drawn to this particular “Agatha Christie-Setting” cover. I love the scenes of crashing water on the cliffs, beautiful bed and breakfasts covered with ivy, libraries with all of their books (and the murder weapons!), fireplaces blazing, etc.
Here are some examples of these idyllic book covers:
Ann Granger P. B. Ryan Patricia Houck Sprinkle
Ann Waldron Robin Paige Camille Minichino
Ngaio Marsh Hailey Lind Victoria Thompson
Hazel Holt Roberta Isleib Caroline Graham
Would any of these book covers help you decide whether or not you would like to start reading these authors? I KNOW that they would have a big part in my decision!
Here are the other two parts of this theme:
Evan Marshall says
I think the publishers do an excellent job of creating jackets that entice cozy readers, but sometimes they can go too far. For instance, the jackets of my last series, the Jane Stuart and Winky mysteries, were SO cozy and cute that anyone I showed them to thought they were children’s books! There was always a cat doing something naughty, and the whole thing had a cartoon-y look.
I love the jackets of my current series, the Hidden Manhattan mysteries. These books are about the seamy underside of New York City and are appropriately gritty and realistic. They’re also photographs rather than illustrations. These books still have an appeal to cozy readers, I think, but they also signal that there’s an edge to them, which I think brings in additional readers.
Ann says
Hi Evan,
This is five years after your post, but I just had to reply. I am beginning my own cozy mystery series targeted at age group 21-39. Also as a reader in this age range I am feeling repulsed by the cartoon-y look. I tend toward the realistic photo to realistic scene with only a slight, barely visible cartoon twist on the cover scene. With each of my own planned books I have taken photos to use for my covers. Though I am attempting to showcase a cozy scene for a real place readers can visit (if they so choose)…so using a photo of a real place can be more key for that reason.
I guess the key current question I have is, is there a difference on the cozy cover if we are trying to appeal to different age brackets? (21-35), (35-50), (50-65), (65+)….and what are those differences?
The second question is: Is the cartoon-y cover be off-putting to future cozy mystery readers?
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Hi Evan,
I can see where your Jane Stuart & Winky covers might have some people wondering if they are for children. But, I happen to like them! I think that there is a whole sub-section of Cozy Mystery readers who enjoy the bright, colorful covers with “cartoon-y” looks. Your Hidden Manhattan mysteries definitely have the look of grittier books…
Maria BearMountainBooks says
I tend to like the cartoon look. I also tend to dislike photos as covers. Sure, there are some that are okay, but the definition, the reality…that edge, I tend to steer away from. I didn’t think covers mattered to me, but after talking to people and participating in book groups–turns out that the covers really do matter! Subconsciously I use the cover to determine a lot of things.
:>)
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Hi Maria,
Welcome to the Cozy Mystery site! I think that the first impression of a book by a new author is very important. It’s what attracts me to pick up the book. On the other hand, if an author who I already follow has a terrible cover>>>I don’t even notice it. Once I’m familiar with my chosen author, the book could actually not have a cover, and I probably wouldn’t notice it!
Maria BearMountainBooks says
Next, you’ll need to do a discussion on titles! I didn’t think titles mattered all that much either–until I started picking stories (like short stories online) or books online where I could only see the title–no cover.
I was pretty surprised to find how much the title mattered!!!
I participated in Baen’s short story group. All you see there is a mass (and I do mean a MASS) of titles. Since I don’t intend to read them all–I sort by which titles might sound interesting to me. Taught me a lot about titles.
Same for the review group I belong to. We get titles every month. We can go look them up on Amazon, but I usually don’t. I try to guess the category and I try to figure out which ones sound good–all by the title!
Thanks for the welcome. I love the site!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
I love some of the titles that are out there in mystery-land. The authors really show a knack at being clever, and I’m sure that the really good titles attract new readers. I know that I have been swayed by a good title more than several times!