Judging a Book by Its Cover

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Judging a Book by Its Cover

They say you shouldn't do it. But everyone does. Not only do we judge books by their cover (it's often the first thing that inspires us to pick it up or reject it) but now we are judging books by the thumbnail version of that cover.

I know I do more of my book shopping online than anywhere else. So a book has to grab me as its bite sized version before I even see the big picture, so to speak. What's an author (and cover designer) to do?

As many of you already know, my Young Adult paranormal novel RENT-A-KID is coming out in early September through Evolved Publishing. We are in the final stages of editing. (I hope!) Now, we just have to nail down the cover design and formatting. Easy right? Ummm…

I have one of the best designers ever. Sarah E. Melville is a design goddess sent from the City of Gods to bless us with her brilliance. And I love the cover she created for DEATH BY DESTINY. I also love my new RENT-A-KID cover. But the feedback has been mixed.

While almost everyone loves it as a piece of art, many find it hard to read (though her modified versions to be eBook friendly are easier) and MOST find that it doesn't really sell the book based on the genre and story line. In fact, a lot of people even think the title is off-putting to the teen and young adult demographic (not sure how to factor in the fact that many adults also read YA).

Now trust me when I say that this title and cover do actually represent the theme and story of the book, in a metaphorical way. It's symbolic.

But here's where I need your feedback. Which cover is your favorite? And more importantly, do you feel this cover is intriguing for a YA paranormal novel? Some have suggested a more standard cover, boy and girl in romantic position, some flashes of paranormal activity around them. New title. What do you think? It's a thriller of sorts, but has a strong romantic and coming of age theme as well. Some of the most successful YA covers do not really show the story, or even the paranormal nature of the book. It's symbolic. (Twilight, Amanda Hocking, Hunger Games) What do you think?

To add incentive to this question, one lucky commenter (randomly chosen) will win a free e-Book of RENT-A-KID when the final edits are complete. To qualify, you must select your favorite cover, but ALSO tell me what you think of the cover and the title based on the premise of the novel! Ready? Go!

Sam spent her whole life at RENT-A-KIDS, using her mind reading para-powers to spy on the rich. Just before her 18th birthday, when she is supposed to be free to live her own life, she meets a boy who makes her question everything she believed.

By joining powers with him, she begins to uncover the secrets behind the organization she always trusted. But will their powers be enough to keep them alive once they know the truth?

~She reads minds. He controls minds. Together, they might get out alive.~

Aug. 26th UPDATE:

I'm looking for a new title. Thoughts? Here's the one I like the best. I'll give out an extra eBook AND signed paperback to anyone who comes up with the perfect name that I use as the final title! Here's the one I like the best so far, given to me by Anahata Graceland:

RAW MIND