What sort of covers would you like to see in YA LGBT Books?

[Kaje]

I actually like covers on YA and adult books that are artistic and have something to do with the book and not just a couple of guys/gals with a nebulous background even hugging/about to kiss. or or or are some favorites.

[Jo]

The cover of my scheduled May release Dolphins in the Mud has a dolphin on it... It isn't about dolphins (though dolphins play a role in the main character meeting his love interest), but I asked for a dolphin on the cover.

It isn't exactly a romance, since the two boys don't end up together, but there are romantic bits.

[Stephen]

The covers Kaje put in her post were all great. What I'd suggest to authors deciding on what makes a good cover is that they be somewhat subtle.

When I lived in New York there were a number of times that I'd leave the obviously gay-themed book I was reading in my bag and reached for something more nondescript because I didn't want to incite some of the dodgy characters I'd be riding the trains with.

One example the other cover for this book is much less inflammatory. I may just be a product of my environment and upbringing. I certainly don't advocate judging a book by it's cover. But I do assert that there are crazies out there who do.

had a great cover

Of course, I personally prefer my OLD copy of to the anniversary issue but then that's partly due to the way that the newer cover foreshadows the book's unhappy ending.

On the converse side of this argument though are books like I got the book off an on-line swap site partly based on the cover and the one good review. Oh, if only I'd known how much more talented the cover artist was than the author!

has a great cover in that it complements the story so well

as does

Other favorites of mine are
and and and and

I'd even give an honorable mention to the cover of for capturing the spirit of the story while refraining from standing a baseball bat between the baseballs.

[Kaje]

Oh yeah, Sprout - I love that cover.

[[deleted user]]

I really like the covers of What They Always Tell Us, which is my favourite, of The Vast Fields of Ordinary, of With or Without You, of Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You, but also of Desert Sons...you know, I just like those kind of covers which give you an idea of what's the atmosphere like in the book. And the title is really really important, like What They Always Tell Us it's just perfect, because it has a really good cover which totally fits the title. When you see the book on a shelf you already know what it's gonna talk about, and if you like that, then you know you are bound to buy it.

[Steven]

Interesting topic. For the cover of my upcoming YA Post-Apocalyptic novel featuring a gay male protagonist and love interest , the publisher decided to go with artwork that featured the dark, gritty nature of the story. I'm actually very pleased with what they came up with because I feel it captures the mood of the story, even though I know people that like the "pretty girl/pretty dress" covers probably aren't pleased...lol.

[Kaje]

Steven wrote: "Interesting topic. For the cover of my upcoming YA Post-Apocalyptic novel featuring a gay male protagonist and love interest , the publisher decided to go with artwork that f..."

Well, those people might not like a gritty story anyway - I like that one a lot.

[Steven]

Thanks, Kaje. Someone had blogged about my book. While the comments on the plot line were very positive, many of the comments about the cover were negative :-(

[Kaje]

Thats a pity because I like it a lot, the color tone which has an aura of danger but warm not cold, the lettering, the way it crumbles a bit... I like it all. Taste in covers certainly varies, if you look at some of the "best cover" discussions, but I personally think yours is very well done and wouldn't hesitate to have a cover by that artist if I was writing in that vein.

[Steven]

Thanks. It seems a lot of the ones that get fawned over are the beauty covers (ie pretty girl, model, etc). They are always met with th "oh what a gorgeous cover!" praise. The sad thing is there's an attitude the other books won't even be considered if they don't look pretty.

[Kaje]

I like covers with mood, a feel to them, not just a look; "pretty" is a superficial thing. And I also often prefer not to have full-face images of the protagonists; they sometimes don't match my mental images and that irks me.

[Jennifer]

Have to throw in my two cents here. I love the cover that was put together for my book, coming out in September:

The reason I like it so much is because, yes, there's a model staring out, but at the same time he's wearing sunglasses with his eyes mostly closed. To me it was symbolic of the secret he's hiding. Also I loved the background with the two boys in the sunset. It appealed to the artistic side of me.

And as a teacher for seventh and eighth graders, it doesn't hurt that the boy is good looking. I tell my kids not to judge a book by its cover, but hey, we all do. And they fell for the male model like nothing I've seen before.

BTW, Steven, I think the cover of your book looks fantastic and I just added it to my list. Sounds great to me!

[Steven]

Thanks, Jennifer! I just added your book as well! Sounds great :-)

[Jennifer]

Steven wrote: "Thanks, Jennifer! I just added your book as well! Sounds great :-)"

Thank you!

I'm on a post-apocalyptic kick right now. It saddened me to see that your book isn't coming out until next year! My students are devouring books like The Enemy, Empty, The Water Wars, etc. I've lost track. I'm sure they would love yours, too. Would you say it's appropriate for grades 7 up?

[Steven]

Hey Jennifer! I've been reading a lot of Post-Apocalyptic novels myself :-)
The target age range of my book is the same as Hunger Games , Divergent, etc so I would say age 12 and up. On Amazon pre-order it mentions 12 and up as well. Thanks so much for keeping my book in mind! Can't wait to share it with readers :-)

[Jennifer]

Steven wrote: "Hey Jennifer! I've been reading a lot of Post-Apocalyptic novels myself :-)
The target age range of my book is the same as Hunger Games , Divergent, etc so I would say age 12 and up. On Amazon pre-..."

Perfect! I think I'm going to preorder it now so I don't forget to later! I'm going to have to make room on my dystopian/PA shelf! Haha. :)

[Steven]

Jennifer wrote: "Steven wrote: "Hey Jennifer! I've been reading a lot of Post-Apocalyptic novels myself :-)
The target age range of my book is the same as Hunger Games , Divergent, etc so I would say age 12 and up...."

Thanks for the support! It's REALLY appreciated! :-)

[Terah]

Much like Stephen's well-informed post on book covers I prefer less 'inflammatory' covers. A nice cover shot of a model or models will be enough for me, without intense PDA. I then always look to the back of the book blurb or author recommendations for LGBT influences.

[Guppy]

I personally feel that they should be more artistic or abstract. Intense sexual or touching type things on the cover may deter closeted readers. Even though they may be love stories, I think more artistic covers can suffice. Think of 50 Shades of Grey's cover. Everybody and their mother knows that book has some raunchy business in there, but at least the cover is creative. Just my opinion, but to each it's own.

[Rainbowheart]

I'd like to see more diverse gender representation. Probably 99% of lesbian teen books feature femme girls on the cover, even if the MC herself is not particularly femme.

[Kaje]

I loved seeing the cover of on mainstream bookshelves.

[Henry]

I prefer covers without pictures of people on them. I'm a big fan of graphic design covers because it makes me feel like someone put more effort into designing the cover, which makes me more likely to pick up the book. But with covers like that of Two Boys Kissing, it's a big thing to have a picture of a same-gender kiss on books shelved outside of the tiny LGBT shelf most bookstores have.

[E.J.]

Emily wrote: "I prefer covers without pictures of people on them. I'm a big fan of graphic design covers because it makes me feel like someone put more effort into designing the cover, which makes me more likely..."

I definitely agree about the graphic design covers. Usually the covers are designed in a minimalist style, with a hint of hidden meaning behind the placement.

For instance or or even this children's book .

I tried to make the book cover for my book have some symbolism in it...you know, the hand reaching for the title...

I also personally enjoy the covers of classics as well. Again, I blame my love of symbolism on that. Like or or even .

[Kaje]

That's a great version of the Fahrenheit 451 cover. And the Night Circus one.

[Tara]

I recently found out a friend has her major in art, and I am giving her a chance to design a cover for me. I love covers that have a stylistic flow and depict a scene from the book. I love and one of my favorites . Simple and beautiful.

[J.T.]

First post in this group!

I agree about the dresses--ugh, especially the HEADLESS girl in a dress cover. At least show the head!

I love artistic, beautiful covers, so I actually went out and found one for my recently published short story pack. It's fantasy, and the first story features a lesbian in college who is hopelessly in love with her best friend.



(Don't let the name fool you; I publish under more than one name.)

[Kaje]

Hi :) And that is a lovely cover. Striking enough to be easily identifiable, which has become the other big thing for covers. No matter how artistic or moody it is in full size, it has to condense down to an attractive small or thumbnail size, because that's how most readers will see it first.

[[deleted user]]

I've been interested in books that have a dark or elegant but tasteful cover. I actually like the poofy dress trend, but it works imo when the book's setting calls for it.

[Bruno]

Two types of covers that I really like are the ones that focus on one element, like , and the simple ones, like (covers with too many details usually strike me as messy. I don't know, maybe it's just some OCD in me surfacing...).

I don't particularly prefer design graphic covers over the ones with real people. Oh, and, of course, covers that give you a hint on what's the story about are also very inviting!

[Kaje]

I really like that "Out of the Pocket" cover - simple, emotional and clear in a small size.

[Amy]

I don't like covers with real people on it. for me it partially ruins it. I like to imagine the cheacters myself. Not be given some faces

[Kaje]

Amy, Hayden's datefriend wrote: "I don't like covers with real people on it. for me it partially ruins it. I like to imagine the cheacters myself. Not be given some faces"

Young Adult seems to have real people covers less than adult books do, but I agree there are times when it's a big clash. The covers for really didn't fit my imagination. But some publishers love those. I like people on the cover but a bit subtle, like or

[Stephen]

I generally don't have a problem with real human faces either way... provided they're not over-used models.

BTW... I'm the only person I know who caught and posted that in the book Aaron the scar that was added to the model's face is on the WRONG SIDE.

[K]

Hi Stephen - not being funny - but that one... really isn't suitable for the YA group - would you mind terribly editing your post or taking out the links/cover. Sorry.

[Stephen]

Sure NP. I've actually read both Aaron and A Broken Kind of Life and both are worth the time (for the right readers)

[K]

Thanks Stephen.

[Kaje]

BTW, there is a YA version of Aaron - A Broken Kind of Life and I like that cover better although it's too dark in thumbnail.

I'd put strong warnings on Aaron for abuse and intensity, 18+ story, so thanks for pulling the link.

[Kaje]

The thumbnail issue has affected covers - many artistic covers which are lovely and subtle in full size, don't do well shrunken to tiny rectangles, and that's what most people see nowadays as they scan online lists.

[Stephen]

For those that have read both Aaron and A Broken Kind of Life I'd be curious to discuss just exactly what was changed to make it YA acceptable.

I started a thread on it at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... but so far no one has commented.

[Kaje]

I read Aaron, but haven't read the YA. I'd be curious too. I imagine part of it was toning down the abuse component intensity?

[Tara]

The cover of my new (and first) YA is getting a lot of attention from reviewers, and readers alike. Very simple and depicts the story wonderfully. The paperback version is even better.

[Kaje]

I like that - it gives a nice hint of the story in a simple image :)

[Janelle]

Amy, Hayden's datefriend wrote: "I don't like covers with real people on it. for me it partially ruins it. I like to imagine the cheacters myself. Not be given some faces"

Amy, I agree. People pictures really ruins the imaginary images I have in my head.

[Andrew]

Janelle wrote: "Amy, Hayden's datefriend wrote: "I don't like covers with real people on it. for me it partially ruins it. I like to imagine the cheacters myself. Not be given some faces"

Amy, I agree. People pi..."

I totally agree as well! I prefer covers that are more abstract and symbolic so I can make up my own mind about what the characters look like.

I do however appreciate LGBT book covers breaking boundaries, such as David Levithan's Two Boys Kissing

I think it used to be that LGBT books had to have some suggestion of sexuality so you could pick them out from a bookstore or library if you were looking for them. I guess that's changed with on-line retailers, tags and search terms. Kind of a good thing, I think. I love my rainbow flags at Pride parades, but sticking the rainbow on covers sort of takes away from the art and the imagination, I feel.

[Stephen]

I guess that the full face reveal is a bit limiting but I do like the mostly turned away images. They can convey a lot of ideas and still allow the reader some latitude.

Here are two examples of what I mean

or

Of course movie tie-in editions are another matter entirely

[Janelle]

Stephen wrote: "Of course movie tie-in editions are another matter entirely."

Yes, movie tie-ins are totally fine, because you recognize the actors as the characters. Although movies spoiled the original Harry Potter covers for me. I look at the book and think, "that doesn't even look like Daniel Radcliff!"

[Kaje]

For me it's often the other way - I get irked that the movie character doesn't look like how I imagined the book, and want the old covers back. (Of course, usually I've read the book before seeing the movie.)

[Stephen]

A lot of the posters here who do NOT favor full facial photos on covers state that they like the freedom to imaging the characters as they like from the description rather than being limited by a photo.

Would folks feel the same way about a character's name? I'm about 150 pages into a 200 page book The Butterfly Boy by Richard Cawley and he's yet to name the eponymous character. He refers to the main character's Nemesis (fixation?) as simply "the boy" or "the butterfly boy." He's described him in detail but he's never given him a name. The kid even signs letters with a drawing of a butterfly. To me it feels a bit like an annoying affectation.

BTW... the cover features a kind of "shot through gauze" photo of the guy.

At the same time I started listening to Wholehearted by Cate Ashwood again and she has a character that's unconscious throughout most of the first chapter. Yet they open his wallet and discover his name and suddenly every third sentence is using his name. Maybe it's the juxtaposition of the two but somehow it seems "wrong" to be using the character's first name that frequently when we've not really met the guy awake yet.

[Rainbowheart]

I've read a few books and watched a few movies with nameless characters, but actually I didn't even notice until reviews pointed it out!

[Amy]

Stephen wrote: "A lot of the posters here who do NOT favor full facial photos on covers state that they like the freedom to imaging the characters as they like from the description rather than being limited by a p..."

That's a pretty bad comparison if I may say so. It(s just usually you don't have pictures in books, so it's on you to imagine all of it as best as you can only having the description. The photos on the cover take this away form us.

And yes I know what it is to not have the name. Just a little while back I read Perks and I never learned who he was writing those letters.