Killing Fear Covers

on September 13, 2007

I am so thrilled to post two covers for KILLING FEAR. These are not officially released, but they’re not going to change except for the tag line, which will become “Fight for your next breath” . . . if we have a tag line at all. But the final covers won’t be printed until December anyway.

Ballantine decided to produce two covers, a blue one and a red one. If all goes according to plan, both will be available in stores, side-by-side. I have a favorite, but I like them both. I’d be interested in your opinions as well–blue or red? I’m particularly interested to find out if men and women have different thoughts, or if those who read primarily romance prefer one over those who read primarily suspense.

KF Blue KF Red

I really love these covers. It’s amazing, because there was one early cover that I didn’t love so much. They only made one change, but it was the backdrop, and it changed the entire tone and feeling of the cover . . . for the better, IMO. In print they look sharper and bolder than they do on screen, and my name is in silver just like my other books.

Yes, I’m gushing. Sorry 🙂 . . .

We’ve talked about covers a lot here. Covers are so important to book sales that it’s worth talking about. Unless your name is Nora Roberts or Stephen King or James Patterson and a handful of others, covers drive people to pick up your book. Back cover copy pushes them to open it. And your writing pushes them to buy it.

But picking up the book is largely dependent on the cover. For me, the most important thing about the cover is that it conveys the tone of the book. Light or dark, fun or serious, “romantic” romantic suspense or “suspensy” romantic suspense. I don’t like being deceived and expecting one thing, but getting another.

Have you bought a book just because you loved its cover, or turned away a book because you hated the front?