book recs, author services, general badassery
  • Blog
    • Free Romance Reads
    • Our Thoughts
    • 1-Click Wonders
    • Author on Authors
    • Chattin' with Authors
    • So You're New To...
  • Book Recs
  • Reviews
    • 5-Star Reads
    • Contemporary Romance
    • Historical Romance
    • New Adult Romance
    • Paranormal Romance
    • Romantic Comedy
    • Romantic Erotica
    • Romantic Suspense
    • Teen Young Adult
    • Hall of Shame
  • About
    • Contact
    • Review Policy
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Advertising on Romance Rehab
  • For Authors
    • Romance novel blurb help
    • Referral Program
    • Romance Remedy
    • Romance Author Services
    • Online Writer's Resources
    • Proofreading Test >
      • Proofreading Test Answers
  • Blog
    • Free Romance Reads
    • Our Thoughts
    • 1-Click Wonders
    • Author on Authors
    • Chattin' with Authors
    • So You're New To...
  • Book Recs
  • Reviews
    • 5-Star Reads
    • Contemporary Romance
    • Historical Romance
    • New Adult Romance
    • Paranormal Romance
    • Romantic Comedy
    • Romantic Erotica
    • Romantic Suspense
    • Teen Young Adult
    • Hall of Shame
  • About
    • Contact
    • Review Policy
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Advertising on Romance Rehab
  • For Authors
    • Romance novel blurb help
    • Referral Program
    • Romance Remedy
    • Romance Author Services
    • Online Writer's Resources
    • Proofreading Test >
      • Proofreading Test Answers
Picture

What’s with all the WTF book covers in romance?

8/27/2018

6 Comments

 
What’s with all the WTF book covers in romance?
Whenever I see a woman out in public with her skirt tucked into the back of her panty hose, or a man with a comb-over, I always think, why didn’t someone not love them enough to tell them they looked ridiculous? Well, sometimes when I’m browsing Amazon looking for my next read, I see book covers that make me wonder the same thing. Why didn’t anyone love these authors enough to tell them their covers were awful?
Now, before all the authors out there jump on me with both feet, I’d like to say that I realize covers are subjective, and what’s awful to me is beautiful to someone else. And I know that some authors feel they can’t afford a professionally designed cover and need to create their own (which is pretty untrue because there are tons of lovely premade covers out there available for a SONG...but I digress…). But let’s set all that aside and think about the greater good. The romance genre takes plenty of heat every day. It’s marginalized and maligned in every conceivable way, even though it outsells pretty much every other genre there is. I’ve read so many wonderful romances that I’d like to say all the genre’s critics were totally out of line...but…

There are still covers out there that are pretty much doing everything they can to reinforce the romance stigma.    

Don’t believe me? Well check these out:

​(A quick aside: I’m not calling anyone out just to be mean. But if we really want to rehab the genre—and WE DO—then stuff like this can’t happen anymore. We don’t want to embarrass or pick on anyone. We just want romance book covers to reflect how wonderful the genre really is.)

An Angel's Unintentional Entanglement
The font is awful and hard to read, there’s something terribly wrong with that man’s jaw, his hair is one of the worst Photoshop fails I've ever seen and the woman in that photo is making the same face I make when I see my dog dragging his ass across the carpet. The blurb for this book is far from the worst thing I’ve ever seen, but I wouldn’t read the book because I’d be embarrassed to have this cover on my Kindle. Shallow of me? Absolutely. But I make no apologies.

Under the Yew Tree
​I...uh...have no words. I’m just gonna...leave this here.

A Breath of Scandal
OK, let’s just say that I was able to look past the weird, 1980s purple font and photo background (which I’m not), I’d still be left to contend with the fact that the heroine is seriously channeling Disney’s version of  Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the fact that the hero has a mullet. I'm talking full-on Billy Ray Cyrus MULLET! That is NOT OK for a book that was re-covered in 2011.

Treasure Bear
Oh, sweet merciful crap on a crust, what happened to the lower half of that man’s body?! What kind of horrible accident was he in??? Did the book cover designer quit halfway through? Did the "Treasure Bear" maul this guy? What?

​On second thought...maybe it's best if we never know.

Rogue Highlander
Frankly, I’m a little uncomfortable with the way Fabio’s kid brother is looking at me in this one. There’s a fine line between intense eye contact and the piercing stare of a psycho, and this guy has crossed RIGHT over the top of it. Yikes.

The Omega's Forbidden Child
I would’ve paid good money to see the designer’s face when the author said, “I want a baby, a shirtless dude, and Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon on my romance cover.”

    Let's discuss

Submit
6 Comments
Jeriann link
8/27/2018 10:59:33 am

Just ew. It's as if anyone with a photoshop program slaps it together.

But can we also talk about well done covers where the model on the cover bears no resemblance to the character?

Reply
Jennifer, Romance Rehab
8/27/2018 11:13:19 am

Right? They don't call them cover ARTISTS for nothing. Not just anyone should be allowed to throw together a cover design. And I'm totally with you--if the character is a blond, then damn it, have a blond on your cover! It should be law. Or have no people on your cover.That'd be fine, too.

Reply
Caitlyn Lynch link
8/27/2018 05:02:03 pm

I hope you follow baderoticacovers on Tumblr. Hitting their Random button never fails to give me a laugh when I'm having a shitty day.

Reply
Jennifer, Romance Rehab
8/28/2018 12:33:20 pm

*runs off to check out baderoticacovers*

Reply
kc
9/13/2018 04:46:19 pm

Have you ever checked out All Things Urban Fantasy's Cover Art Coverage they critic covers it can get pretty funny :) http://allthingsuf.com/tag/cover-art-coverage

Reply
Jennifer, Romance Rehab
9/20/2018 11:22:06 am

Oh my God, just checked this out and lost an hour looking through past covers. Hilarious! Thanks so much.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Romance Rehab newsletter sign up

    FOLLOW US 
    Reedsy Top Book Reviewer 2019

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017

Picture

BLOG
FREE Romance books
​Book Recommendations

Our Thoughts
1-Click Wonders
5-Star Reads
Authors on Authors
Chattin' with Authors
So You're New To...
What Not to Read
REVIEWS
​
Contemporary Romance
Historical Romance
New Adult Romance
Paranormal Romance
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Erotica
Romantic Suspense
Teen/Young Adult
ABOUT
Contact
Review Policy
Guest Post Guidelines
Advertising on
​Romance Rehab

​
FOR AUTHORS
Online Writer's Resources
Proofreading Test
ROMANCE AUTHOR SERVICES 
Romance novel blurb help
Romance Remedy program

Referral program

Romance author services
  • Book cover critique
  • Animated book covers and social media graphics
  • Beta reading
FREE Romance Rehab newsletter: ​Subscribe here
KnockinBooks LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
​© 2020 KnockinBooks LLC