Cutlass Trilogy

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Books and Black...?

Okay, I went to Hastings...I mean...it's not really a bookstore...but it has entertainment! And I was very surprised by the amount of black I saw on the shelves. I'm not dissing black, lol, but everyones books look the same!

Look:

and this one:

Does anyone else thing Twilight set off this trend? Do you guys think book covers are trends as well? Cause I definitely know that people judge books by their covers! But is there a mindset that "If this book looks like that book which is selling well, this one might too?"

Also: Anyone wanna way in on what agents mean when they want a 'bio' instead of 'query'? 
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7 comments:

  1. Adelle YeungApril 16, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    I started writing on the Absolute Write forums and asked for feedback on my cover. A lot of them said it looks light and refreshing, not like "dark and heavy" like a lot of the other stuff on the YA market. Though they say it's appealing, some of them said it looks more like MG than YA.

    Anyway, I won't really point fingers at Twilight, but I think the overall YA trend going into "darker" tones sets what people feel about the cover. Either that, or aesthetically people like black better--it's not an eyesore, it makes the actual artwork stand out more... assuming black is just the backdrop.

    Don't know where I'm getting at with this, but you can also look at the American Harry Potter cover art. When the first books came out, they were light and whimsical, but as they progressed they grew darker. Kinda reflects in the cover art. The Sorcerer's Stone through the Goblet of Fire had a lot of different colors, but starting with the Order of the Phoenix, they became more monochromatic. The dominant colors were blue, green, orange--no longer was there a whole array of colors.

    I dunno, that's my two cents.

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  2. UnknownApril 16, 2011 at 9:19 AM

    Well, I like your two cents! I was just wondering...and a little freaked about by all the black. Especially since I think popular media reflects things going on in our society. lol.

    That is true about Harry Potter, but I think there is a difference considering there isn't just a black backdrop and a single imagine (like a flower, a face, or whatev). I dunno though. I just thought it was interesting!

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  3. Adelle YeungApril 16, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    Maybe 'cause Harry Potter has a lot more fantastical elements and more content compared to the other YA books? Haha, I dunno. Personally I haven't read a lot of the "black cover with dominant symbol" kinda books so I can't really say.

    Oh and as for the bio instead of a query... Maybe they want a bio in addition to the query? Or... I asked one of the literary writing professors here and she asked that in the LITERARY market people are more interested in the writer's background and what they have to offer rather than the story they're trying to sell.

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  4. UnknownApril 16, 2011 at 4:01 PM

    So do you think I should send a query and a bio??

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  5. Adelle YeungApril 16, 2011 at 5:58 PM

    Well I'm no expert XD Maybe you should ask for clarification on their part.

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  6. Adelle YeungApril 17, 2011 at 1:29 AM

    Oh by the way I came across this that might be of interest to you :D It's about credentials in query letters.

    http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1220642&postcount=10

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownApril 17, 2011 at 8:43 AM

    Thank you so much!!!

    ReplyDelete

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