Lisa Hendrix

Is something in the air?  Discussions of romance book covers are suddenly all over the web.

First I popped into DearAuthor and found Cover Identification, Susan Holloway Scott’s well-illustrated overview of romance covers from the various publishers. (Lovely cover, btw, Susan.)

Then I ran into a post at Word Wenches titled Cover Conspiracy, which responds to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about how romance covers “say women are dumb” (the PI’s words, not mine or the Wenches!). 

And then I opened a Barnes and Noble email expecting an e-coupon and discovered instead an announcement of a new feature series at B&N.com called “Cover Story” which features the artists/art directors who are responsible for book covers (coming soon — a romance cover designer by the name of Judy York).  

All of which demonstrates how ideas propagate through by some mysterious means—which is why an editor will suddenly get five stories about singing swords and pregnant window-washers in one month (no, no one ’stole’ your idea).

And which also reminds me of the wonderful World of Longmire romance cover spoofs, which I didn’t discover today, but which still make me snort most unattractively.

…and I cannnot tell you how pleased I am with it.  The initial idea came from my editor, and then the terrific Art Department at Berkley put it all together. Between them, they’ve captured the feel of the story perfectly.

This is always the most exciting part of the process for me, next to the day the finished book lands in my hand.  It used to be that we never saw the art until we got the cover flat. Now we get preliminary artwork, then the finished covers, via email.  We still get the actual cover flats, which are front, back, and spine printed all on one sheet, with a fold-over that includes information for the sales reps to use (quotes, reviews, previous sales info, etc.). But although it’s fun—and useful—to have them, the thrill comes when you first get to see the art with the title font and how they’ve put it all together.

And honestly, is this young man a hunk, or what? To get a better look at that six-pack,  check out a larger version here.

a) the Universe’s way of mocking us.

b) here, baby, and don’t pretend it isn’t.

c) a fun new book by Sheila Roberts.

d) motivation to finally lose a few pounds.

e) all of the above.

Answer:  e, all of the above.

I spent a pleasant Sunday morning reading answer c), Bikini Season, the latest from Sheila Roberts, author of last Christmas’s delightful On Strike for Christmas.

What a treat!  By the time I closed the book, I felt like I’d made five new friends, plus had regained motivation to get back onto the South Beach Diet that helped me take off ten pounds last winter.

Roberts takes us back to Heart Lake, WA, where the members of a local cooking club have realized they’re all starting to pile up health and emotional issues related to weight. They decide to keep the club together as a support group and learn to cook healthy. Unfortunately, the various men in their lives have, shall we say, less than helpful reactions.

Every word of this book rang true, from the candy gifts one loving husband insists on giving his dieting wife, to the emotional eating another woman has to learn to overcome.  If there’s a woman who hasn’t been there, done that, bought the t-shirt…well, I want to send her a pencil. (You’ll have to read the book to get the reference, ’cause I ain’t gonna tell.)

But this book isn’t just about weight.  It’s about goals, being honest with yourself, asking for what you need and want, and knowing you’re important.  Sheila Roberts has another romantic women’s fiction winner here, full of humor, truth, and wonderful women’s friendships.  Buy this book for yourself, and share it with the women you love.

Happy first anniversary to Barbara Vey at Publisher’s Weekly. Her wonderful blog Beyond Her Book has evolved into a must-read for fans and writers of romance and women’s fiction.

In celebration, Barbara is trying to set a new record number of visitors, and to encourage everyone to come, she’s giving away a slew of prizes from writers and publishers. To enter, just post a comment to today’s post. She’ll announce the winners tomorrow.

Marketing expert Seth Godin spoke to recording industry execs recently about the changes they’re going to have to make to survive in the new music market.

Well, the publishing industry faces similar changes as ebooks approach true feasibility, and any writer, editor, agent, or publisher who is interested in surviving in the changing market needs to read Godin’s Live Music Talk and step out ahead of the curve.

One point Godin emphasizes is that recording companies could shift to providing valuable services such as building tribal-type communities for their artists. Interestingly, the most successful romance authors I know have been building their tribes for years. For example, Nora Roberts has her Noraholics, and Debbie Macomber has her incredibly faithful band of readers who turn out for signings in droves (Debbie publishes a paper newsletter that goes out to thousands of these faithful!). Both Nora and Debbie have put a lot of time, money, and attention into gathering these tribes, and it has paid off in spades. Only recently have their publishers begun to contribute to their efforts.

Authors can already put digital copies of their books on-line very easily (check out these free downloads from science fiction author and blogger Cory Doctorow). Once a truly usable ebook reader hits the market, the houses will find themselves fighting the same DRM battle as the record companies — with as little success (as Godin points out, suing listeners/readers is both a BAD idea and a battle you can’t win). Instead, smart publishers — the ones who ultimately survive — will find a way to provide valuable services to readers (and thereby to their writers) other than killing trees.

Lisa

Is all the news about the death of the independent bookstore just so much media hype?

That’s the question raised by Seattle bookseller JB DIckey in a letter to the Seattle Times. Dickey, owner of the Seattle Mystery Bookshop notes that when local independent M. Coy Books closed recently, the Times did a big gloom and doom article on the death of an industry. However, when SMB moved to a bigger space a couple of years back because they were doing so well, the Times utterly ignored their press releases.

To excerpt from Dickey’s letter: “If you want to know how independent booksellers really are doing, Read the rest of this entry »