How romance novel covers are shot

I wasn’t inspired to write another review and I felt a little fed up with all the poetry and quizzes, so I decided to just browse the internet-sphere for an interesting subject. And boy, did I found one! This Cosmopolitan article is entertaining, informative and surprising. What more do you need?

Shot on Gold by Jaci Burton, expected to be published in February 2018, lent itself for this article where Eliza Thompson took a look behind the scenes of a photo shoot for a romance novel cover. Since the book is about an athletic, muscular hockey player, they needed a model that fit the sporty bill. Burton’s publicist ended up hiring a personal trainer for the shoot and this is the result:

Source: Cosmopolitan article

I like it! A typical cover, which shows the character to be sporty, muscular, determined and tough. And that fits the book’s description:

Hockey player Will “Mad Dog” Madigan is back for his second shot at the international games. He’s fired up and ready to play—both on and off the ice, and when he meets figure skater Amber Sloane, she’s unlike any woman he’s ever met. She’s ambitious and driven and takes no time for fun. But Will wants to show Amber there’s always time for romance—even in this competitive environment. Between fierce competition and chasing gold, will they have a chance at finding love?

Generally, writers don’t really have a lot of say on the cover, it’s mostly the publishers that decide this. And everybody knows those romance novels covers that depict shirtless (or partly undressed) men with optionally a woman beside them, looking at them all longingly. Personally, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t mind people knowing what I’m reading when I’m in public and am not embarrassed by it. I also don’t judge a book by its cover, to be honest, I don’t even really look at book covers. And when I put books on display in my book cases, only the spine will be showing since I don’t have enough room. So I have no problem whatsoever with this kind of cover. But, I do know a few people who’d prefer it if romance novels had more “everyday” covers so it wouldn’t be so obvious that they’re reading romance. Or people who do like artistic, original, … covers to put on display.

Which way do you lean? An unembarrassed omnivore, or someone who would never admit their liking romance novels? Let me know in the comments.

Happy reading,

Loes M.