Last week we looked at the best paranormal/fantasy romance covers of 2011, now for what we've all been waiting for... the worst.
I know, I know, it's like a car crash. You pray it doesn't happen to you, yet you can't helping looking out the corner of your eye as you pass.
1st place
This cover would benefit from a little photoshop fading. Maybe to the point where the characters are so faded we can't see them. I get no sense of connection between the characters, and oh, lord, what is she wearing?
Laura: “Words fail me! WHAT is she wearing? And how are they staying on???...”
Other readers tried to imagine what the cover designers were thinking, including Alissa. “They are all dreadful, but this looks like badly made costumes for a “dress as your favorite pulp sci fi cover” party. Was this meant to be funny?...”
2nd place:
This is like a challenge to the reader, how many separate photoshopped images can you count? The hat, his face, her face, the man body, the woman body, the background.
Jen B.: “Where to start! The editing/cut and paste/crayons and markers are horrible! There isn’t even an attempt to hide the fact that this is more Photoshop than photo. The facial expressions and body positions make me feel dirty looking at them. I need a shower!”
Dagny: “Hardest category, hands down, they’re all so awful. I picked this one because it’s a warning to the dangers of an unsupervised Photoshop license. Also, I want as many people as possible to be warned that these mutants may breed.”
Many voters found this cover “so bad it’s funny”, including Cover Cafe’s Katherine. “there are many different types of worst covers: the scary, the gross, the way, way, way too much skin, and the funny. My favorite is the funny cover. I love a cover this is so ridiculous that it makes me laugh out loud, so I picked Sweet Temptations.
3rd place:
I actually kinda liked this cover, the trouble is it's completely inappropriate for a romance. It would work quite well for a high school zombie story.
This cover just did not appeal to many romance readers (although it’s described as a romance). The most common descriptions were “gross”, “icky”, “awful” and “horrid”, or as Rick put it, “I just had lunch, but this image makes my eyeballs wish they knew how to vomit.”
4th place:
Um... ow. I don't think this is something one should do naked, on the other hand if they're not your legs maybe you can get away with it.
ome readers really liked this cover (including Cover Cafe’s Linnae) but other readers didn’t get it. This included author Carly Phillips, who laughed and commented, “It speaks for itself.
”
Other readers noted the title, which is a play on the title of a German Christmas carol. Virginia: “I speak German, so this one really deserves a few awfulness bonus points for the pun on the Christmas carol Es ist ein Ros’ entrsprungen (There is a rose e’er blooming.)”
5th place:
Why did they put the stalker on the cover not the hero?
Mary Jo: “This cover has a stalker on it and needs a belle too. Without lust/love illustrated on the cover, I’m left with a vaguely “stalked” feeling as a reader. I don’t want to be scared, but involved in a romance novel.”
Lesley: “A hard choice as usual. Some are surely meant to be funny. But this guy is creepy. Is he meant to be the hero? He looks more like a serial killer.”
Zizie: “I’m all for a half-naked man on the cover, but this guy? With this title, just run, run, RUN!!!!”
More worst here
I know, I know, it's like a car crash. You pray it doesn't happen to you, yet you can't helping looking out the corner of your eye as you pass.
1st place
Laura: “Words fail me! WHAT is she wearing? And how are they staying on???...”
Other readers tried to imagine what the cover designers were thinking, including Alissa. “They are all dreadful, but this looks like badly made costumes for a “dress as your favorite pulp sci fi cover” party. Was this meant to be funny?...”
2nd place:
This is like a challenge to the reader, how many separate photoshopped images can you count? The hat, his face, her face, the man body, the woman body, the background.
Jen B.: “Where to start! The editing/cut and paste/crayons and markers are horrible! There isn’t even an attempt to hide the fact that this is more Photoshop than photo. The facial expressions and body positions make me feel dirty looking at them. I need a shower!”
Dagny: “Hardest category, hands down, they’re all so awful. I picked this one because it’s a warning to the dangers of an unsupervised Photoshop license. Also, I want as many people as possible to be warned that these mutants may breed.”
Many voters found this cover “so bad it’s funny”, including Cover Cafe’s Katherine. “there are many different types of worst covers: the scary, the gross, the way, way, way too much skin, and the funny. My favorite is the funny cover. I love a cover this is so ridiculous that it makes me laugh out loud, so I picked Sweet Temptations.
3rd place:
This cover just did not appeal to many romance readers (although it’s described as a romance). The most common descriptions were “gross”, “icky”, “awful” and “horrid”, or as Rick put it, “I just had lunch, but this image makes my eyeballs wish they knew how to vomit.”
Um... ow. I don't think this is something one should do naked, on the other hand if they're not your legs maybe you can get away with it.
ome readers really liked this cover (including Cover Cafe’s Linnae) but other readers didn’t get it. This included author Carly Phillips, who laughed and commented, “It speaks for itself.
”
Other readers noted the title, which is a play on the title of a German Christmas carol. Virginia: “I speak German, so this one really deserves a few awfulness bonus points for the pun on the Christmas carol Es ist ein Ros’ entrsprungen (There is a rose e’er blooming.)”
Why did they put the stalker on the cover not the hero?
Mary Jo: “This cover has a stalker on it and needs a belle too. Without lust/love illustrated on the cover, I’m left with a vaguely “stalked” feeling as a reader. I don’t want to be scared, but involved in a romance novel.”
Lesley: “A hard choice as usual. Some are surely meant to be funny. But this guy is creepy. Is he meant to be the hero? He looks more like a serial killer.”
Zizie: “I’m all for a half-naked man on the cover, but this guy? With this title, just run, run, RUN!!!!”
More worst here
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