1. Photo or illustration 2. Title of book (and font and size consideration. Caps? No caps?) 3. Author name and placement thereof. 4. Blurb or no blurb? Tagline or no tagline? 5. Colors – for fonts and background. Light, dark, bright?

Overall, the cover art must convey in an instant the “feel” of the book. The reader should have a good idea of the tone of the novel and the genre from this snapshot. Here’s a sampling of some of the cover art and what it conveys to me. Besides the romance genre, typically the cover art doesn’t show the face because you don’t want the reader necessarily believing that face is the hero or heroine. So you find a lot of beheaded cover models.

Chesties, Leggies & Backs. “Partial bods” can be found in any genre. Naked chests and backs are typically found in romance, nearly all sub-genres. Considerations: Level of dress or undress, type of clothing, face or no face? In women’s fiction, children often get center stage, or a child clinging at a woman’s side.

High Heels: Typically found in “luxe lit” or chick lit.

Illustration: To convey a light tone, humor, chick lit or a quirky or eccentric nature, illustration (for adult books) can be used. 

Spooky Eyes: To convey mystery, suspense or fear, how about a close up shot of eyes (whether on a male, female or animal)? Check these out. Scared?

Objectively Speaking: Stands to reason, if you’re not going to use a person, you’re going to use a “thing”, right? So our last category is the broadest, and can be the most creative. Sometimes the OBJECT is a direct tie-in to the book. Other times it’s more metaphorical. Or, hey, maybe the artist just thought it was pretty. 

Discussion: What usually catches your eye in the bookstore? What was the last book you bought triggered by great cover art? Do you have a favorite cover of all time?

Oxygen, by Carol Cassella (Mainstream: Hardcover, July 1st)

With the compassion of Jodi Picoult and the medical realism of Atul Gawande, Oxygen is a riveting new novel by a real-life anesthesiologist, an intimate story of relationships and family that collides with a high-stakes medical drama. 

Dr. Marie Heaton is an anesthesiologist at the height of her profession. She has worked, lived and breathed her career since medical school, and she now practices at a top Seattle hospital. Marie has carefully constructed and constricted her life according to empirical truths, to the science and art of medicine. But when her tried-and-true formula suddenly deserts her during a routine surgery, she must explain the nightmarish operating room disaster and face the resulting malpractice suit.

Buy it at Amazon.

How to be Single, by Liz Tuccillo (Women’s fiction: Hardcover, June 10th)

...So, fed up with the dysfunction and disappointments of being single in Manhattan, Julie quits her job and sets off to find out how women around the world are dealing with this dreaded phenomenon. From Paris to Rio to Sydney, Bali, Beijing, Mumbai, and Reykjav’k, Julie falls in love, gets her heart broken, sees the world, and learns more than she ever dreamed possible. Back in New York, her friends are grappling with their own issues — bad blind dates, loveless engagements, custody battles, and single motherhood. Through their journeys, all these women fight to redefine their vision of love, happiness, and a fulfilled life.

Buy it at Amazon.

Seventh Annual ‘Finally A Bride’ Contest - 
***Over Half of the Finalists in last year’s contest received Editor Requests***

Sponsor: Oklahoma Romance Writers of America
***NEW LOWER ENTRY FEE***
Fee: $25 (RWA Members) – $30 (All non RWA Members)
Deadline: September 1, 2008
Eligibility: not contracted/published
***NEW – ALL ELECTRONIC ENTRIES***
***NEW – Separate Mainstream category***
Entry: First pages of MS (30 pages max) that has finaled, but not won, in a previous RWA or RWA chapter-sponsored contest. Manuscripts finishing in the top quarter of GH also qualify. 
Judges: First round: experienced, pubbed, and/or RWA trained judges. 
Final Judges: Two Editors and/or agents judge each category. 
Inspirational/Traditional: Melissa Endlich with Steeple Hill and Rebecca Germany with Barbour. 
Series Contemporary: Patience Smith with Silhouette and Wanda Ottewell with Harlequin. 
Paranormal/Time Travel/Futuristic: Margo Lipschultz with HQN and Leah Hultenschmidt with Dorchester. 
Romantic Suspense: Natashya Wilson with Silhouette and Alex Logan with Grand Central Publishing. 
Historical/Regency: Tess Woodward with Avon and Megan McKeever with Pocket. 
Mainstream with Romantic Elements: Keyren Gerlach with HQN and Deb Werksman with Sourcebooks Casablanca 

FMI, entry form and rules, send SASE to OKRWA FAB contest, 9805 Red Oak Lane, Parkville, MO 64152, _okrwabride@aol.com_ (mailto:okrwabride@aol.com) , 
_www.okrwa.com_ (http://www.okrwa.com/)