I have actually heard an editor talking that using tatooed females on urban fantasy novels has deliberately become a branding element.
Juno books editor Paula Guran has a series of posts on urban fantasy covers, dissecting the common poses used: Butt Covers (http://juno-books.com/blog/?p=284), The Pose (http://juno-books.com/blog/?p=315). There are more posts on the topic, but I can't seem to find them right now.
Thanks for the links -- very interesting essays, though raising more questions than actually giving any insight as to the intended psychology of the style. I mean, sure, we could call these all (or mostly) butt-shots, but in the majority, the woman isn't looking off to the distance at a threat or potential about-to-be-dusted bad guy. Devil Inside is the only one in which a woman is both holding a weapon and looking straight away from the reader; For a Few Demons More is the only one where the woman is actually moving away from the reader.
The rest all have three-quarter turn either from the hips or the shoulders, giving them just barely enough twist to be looking hard to the side, giving us image in profile (if they aren't twisted far enough to give the reader the whale eye). Reading folks' responses, and those essays, and looking over the covers, I think that's what gets me the most about these images. These women aren't actually showing strength: they're showing off assets and giving the reader a coy sideways glance.
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Branding a subgenre
Date: 8 Sep 2008 08:16 pm (UTC)Juno books editor Paula Guran has a series of posts on urban fantasy covers, dissecting the common poses used: Butt Covers (http://juno-books.com/blog/?p=284), The Pose (http://juno-books.com/blog/?p=315). There are more posts on the topic, but I can't seem to find them right now.
Re: Branding a subgenre
Date: 9 Sep 2008 08:35 am (UTC)The rest all have three-quarter turn either from the hips or the shoulders, giving them just barely enough twist to be looking hard to the side, giving us image in profile (if they aren't twisted far enough to give the reader the whale eye). Reading folks' responses, and those essays, and looking over the covers, I think that's what gets me the most about these images. These women aren't actually showing strength: they're showing off assets and giving the reader a coy sideways glance.
Hrmph.