Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Illegal Moves by Dalton Diaz and Samantha Cayto

When I told people I was planning on starting a blog about nudity in romance covers, this was one of the first ones suggested to me. Gee, I wonder why?



From Dalton:

Covers can be a very touchy subject for an author, especially concerning our own books. We can be quite rational about someone else's, though! I remember one erotica from a fave author where the heroine was a tiny Asian woman who used her long, silky black hair as an integral part of the sex scenes. The cover was clearly a Nordic Blonde. I’m sure the author was upset, but truth be told, that book comes to mind every time this subject comes up - which in turn makes me remember that it was a great read. So what about my own covers? Take a look for yourself. You can see all of them at DaltonDiaz.com… butt the one that’s front and center on this blog is the one you all want me to talk about, right? It’s ok, really, you won’t make an ass of yourself by taking a crack at it.

Ok, I’m done being cheeky.

All joking aside, this cover gave me fits, but probably not for the reason you think. It all started with not knowing that my 15yr-old son was standing behind me the first time I opened the file. Yes, he knows what I write, but getting a visual at that age is almost as bad as catching your parents in the act. Needless to say, he’ll never sneak up behind me again while I’m on the computer. Once that dust settled, I went back to the picture to look at the details beyond the “Oh my god, there’s a naked butt front and center!” aspect.

I can only speak for myself, not my co-author, Samantha Cayto. I couldn't get past the butt. Not because they were naked; because they weren't Cavemen. See? Told you it wasn't for the reason you'd think. If I had disappointment, it was because the guys weren't the kind of hot I'd come to expect on an EC cover. It was, however, something I could live with.

Or so I thought.I instantly hit roadblocks when I tried to do my regular promo. A surprising number of blog sites wouldn't post the cover. It wasn't just the butt, either. The (also) naked man in the background has one hand on the woman's breast, the other between her legs. Ultimately, it was the latter that made the difference. A year ago, that was not okay for B&N's shelves. I don't know if that has since changed, but Illegal Moves got a new cover for print.



Bottom line (snicker), I got the best of both worlds. The print cover is sedate, and quite stunning. It does not, however, depict that the story is a menage. Realistically, had this been the original cover, I don't think Illegal Moves would have sold as well. As a 2nd cover, it is perfect. This is the cover I use for those PG-13 blogs. This is a cover that someone can be comfortable being seen with in public. I was even able to design a bookmark that shows both covers, but you can choose to insert it in the book so only the print cover sticks out.


Perfect.

DD


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14 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Note to self - NEVER misspell your kind host's name. Let's try that again:
    Thanks for having me, Seeley! Hmmm, can't what was BEHIND the suggestion for Illegal Moves to be one of your first blogs...

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  3. Why, yes it is, Victoria. Definitely a "Do not open with your kid looking over your shoulder."

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  4. LOL on the 'cheeky' jokes. I love a good pun (or three.)

    I remember your shock when it came out, but as you said, it sold like crazy! Let's hope our latest cover with yummy Angelo sells lots of copies!

    I guess the cover Gods know what they're doing.

    Ash

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  5. I definately perfer the second cover not because of the nudity or whats going on in the picture. I just didn't find the men really attractive. Their faces are terrible or it's an awful shot.

    But if it sold books good for you I agree best of both worlds with having 2 covers!

    Christine

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  6. Wowzers! Both covers are soooooo hot! Cover gods have got your back girlfriend, lol!

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  7. Yum yum! It took me five minutes to peel my tongue from the monitor screen.

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  8. LOL! You guys are funny.
    Christine, yes, that was the problem I had with it. If you're going to show some ass, show Cavemen ass! Especially if it's in the plural.

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  9. Okay, call me weird, but I LOVED that cover, and I really appreciated the fact that they WEREN'T Cavemen. Not only am I tired of seeing the same guys on cover after cover (the EC guy with long blond hair is just too distinctive and I think he's overused), but I prefer it when men on covers aren't cover-model perfect because they seem more relatable and realistic. The butt guy reminds me of Daniel Craig.

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  10. Cool, Robin! Daniel Craig, eh? Yum!
    The Butt Guy? ROFLMAO! You have to know that's now his new nickname.
    I didn't hate the cover, but I am in the eye candy camp. The problems I had came from not being able to promote it the same way I was used to, and I knew it would never make a shelf on B&N. The latter would merely be disappointing, but being able to get word out when a book is released is imperative. I was actually turned down by 3 review sites, let alone author/reader blogs.
    I do have to say that a lot of what I experienced has changed over the last year, tho.

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