On Cover Art, Book Jackets and The Flappies

I've thought a lot recently about why I buy and read the books I do. I hate to say that I judge a book by it's cover, but alas, I do. It's what attracts me to a book once I am intrigued by a title. Check out this very interesting array of responses at The Longstockings to the question: What makes a good book jacket?

Here is a case in point. One of the Cybils finalists for middle grades fiction is Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce. I must admit that I was not particularly excited about the cover at Amazon.com, but was thrilled by the UK version and find it much more intriguing.

In her post-Xmas entry (December 29) entitled A Spring 2007 Round-Up, Betsy at A Fuse #8 Production reviews a stack of spring 2007 publishers titles and adds her own thoughts about cover art. Check out the links to some of the new books with great cover art. And while your at it, be sure to read the Golden Fuse Awards, with such treats as best and worst covers of the year, most misleading covers, best villain of the year, etc.

Finally, let me mention the Flappies. The Longstockings have an open call for nominations for the best flap copy of 2006. (In case you're wondering, The Longstockings are a group of New York City writers (8 of them) dedicated to writing and reading great books for children and teens.) You have until January 15th, so get nominating!