The Curious Case of the Headless Heroine, Or the Torso Rides at Midnight
Rummaging about the internet yesterday, Gentle Reader, I came across a promo for this book:
Now, please don't misconstrue, I find the book gently intriguing. "Steampunk Romance" says the tag line and from reading the copy it looks like the female love interest would appear to be an airship captain. You well know what a deep abiding affection I have for chicks that kick ass, but (and there is always a but) I sense a trend afoot and it frightens me.
Why the headless torso front cover? Why? Did she misplace her brain? Have her knees suddenly gone off about business of their own?
There is a prevalence of this madness in paranormal romance and urban fantasy already, I object most strongly to it leaking into steampunk. I'm taking a stand here and now, Gentle Reader, this trend should not be allowed to jump the shark into another sub-genre. Leave my goggles and dirigibles alone, you, you Art Department Torso Lovers!
Where have all the heads gone? (*singing* Longtime passing.)
Your Infusion of Cute:
New fashion inspiration Latina singer Silvina Magari
Your Tisane of Smart:
Awesome resources for snippets of Victoriana The Illustrated London News with samples online and a very useful time grid.
Your Writerly Tinctures:
obtaining Cover Blurbs
CAKE in Space: With agent.
Soulless: Soulless is SFWA's featured book!
Changeless: Awaiting copyedit. Release date currently April 2010.
Blameless Gone off to betas.
Quote of the Day:
"Writing is not a genteel profession. It's quite nasty and tough and kind of dirty."
~ Rosemary Mahoney
amusedNow, please don't misconstrue, I find the book gently intriguing. "Steampunk Romance" says the tag line and from reading the copy it looks like the female love interest would appear to be an airship captain. You well know what a deep abiding affection I have for chicks that kick ass, but (and there is always a but) I sense a trend afoot and it frightens me.
Why the headless torso front cover? Why? Did she misplace her brain? Have her knees suddenly gone off about business of their own?
There is a prevalence of this madness in paranormal romance and urban fantasy already, I object most strongly to it leaking into steampunk. I'm taking a stand here and now, Gentle Reader, this trend should not be allowed to jump the shark into another sub-genre. Leave my goggles and dirigibles alone, you, you Art Department Torso Lovers!
Where have all the heads gone? (*singing* Longtime passing.)
I remember in my first meeting with the folks from Orbit at the Denver WorldCon. (Gosh, was it only last year?). They'd already bought Soulless, and we were having a mild discussion on the subject of possible covers. (Before you draw any erroneous conclusions, Gentle Reader, it is extremely rare for a first time author to be asked to give any opinion on covers.) I had some mild ideas but mostly I just kept saying over and over "Please don't give me a torso cover, oh please." I don't know if they listened, but I didn't get one in the end. Hooray!
Gail's Daily DoseOne of my last conversations with Charles Brown (of Locus fame) before he died, was on the subject of the bizarre prevalence of these covers. Locus was getting a surfeit of such ARC offerings, for this was at the height of the urban fantasy craze. Charles, like me, simply couldn't fathom the appeal. We hypothesized that perhaps they were made with the idea that the reader could put herself into the heroine's body, as it were, since there was no face. A reader couldn't very well put herself into the heroine's shoes - there were no shoes depicted on the cover, the body was all that was on offer. Perhaps is has something to do with the Buffy-like brawn of many of these ladies (rather than brain) since they clearly have no brains, or indeed, tops of heads.
Shall we talk about the belly buttons? Oh well, why not? Why do vampire hunters like to wear crop tops? Is it just to show off their tatoos or are they stuck in the 80s? Just curious.
Oh and then there's the whole "you may have a head, but only from the back," which really means "we're giving you an ass shot." This, in my universe, is one step removed from a bodice ripper. Instead of "look at my cleavage, look at my cleavage!" it's "look at my butt, look at my butt!"
That said, I am starting a one woman campaign for one of my covers to be a "bustle shot." Grrrrr, sexy!
But, back to the torsos. I suppose all I really have to say is: steampunk is often about the intelligence factor (Girl Genius and all that) our heroines really cannot function on torso alone. A call for action is in order now, before it's too late.
So please stop the madness! Give these poor women back their heads.
So please stop the madness! Give these poor women back their heads.
Your Infusion of Cute:
New fashion inspiration Latina singer Silvina Magari
Your Tisane of Smart:
Awesome resources for snippets of Victoriana The Illustrated London News with samples online and a very useful time grid.
Your Writerly Tinctures:
obtaining Cover Blurbs
CAKE in Space: With agent.
Soulless: Soulless is SFWA's featured book!
Changeless: Awaiting copyedit. Release date currently April 2010.
Blameless Gone off to betas.
Quote of the Day:
"Writing is not a genteel profession. It's quite nasty and tough and kind of dirty."
~ Rosemary Mahoney
1) It looks to me like steampunk leaking into romance, more than the other way around. Or, to put it another way, there is a distinction between Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, and perhaps something similar will happen with Steampunk Fantasy and Gear-Romance, or Bustlepunk, or whatever it gets called. BTW, I believe it was you (?) who linked a while back to that extensive discussion threat about UF vs. PR? It was good reading.
2. If Buffy or Anita Blake did it, it cannot be wrong. ;-)
Love idea of Bustlepunk. Love it.
http://www.lizmaverick.com/
very nice post
Killing Us Softly
U Forgot Something
I think, and this is just me thinking LOL, the headlessness is a way to get around the cover models who don't *quite* look like the heroine.
I do find it hysterical that *hawt* covers sell esp in romance, and most romance covers have hawt dudes on 'em (taking into consideration I can only speak with any authority about erotic romance and erotica since that's what I'm published in (and I use the word *authority* VERY loosely LOL). But as a consumer I see more hawt dudes in romance.
Anyway....to get back to my point, I find it ironic that romance has hawt dudes and urban fantasy seems overrun with hawt chicks LOL
I mean, you have to admit, it IS kinda funny!!
I know I've said this but I think the unusual cover on Soulless is really what's going to make it stand out. I remember a while back a friend of mine (Sasha White) had a white cover for one of her eroticas and it really was an attention getter on the bookshelves!!!
Re: U Forgot Something
I like the cover of your book except for the odd kink in your heroine's spine, its so not a Victorian profile. The octopus on the spine however is a thing of beauty!
I could not agree with you more about the octopus, love love so very much. I had no idea Lauren was doing that until I saw it and then I was so very delighted (there might have been sequels and perhaps a gift of chocolate to the art department). I also love the fact that it has the book number on it, right there, on the spine so you can see it easily on your bookshelf. Organization makes me happy.
pls let Lauren know others appreciate a good cephlapod.
Your cover is gorgeous! You're very lucky to have gotten that one thing out of your publisher! Plus your book is amazingly well written!
Recently, I had a book up at my registers to try to sell, and I kept feeling a little embarrassed by the rear-shot cover. "No, no," I thought in my head, "You don't understand. It has one of those covers, but---but---it's better than that!"
And then I thought to myself, "It's so good to know that Gail's book doesn't have one of these covers. It's going to look so attractive by my register when it comes out!" It sounds like sucking up, I know, but it actually crossed my mind!
bustle-back
Re: bustle-back
I dislike the torso covers as well. Though it doesn't necessarily keep me from buying a book. I know the authors didn't choose it so I can't let it reflect on the story. No, I just shake my head at the silly marketing department.
No wonder so many people assume it's a romance I'm reading instead of an urban fantasy. It's all booty and boobies.
You wouldn't want to do a post on some of the recent things you've been reading? And where we can find more steampunk? I need something to hold me over til Changeless comes out!
I would post my reading matter, but I've been doing reviews which are not at all related to what I write. However, I do have a steampunk listing, on my web site,
http://www.gailcarriger.com/steampunk.p
Just scroll down slightly. I haven't read most of them, because (like most authors) the more I write the less time I have to read, but it's a start.
And thanks for the list! I will definitely have to check it out.