The so-called ‘clinch covers’ common in Harlequins have given way to a more modern style of book cover as publishers look to expand their audience
Picture the cover of a romance novel. Five years ago, I’d have bet my heaving bosom that you’d automatically come up with something involving a bare-chested Fabio type clutching a swooning damsel, her bodice ripped .
“We’re definitely seeing a shift,” says Leslie Murphy of the popular blog, She Reads Romance Books. “I think the trend toward more illustrated covers signals a desire or want of traditional publishers to expand the audience of romance book readers.” “It is really troubling that a cover depicting love, passion, or anticipated open door bedroom scenes within the pages is deemed something unacceptable,” Murphy says. “I think our society should be beyond this stigma that reading about love, connection, or even sex is not acceptable. So, the change in book covers to make something more acceptable is not helpful in the long run.”
The idea that the clinch cover needs to disappear to shed that stigma feels like a defeat, a concession to misogyny. If we have to hide our romance novels behind a cute cover, is that really progress? “There’s a devoted group of romance readers that love the clinch cover, and they’re drawn to that,” she says, adding that they’re seeing growth across all sub-genres of romance, not just the so-called “rom-com” types most likely to have an illustrated cover. “There’s a huge attachment to clinch covers, and there’s an artistry to them.”
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