We recently inherited a 17-year-old beagle. Some of you have already heard me talk about Rosie. She’s fat (though losing weight fast), snores, is flatulent, and has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
We’ve had her for only two weeks and three days . . . and we adore her. She’s a small dog with a BIG personality. I already have stories about her. One day I sent my son three different emails about things she’d done. The third time he emailed back, “You have to put her in a book.”
I immediately thought “Of course.” The little bit of my next book that I know about, she would fit right in. She’s so eager to love and be loved. The need vibrates off her. She’ll make readers laugh and will tug at their hearts. The book will be women’s fiction, and I want all my main characters to tug at hearts. 
As a bonus, I’ll get to have a dog on the book cover. When I’m in a bookstore, the cover I can’t resist is one with a cute dog on it. I have to pick it up and look at the blurb. I may not buy it, but I’ll read the back cover copy. If I like it, I’ll read the first page. If I like that, then I buy it. But the cover is the first step. So the thought of a cover with a cute beagle makes me happy.
I actually remember covers with dogs, and posted a few. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they’ve all done well — and some very well. Sure, it’s the writing. But it’s also the cute dog. Look at Marley & Me. They didn’t use the “old dog” shot. They used the “puppy” shot.
At Magical Musings, we tend to use photos of cats for our blogs. When I see cats on book covers, they are often older and not as cute. The art department is going for attitude instead of cuteness. 
I think they’re missing out. Yesterday afternoon I was busy in the kitchen and turned on the TV. Ellen DeGeneres had a rerun of a show from November with Oscar winner Sandra Bullock. In addition to the movie The Blind Side, Ellen talked about Sandra’s Chihuahuas. Sandra and her husband adopted one with only two legs, and another missing one leg. Ellen showed photos of the dogs, and I could head the audience going “Aww.” I was going “Aww” with them.
See? Heart tuggers.
What about you? Would a dog cover tempt you to pick it up? What about a cover with a cute cat?
What kind of book cover tugs at your heart? What can’t you resist?
Good morning!
Dogs get me every time, yet it doesn’t seal the deal automatically. Like you, I need to read a bit of it first. Unless the author is Jennifer Crusie. She’s one of my favorites and never fails to entertain me.
Lately I’m drawn to covers that don’t feature the hunky man and fantastically beautiful woman. Not that I don’t want to read about them. I most certainly do. But does it always have to be the man in shadows with only his six-pack illuminated? Or the woman’s breasts spilling over the top of her corset?
Give me quirky and fun any day. Covers that come to mind are Linda Wisdom’s HEX series and a book called Beautiful Creatures. The covers are completely different from one another but drew me in. Linda’s for the bright colors and fun witches, cats and dogs and Beautiful Creatures for the font and color of the title and the fact that the cover pretty much consisted of the title only.
Elle, if you’re a Jennifer Crusie fan, you probably notice how many of her book covers have a cute dog on them. And Linda’s HEX covers are fun. Sourcebooks has done an excellent job of catching the essence of her stories on the cover.
I just went to Amazon and checked out BEAUTIFUL CREATURES. It is an interesting cover. Different. It stands out.
Anytime I see an adorable cat or dog on a book, I am hooked. I grabbed a book called Dewey once just for the cover and title combination. I’m a librarian and a big cat lover, so I figured I HAD to get it. It ended up being a beautiful book and I recommend it highly
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
Jennifer, I heard the buzz about Dewey! I’m going to check it out. I don’t know why I didn’t before this. In addition to my two dogs, I have a cat that I love. And all those librarians can’t be long.
Hey Edie, I love my granddogs mucho!
Wierdly enough though, I haven’t read many books with animals on the covers. I have read stories that included pets. I think a beagle cover would be wonderful for you! Rosie sounds like a doll.
I ususally grab the pastel colored covers, with beachy scenery or object shots…sans people first. One of the cutest covers I haven’t forgotten, was a row of flip-flops lined up by the door. It just told a story to me, and I totally related.
One of the cutest covers I haven’t forgotten, was a row of flip-flops lined up by the door. It just told a story to me
LaDonna, you’re right. That does tell a story. The cover for THE LACE MAKERS OF GLENMARA, a WF book, had lace items on a clothes line. That must have worked for me, because I picked it up.
Before I ever started trying to conceive, it was a picture of the cutest little baby on the cover of She’s My Baby by Adrianne Byrd that convinced me to try my first Harlequin. For a person who rarely reads contemporary romances, I was not disappointed. It was a fantastic story that kept me thinking about that sweet little morsel for the longest time. Put a baby on a book, and the least I’ll do is read the blurb.
Edie,
Going along with dogs on the book cover, didn’t at least one of Christie Craig’s Divorced and Desperate series have them?
I also believe the cover jacket of Barb Raffin’s The Mating Game has a beautiful cover of a dog. And the two dogs were a secondary love interest. So darling.
Most pets tug at my heart, even I would draw the line at snakes and spiders.
Oh, remember the bull dog on the show Cannon? And who could forget Hooch in Turner and Hooch!
I’ve put my little Oreo dog as a secondary character in one book and as an incidental presence in a second.
Marcia, babies are as heart tugging as you can get. For Amy Knupp’s first SuperRomance, UNEXPECTED COMPLICATION, her cover was a behind shot of a man and woman holding hands. And sticking out of the man’s back pocket was a rubber ducky. A brilliant cover.
Mary Jo, I think you’re right! All her stories have heart and humor. Barbara O’Neal’s books have cute dogs in them, too.
I don’t remember the show Cannon, but certainly Turner and Hooch. In that show, the cute one was Tom Hanks.
You go with your Oreo dog! The good thing about putting pets in our books is they can’t get mad at us or sue.
Edie,
A dog on the cover is an instant pickup-the-book for me. Not sure I’ve ever actually bought a book because the dog was on the cover, but I’ve sure picked it up and read the blurb.
And I love animals in books. Some of my favorite books have had animals that are secondary characters in themselves.
Theresa, have you read Susan Donovan’s TAKE A CHANCE ON ME? She has a hairless dog as a POV character. It’s my favorite book of hers. I bet you’d love it.
Nope … sorry. A dog on the cover won’t do it for me … unless its a werewolf.
Cats will get me every time, but then, I’m definitely a cat person. A kitten will always hit my “awwww” factor.
Liz, cats tug at my hearts, too. I think there should be more cute cat pictures on covers. Not werewolves, though. No “awww” moments there.
I have a wonderful dog and cat, both rescued animals. But honestly, I haven’t ever bought a book because it was cute. It’s made me wonder what I find interesting in a cover. Pretty, i guess? I’ll have to think about it next time I’m in a store!
Lori, I guess it depends on what kind of books you like. If it’s romantic suspense or dark paranormal, you’re probably not going to find cute dogs or cats on them. Even historical romances — though it might be a good idea.
i’m always a sucker for any kind of fur face on the cover!
Karin, I knew you were a sucker for cute furry faces in real life, but wasn’t sure if it ran to books.
Oh, I love dogs! As I type this, my dog Yogi is sleeping next to my feet.
Rosie sounds like a great pet! (Well, except for the flatulence part!)
Cindy, love the name Yogi.:) During the day Rosie sleeps at my feet. Snoring, of course. When she’s not licking herself. Loudly and juicily. LOL And Belle, my cat, is sitting on the end of my desk. Sky is lying on the couch downstairs. She likes the soft cushions.