Question for the day: You are a large publishing house and you want me to pick up your book what type of image do you put on your cover to sell it to me?
Answer: Basically what Hardcase does. A extremely well drawn(and delightfully self-aware) naked lady in a sleezy setting, with possible sleezy stories to follow..natch.
Seriously Hardcase has just as many hits as it does misses(admittedly when you reprint so many old pulp stories along with newer works some mishaps will happen) but pretty much all their covers are a delightful throwback to sleezy, dirty, and wonderful worlds of paperback noir. And considering how many fantasies of mine seem to look like this imagery it goes without saying that it can put me in a hypnotic trance and just about force me to buy a copy.
I know full well the dangers of falling for a cover's promises... Everytime I see something that strikes me I know I'll be burnt....but hell, if nothing else I can tear the cover off and frame it!!
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