Zee results of one of the world’s most unscientific polls are in, following on the original book covers post. Before you check them out, I would just say…while some of the authors may be unaware of this poll, I’d bet at least a few of them have noticed it and stoically stopped themselves from commenting. (Well, except for Mr. Gilman, who did comment in true absurdist fashion.) So, again, keeping in mind that you CAN’T necessarily judge a book by the cover…just check ‘em out when you see them in the bookstore.–or through the handy Amazon links I’ve provided. Writing’s hard enough without having to be put through the buzzsaw of public opinion unnecessarily…

Now, a few comments before we get to the main event…

17 men and 9 women offered their opinions on the covers. The sample is further skewed, as one might expect, by the fact it’s readers of this blog, and some “outsiders” brought by links to the piece.

In compiling the information below, you’ll note the numbers don’t always add up. This is because not everyone responded to every question about every cover. Further, I’ve bundled a few answers that had some vague variation under one or two categories–thus the parentheticals. And in some cases, some respondents used “girl” rather than “woman” and I’ve left that as a possible reflection that they meant YA in that case.

Quantum July got the most varied response, as you’ll see below.

Further, I think everyone got Intimate Relations with Strangers, Cover #6 wrong. I don’t blame anyone–I would’ve gotten it wrong, too, if I didn’t have the book for review. It does look interesting, to me. It’s interesting the kinds of cliches and whatnot evoked, but I think this is because I asked readers to respond to the cover look, not to actual content. I would certainly hope that a book that appears to have been written by someone who has an MFA in creative writing would not be an automatic turn-off, for example, but I understand where the comment was coming from.

So, here’s another question, especially for those who responded the first time, but also for those who saw the original post but didn’t comment: Has your opinion of the book now changed? And, regardless of the cover, do you think you might now check it out?

Cover #1: CHASING SILVER by JAMIE CRAIG

Publisher: Juno Books

Poll Results
- Audience
girls - 9
(horny/socially awkward) adolescent males - 8
women - 6
YA unisex - 2
middle aged women and furtive young men - 1
Buffy fans - 1

- Type of Book
supernatural chicklit/paranormal romance - 10
urban fantasy - 6
action/SF thriller - 7
cyberpunk - 4

- Be seen reading it?
No! - 17
Yes! - 5
Maybe? - 4

Actual Book Description: Born in 2057, Remy Capra never expected a second chance at life in Los Angeles, or her only chance at love in 2007. On the run from a cop who cares more about pain than justice, Remy inadvertently goes 75 years back in time and abruptly arrives at the feet of P.I. Nathan Pierce. Remy needs help, and Nathan finds he wants to offer her even more. There are threats from all sides - are their street smarts and unexpected passion enough to keep them together… and alive?

Cover #2: MARSEGURO by Edward Willett

Publisher: DAW

Poll Results
- Audience
boys or young men (in mom’s basement/Star Trek/Halo) - 16
women - 2
(curious about) furries - 2
no one - 2
unisex - 2
SF readers - 2

- Type of Book
(military/action) SF - 17
(pc-game tie-in) space opera - 2
SF romance - 3
soft porn SF - 1
small press SF/fix-up - 1
no idea - 1

- Be seen reading it?
No! - 15
Yes! - 3
Maybe? - 6
Rather be seen getting a spanking from Rosie O’Donnell - 1
My self-publishing cover skilz, let me show you them! - 1

Actual Book Description: After a worldwide disaster strikes Earth, the planet is taken over by a fanatical religious theocracy. Scientist Victor Hansen flees with a staff of non-genetically modified humans and young members of his newly created race, the Selkies, to Marseguro, a distant water world. But their peace and freedom is threatened when a traitor calls forth a strike force from Earth, and Victor’s own grandson, Richard, is with them. What Richard Hansen discovers may alter not only his own destiny but that of Marseguro and Earth as well.

Cover #3: THE HIDDEN CITY by MICHELLE WEST

Publisher: DAW

Poll Results
- Audience
women - 12
girls - 3
unisex - 3
women who drink herbal tea/buy crystal jewelry - 2
no idea - 2
them young folk - 1
them adults - 1
older fans of Henson’s Labyrinth - 1

- Type of Book
high/epic fantasy - 19
alternate history fantasy - 3
urban fantasy - 2
YA fantasy - 1

- Be seen reading it?
No! - 4
Yes! - 17
Maybe? - 4

Actual Book Description: Orphaned and left to fend for herself in the slums of Averalaan, Jewel Markess-Jay to her friends-meets an unlikely savior in Rath, a man who prowls the ruins of the undercity. Nursing Jay back to health is an unusual act for a man who renounced his own family long ago, and the situation becomes stranger still when Jay begins to form a den of other rescued children in Rath’s home. But worse perils lurk beneath the slums: the demons that once nearly destroyed the Essalieyan Empire are stirring again, and soon Rath and Jay will find themselves targets of these unstoppable beings.

Cover #4: THE BLACK TATTOO by SAM ENTHOVEN

Publisher: Razorbill (YA Penguin)

Poll Results
- Audience
(well-off, self-absorbed hipsters) under 28 - 11
(emo/punk band) music CD cover - 3
Hells’ bikers/Nu Metal - 3
unisex - 3
YA/teens - 1
body modders - 1
Jacqueline Carey fans - 1
New Age - 1

- Type of Book
urban fantasy - 10
YA - 3
biker lit/tattoo punk/metal - 4
not sure - 3
freaky dark fantasy sex stuff - 2
hipster romance - 1
fantasy erotica - 1

- Be seen reading it?
No! - 8
Yes! - 13
Maybe? - 3

Actual Book Description: (School Library Journal) Grade 9 Up–London teen Jack leads a not-very-interesting life. His friend Charlie is none too bright and is blinded by his anger over his parents’ divorce. Jack stands by his best mate through thick and thin, even when Charlie, possessed by a demon, crosses into Hell itself. Khentimentu, also known as the Scourge, has been trapped in the roots of an ancient tree for thousands of years by a secret society called The Brotherhood of Sleep. Charlie, thinking he is being recruited into it, unwittingly becomes a host for the escaped Scourge, manifested in a writhing, black tattoo. With Charlie’s help, the demon kills all the members of the Brotherhood except the young warrior-woman Esme. When the demon and Charlie escape into Hell, it is up to Jack and Esme to rescue Charlie and save the universe from Khentimentu’s evil plan. Enthoven has created an interesting and original universe and a gripping story. Hell is a demon-populated Roman empire at its most decadent, complete with gladiators and an all-powerful emperor. There are a few plot inconsistencies in this hefty book, and scattered Briticisms will momentarily trip up some readers, but overall it is a readable story with an amusing denouement. A good choice for readers ready to move on from Darren Shan’s popular “Cirque du Freak” and “Demonata” series.

Cover #5: THE QUANTUM JULY by RON KING

Publisher: Delacourte Press

Poll Results
- Audience
no one/no idea - 5
surreal hard SF - 3
computer geeks - 3
YA - 3
color-blind people - 1
older SF fans - 1
open-minded people - 1
males - 1
SF comedy - 1
college middle class - 1
women - 1
people who already know meaning of word “quantum” - 1
Dr. Who fans - 1
8 to 12 year-olds - 1
scientists - 1
unisex - 1

- Type of Book
(experimental/whacky) SF - 11
no idea - 5
YA - 4
cyberpunk - 2
literary SF/fantasy - 2

- Be seen reading it?
No! - 7
Yes! - 12
Maybe? - 6
[Note: The "yes" count in this category is unenthusiastic--a yes just because there's nothing objectionable on the cover.]

Actual Book Description: Ages 9 - 12. Danny Parsons is a dreamer. He loves nothing better than to close his eyes and let the world slip away, dreaming of India, or Alaska, or Kenya - anywhere but his home, living any life but his life. Danny is sure that he was supposed to be someone else, living in a more interesting place, with a more interesting family. Danny’s sister, Bridget, believes that Danny’s life is more interesting than he knows: she thinks he can set events in motion by touching equations. When she gives him an equation dealing with Chaos Theory to carry in his pocket, an amazing thing happens: Danny’s family separates into two. We can’t choose our families. But Danny Parsons can. Trapped in the chaos of the quantum world, he’s approaching the moment where he will have to, at last, choose - between the father he’s always wanted, and the family he desperately needs.

Cover #6: INTIMATE RELATIONS WITH STRANGERS by DAVID VALENTINE BERNARD

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Poll Results
- Audience
(lonely or southern over age 30) women - 11
porn/erotica readers - 4
historical (possibly paranormal) romance readers - 4
MFA candidates at the same school as the author, reviewers, 10 people from the Upper West Side who smoke above eye level - 2
mainstream fantasy readers - 1
adults - 1
cat lovers - 1

- Type of Book
(supernatural) fantasy romance - 11
soft porn - 4
literary - 3
erotic horror - 2
frustrated wife fiction - 2
literary soft porn - 1
fantasy - 1

- Be seen reading it?
No! - 12
Yes! - 7
Maybe? - 4

Actual Book Description: Starred Review, PW. In this profoundly disturbing debut, Bernard, a native of Grenada who moved to New York City as a child, uses elements of time travel, fantasy and classic mystery to tell a love story set in an age of terrorism. The U.S. is enmeshed in an endless, unwinnable war in Africa, the president has been assassinated and the citizenry deceived. One day, Bernard’s African protagonist, known only as the little boy, witnesses a beaten and bloody young girl seemingly being born from the very bowels of the earth, a horrifying event that will haunt him throughout his life. Sent to war upon graduation from high school, the boy (now the soldier) is taken prisoner. He eventually escapes, and the government touts him as a hero–which the soldier resists. Meanwhile, the soldier instinctively understands that he has always loved the girl he saw born now that she’s grown, that she’s somehow connected to him from another life, another world. Readers will remember this powerful, fable-like work of protest long after they’ve turned the last page.

Cover #7: THUNDERER by FELIX GILMAN

Publisher: Bantam Spectra

Poll Results
- Audience
(high/epic/secondary world) fantasy readers - 14
(adult) sad folk like us - 3
young males - 2
teenage boys/girls - 1
unisex - 1
airship crowd - 1
former D&D addicts - 1
renaissance fair addicts - 1
YA - 1

- Type of Book
(high/epic/secondary world) fantasy - 11
New Weird - 6
steampunk - 4
SF - 1
fantasy on alien world - 1
romantic fantasy - 1
fantasy/historical - 1

- Be seen reading it?
No! - 4
Yes! - 15
Maybe? - 5

Actual Book Description: In this breathtaking debut novel by Felix Gilman, one man embarks on a thrilling and treacherous quest for his people’s lost god–in an elaborate Dickensian city that is either blessed …or haunted. Arjun arrives in Ararat just as a magnificent winged creature swoops and sails over the city. For it is the day of the return of that long-awaited, unpredictable mystical creature: the great Bird. But does it come for good or ill? And in the service of what god? Whatever its purpose, for one inhabitant the Bird sparks a long-dormant idea: to map the mapless city and liberate its masses with the power of knowledge. As the creature soars across the land, shifting topography, changing the course of the river, and redrawing the territories of the city’s avian life, crowds cheer and guns salute in a mix of science and worship. Then comes the time for the Bird’s power to be trapped–within the hull of a floating warship called Thunderer, an astounding and unprecedented weapon. The ship is now a living temple to the Bird, a gift to be used, allegedly, in the interests of all of Ararat.