Whispers Book Cover: The results are in! Thank You!!!

In a blog post, Blame it on the Book Cover, LuAnn Schindler describes: 
 Y ou’re at a party, scanning the buffet table, uncertain which treat will satisfy your appetite. The succulent cuts of thin-sliced prime rib may ease the craving, but then your eyes lock on a thick slab of key lime pie topped with whipped cream. Which do you select?

     The same principle applies to the bookstore. Walk in, and you’re inundated with an explosion of colors and graphics that capture your attention. Do you select the book with muted tones and a gold-embossed title? Or do you gravitate toward the pastel-colored cover with a cute shoe/handbag/cartoon-like caricature?

When faced with choosing a book cover for the paperback version of my  fantasy Whispers from Forbidden Earth a few weeks ago, I asked followers of this blog a similar question. I needed help choosing a book cover that would appeal to fantasy fans ages 8 and up.

Your response was overwhelming! I want to thank everyone who participated. Surprising, the responses were literally split right down the middle. Left: 23, Right: 17, Both: 2. Some of the responses were interesting:

Jane wrote: 
I've collected votes from the Kiddos.
Boy, age 5: right
Boy, age 9: right
Girl, age 12: left

Michael wrote this interesting observation: 
The one on the left (pastel) may be more attractive to female readers (that's a guess) but it will be less attractive to male readers (that's not a guess). 

What I found most interesting is that many comments from women seemed to back Michael's observation. Many were drawn to the pastel colors. The left cover intrigued me, but I finally came to the decision that it looked too much like a science fiction cover. What cinched the decision, though, were the votes from Jane's kids as well as this comment from Mary: For this demographic, I like the one on the right. It looks high fantasy and will appeal to Eragon and Harry Potter fans.  
 
      So, with everyone's help, the decision has been
made and the cover selected. I do appreciate the
overwhelming response. It was a blast. We'll do it again with the sequel.

You can check out the Whispers on amazon by clicking the link on this blog.