Hot trends rule in fashion, home decor, culinary arts, and yes, on romance covers.  As publisher of Cover Cafe, I'm  up close and personal with romance covers and I have learned to spot new trends.   When "new" trends take off,  publishers, looking for an edge in a competitive market, use them on future covers.  However, last year's "hot" trend often becomes this year's "lukewarm" trend and it can turn into the dreaded "cold" or "dead in the water" trend.  I'm sure you can name a few fashion trends that bit the dust but what about cover trends?  

Last year's hot trend, known as the "show me the back and remain anonymous" cover, still appears on 2012 covers but it is now a lukewarm, if not cold trend.  Unfortunately, publishers create covers months ahead and their once hot cover may be old news by the time it is published.  All of the trendy covers blur into one message and disappear among the crowd.    The Perfect Mistress from 2011, featured a "back" cover but I  noticed that the sofa was an integral part of the step back image and not just a prop element.  This year, the sofa or chaise keeps grabbing my attention.   It has been brought front and center on several Historical romance covers.  I'm officially labeling the sofa as one of the new 2012 cover trends.  Below are a few of the current nominations featuring various sofas.

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They are all great covers featuring gorgeous women, gowns, and of course, a sofa. Which covers, if any, are your favorites?   Have you noticed any other cover trends while shopping for your romance fix?  And no, pets on covers is not a new trend...it's a perennial favorite and will probably never go out of style.  But there are others out there.  Have you discovered them?

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