[trublue]

The readers so far mostly love my books but hate the guy on the cover (not sexy or hot enough)
I'm looking at dreamstime and it so hard to find a guy that's  out right hot and shows a full body shot.
Question do YA Adult covers ever have shirtless guys or is that too much fo a YA book?
Note: it's not a "new" YA.

Thx guys

 

[sarahdalton]

I think shirtless is fine as long as it's tasteful. I don't think teenagers like the 'beefcake' look too much, but I don't think it's bad taste.

 

[Kia Zi Shiru]

When I see a shirtless guy on a cover I immediately think romance or erotica, YA would not be a genre I associate with shirtless guys.

(the only exception to the romance or erotica is when it's a guy full of tattoos, which is something I would associate with adult fantasy books)

Also, in your signature, the first cover of the series is not the one you've got on amazon right now... If anything, I'd say go with that style, I really like the new cover. The ones you have right now seem more like adult than teen books.
My first real YA series that I read were the Sweep series (sometimes also marketed as the Wicca series) by Cate Tiernan and these were the covers to it: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Wicca-Cate-Tiernan/lm/A60B3DYJAD3Z
It was originally the covers that attracted me to the series.

 

[48209]

I just went through a lot of YA covers on the best sellers and down with a friend - we saw a ton of shirtless guys. I mean, think about Hush, Hush. That really started it and that boy never put a shirt on for the rest of the series.

Take a look at what's selling.

 

[trublue]

Okay, guys

Thanks

 

[Susan Kaye Quinn]

I just went through a lot of YA covers on the best sellers and down with a friend - we saw a ton of shirtless guys. I mean, think about Hush, Hush. That really started it and that boy never put a shirt on for the rest of the series.

Take a look at what's selling.

Ha! True. But he was an angel/demon/whatever. How can you contain that in a shirt??

I would say most of the YA books still have boys with shirts on - if not, that's usually a signal that it's "hotter" YA (hello, Abbi Glines), which is really NA. And closer to erotica than your typical YA. So I think the cover is signaling the story.

 

[H.M. Ward]

Ha! True. But he was an angel/demon/whatever. How can you contain that in a shirt??

lol! PATCH! Yeah, that one breaks the rule. YA PNR is usually a pic of a girl in a pretty dress with some somberness going on. Matched, the Original Shatter Me cover, Die for Me, Anna Dressed in Blood, etc. There was a blogger who said all the YA PRN covers look like dead girls. There are exceptions, but if you walk through the bookstore, that's the theme on the shelf.

NA has the shirtless. I think you'll confuse unless the dude's got wings or something. Look at Cassandra Claire's covers. I think all her guys have shirts on. I think that's your target audience. Plus the covers are amazing.

 

[Susan Kaye Quinn]

Look at Cassandra Claire's covers. I think all her guys have shirts on. I think that's your target audience. Plus the covers are amazing.

I was just admiring her new one - Clockwork Princess? So. Pretty. Her artist is amazing.

 

[lynkay]

Ha! True. But he was an angel/demon/whatever. How can you contain that in a shirt??

I would say most of the YA books still have boys with shirts on - if not, that's usually a signal that it's "hotter" YA (hello, Abbi Glines), which is really NA. And closer to erotica than your typical YA. So I think the cover is signaling the story.

Patch deserves to be shirtless, but only because it's Patch. IMHO you don't need a shirtless guy on the cover, for it to look hot.

 

[Raquel Lyon]

Look at Cassandra Claire's covers. I think all her guys have shirts on.

Not quite. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bones-Mortal-Instruments-Cassandra-Clare/dp/1406307629