You've probably seen this guy way too much. I know a lot of M/M readers sure have. In fact, they've seen some cover models so much they
made a list on Goodreads and started keeping a tally.
Once I started doing my own covers, I found out why some guys really get around: they're damn near the only game in town. (I'm aware that rhymed but I like it so it stays.)
For a long while, the lack of handsome blond twinks was so extreme that the one kid examining his nails (dubbed Slave Boy on the thread) got slapped on dozens of books.
Most authors don't do their own covers so they have to describe their characters to a graphic artist, who does their best to link up the description with the offerings at a stock photo site. This can be tricky, especially if the character isn't your typical waxed-within-an-inch-of-his-life beefcake. Seriously. You try to find a red-haired, bushy-bearded giant who looks like a lumberjack and has flour on his face. Good luck with that. (Yes, I do have such a character for the A Fairview Story series. Poor Terry, the owner of Lucky Irish, is just going to have to wait until I can find something for him.)
This brings us to another cover issue: the headless stud. I did this for
Earning Rough:
Why? Because the face doesn't always match the body or the character. Frankly, on this one, I had a hard time finding a cover model with chest hair. Here's the guy with his head:
Handsome guy, but way too friendly looking for what I needed. Vincent Rostad is an arrogant, big-cocked Daddy with some hard-core fetishes. This guy looks like he'd rather sit down and rap about your life experiences than give you one that will make you see God.
So, yeah, the cover doesn't always match the contents, and the same model gets around more than click-bait on Facebook, but graphic artists do their best with what stock photos have to offer. At least now the next time you see Tattooed Migraine Sufferer, who I used on the cover of
Hot For Teacher, you'll know why.
