ORCHID AFFAIR has a cover!

After going incognito for so long, The Orchid Affair finally has an official public face:

I particularly love the writing on the sky.

Orchid Affair skedaddles into stores on January 20th, but it’s already available for pre-order at Amazon, B&N, and Borders.

You can find the first chapter here.

81 Comments

  1. Julie L. on July 12, 2010 at 5:58 pm

    Very pretty!!!

  2. Jenny on July 12, 2010 at 6:35 pm

    I have to admit, I’m extremely disappointed. I think the books in a series should match. Even if they can’t match (already a missed opportunity), they should still have a similar theme in their cover.

  3. Olivia on July 12, 2010 at 6:59 pm

    I have to agree with Jenny…I liked the portraits as covers. I know a lot if this is me being OCD about my books, and I like having them match on my shelves. But that seems more photo-y than like a painting which I think gave the first books a historical quality (which they should have) rather than this which looks like a run-of-the-mill romance novel (not that there;s anything wrong with those…but I know someone else said at one point that portraying the book in that light might turn away potential readers.) Anyhoo…just my two cents. I’m sure I’m still going to love the book regardless!

  4. Tami on July 12, 2010 at 7:41 pm

    Jenny expressed my thoughts on this perfectly!

  5. Dayana on July 12, 2010 at 7:55 pm

    What surpsies me is that your already finished with the Orchid Affair! I thought you were on the final stage of writing it. Anywho, as for the cover, its something I wouldn’t have expected.

    Its sure different then the others, but I think the cover has its own pazzaz to it. And your right Lauren, the writing on the sky makes the rest of the cover look amazing.

    Overall, great cover!

  6. sania on July 12, 2010 at 8:17 pm

    It’s definitely a fun, pretty cover but I guess I too am a little sad that a portrait wasn’t used. But either way, I’m sure the book will be fantastic!

  7. Erica D on July 12, 2010 at 8:28 pm

    I LOVE IT! I love the colors! And I like the fact that the book covers are all different. It adds interest and makes each one unique =D

  8. Heather on July 12, 2010 at 9:33 pm

    I do like this cover. I think it’s beautiful. But I agree with Jenny and Olivia as far as continuity. Also it does look a bit more like a cover of Regency romance (such as the ones I seem to be addicted to right now) than the covers of the previous books. But it’s OKAY!! I will read and enjoy I am sure of it!!! If the cover were a plain white cover with nothing but black lettering I’d be reading it!!

    Oh hurry January!!!

  9. Allison on July 12, 2010 at 9:54 pm

    I loooove it! I’m sad the pretty portraits are out, but it makes sense that since you’re changing the title style you should just change the cover style as well…since neither could last forever!

    Pleeeease tell me you’ll get the ARCs soon? I’m dying to read it! (I think I won the title contest, which is why I’m asking. I promise not to steal.)

  10. Virginia on July 12, 2010 at 10:13 pm

    I love the blues, but I’m also disappointed in it. This cover will go great with the Pink I mass market, but not so much with the hardcovers I’ve been getting since the beginning. It’s a beautiful cover. It’s just not what I was expecting.

  11. dory on July 12, 2010 at 10:56 pm

    If I didn’t already love the series, the cover would do nothing to make me want to read this book over any other romance book. It lacks the uniqueness the hardcovers had. Any book can photoshop in some pictures and make it look nice, which this cover is. But it took the Pink series to take something about history, make it fun and relate-able to all(with facts to support it). To me this looks more like a sensationalistic hist-romance cover and the Pinks are more than that. It is disappointing and a bit misleading. But romances are one of the few industries booming now, so I can see where marketing is trying to cash in.

  12. Elizabeth aka Miss Eliza on July 12, 2010 at 11:28 pm

    Looks kind of like a trashy romance. Plus, I hate it when my series don’t match, makes me go all grrrrr. Why does Dutton want to change the look of this books when they are so darn lovely!?!

  13. Shannon M on July 12, 2010 at 11:51 pm

    I’m so excited to read the next Pink book, but hate the cover. I loved the look of the old covers, and thought they visually set the series apart from the more traditional romances. And why does the figure have to be headless? The portraits had personality but, without a face, this figure seems kind of empty. Uninteresting. I’m sure the finished book is fabulous, but please bring back the portraits!

  14. AngelB on July 13, 2010 at 12:26 am

    Well, I posted my thoughts on facebook which falls along the lines of Elizabeth and others. I realize you have to change as time goes by but this is a bit drastic. The color is truly wonderful. I’m thinking we shoudl start a campaign to the publisher.

  15. Pam on July 13, 2010 at 12:29 am

    Hmm. I wish I could say that I love it, but I’m pretty disappointed. It’s just a little generic romance; like other comments say, it doesn’t set the Pink series apart from the straight-to-mass-market paperback romances.

    Why did they chose to eschew the portrait theme? That was one of the things I loved about the series–the covers promised more elevated content (which you delivered) and they were really artful and historical. And I loved that the covers all looked alike (same layout, etc.) I really don’t want to be too critical or snarky, but if I can be honest, this cover looks a little cheap.

    Of course I’ll still read and love the book, whatever its cover looks like, I’m just missing the classy (art) historical aesthetic.

    (This would work well for the mass-market, however.)

  16. Stephanie Ball on July 13, 2010 at 12:41 am

    Pretty colors, i like the script. thats where it ends. the dress is not right and it just doesn’t feel right. I agree it looks like trashy romance. Its pretty but not for your books. plus your last few book you actually saw the face.. i like that. it gives you an image.

    Ill sign any campaign to the publishers to change it. its just not right. not enough to it. little pazazz and just trashy trashy trashy. these are historical romances.. where did the history go????

  17. Perla on July 13, 2010 at 12:41 am

    Not loving the cover… Agree with Pam

  18. Pam on July 13, 2010 at 12:57 am

    Oh goodness, that should be “why did they choose to eschew.” I must forthwith surrender my Grammar Police badge and put myself on administrative leave pending a syntactical investigation. I hate myself now.

  19. Lucy on July 13, 2010 at 1:04 am

    I love how all the previous books have been based off existing paintings it really gave the books a lovely historical feel. These portraits connected to the books and from the first made me curious about the heroines. While I love the blue of the cover, I hate the practice of having headless women on the covers of novels they look silly and they don’t have the same emotional draw. Please bring back the beautiful, real paintings.

  20. Diya on July 13, 2010 at 1:48 am

    I agree with…well everyone! I truly thought the usage of portraits gave it a artsy and unique touch. Im confidant that the book will be amazing so i feel it ought to be clothed in something more appropriate than that befitting a mass-market paperback. Unkess this is the mass-market cover and not the real one? One can hope 🙂
    I’m sorry to say that this cover makes me wish the ARC comes coverless…i’d rather have no cover marring my set than this one 🙁

  21. am7 on July 13, 2010 at 3:15 am

    While I agree with everyone it doesn’t match the rest of the series. It does match one cover: the tradepaper back cover for Pink I. I don’t know. It doesn’t match my image of Laura Grey. Its a little too sexy for a governess.
    Still its pretty on its own, but still it just doesn’t look right for the story. Lovely, but generic.
    Still I am excited for the new book. The more of your series I read the more I ove all of it!

  22. Jessica C on July 13, 2010 at 3:23 am

    Everyone else has pretty much summed up my opinion – it is a ‘pretty’ cover, but it is more appropriate for a ‘generic historical romance’. It doesn’t match the other covers, and would be more appropriate for the mass-market paperbacks than the hardcovers. I hate to say it, but this cover looks a bit ‘cheap’. I’d prefer a portrait cover, like the others in the series.

  23. Courtney on July 13, 2010 at 7:22 am

    Ditto to everything folks are saying. I have all the previous Pink books, standing right next to my Sourcebooks copies of Georgette Heyer. This one would stick out like a sore thumb.

  24. AngelB on July 13, 2010 at 8:50 am

    Just went and looked again at the Pink Carnation mass paperbook cover and this new cover is definitely the same “artist”. The Pink I cover has the headless girl’s back, one sleeve down, and the flower down the back (in that weird arm angle) and the city scene.

  25. AngelB on July 13, 2010 at 8:51 am

    Paperback not paperbook. Haven’t had coffee yet. 🙂

  26. Liz on July 13, 2010 at 9:14 am

    I agree with what everyone has been saying… the portrait on the front of Pink Carnation is what drew me to the first book, and I’m not sure I would have picked it up had the cover looked like the one above. However, I will be buying Orchid Affair no matter what the cover looks like!

  27. carole on July 13, 2010 at 10:16 am

    Oui. I do like it, but I was a little disappointed that it is not a portrait like the others. I love the colors though and the writting in the sky.

  28. carole on July 13, 2010 at 10:17 am

    Oh, no matter what the cover is, I will be buying it. ^.^

  29. Cho on July 13, 2010 at 10:31 am

    I’ll of course be buying it no matter what, since I absolutely adore these books, but I must admit that I’m pretty disappointed with it. It’s a beautiful cover, but it makes me think of mass market romances. I do think that it should match the others in theme, at least. The portrait, I mean. I feel like this cover is trying to lure other readers in by pretending your books are a lot more “cheap”, I guess, than they are.

  30. Georgia on July 13, 2010 at 11:45 am

    The hardcover editions of books had a cohesive look so far(even if they are not a precise match), with the portraits, and wrapping/seal on the lower third (except for Crimson), and books 4-6 have the more pronounced scalloped edging and the flowers on the lower left corner. This one is quite a departure from the model(not necessarily in a good way). Sincerely, I don’t like it nearly as much as the previous one. It would be nice if the publishers could keep a similar typeface and layout on the covers of the series. I do have to agree that the color is beautiful. Maybe you can direct the editor/publisher to the disgruntled comments in this page. The message might get through…

  31. Chelsey on July 13, 2010 at 12:21 pm

    Oh I love it! Tha blues are absolutely beautiful! I think that the design goes along with the previous books in the Pink series…who needs a face? I like to imagine my own! Thanks Lauren! Can’t wait!

  32. Renee on July 13, 2010 at 2:22 pm

    The original cover is what sold me on these books. I saw it on a library shelf, burrowed between many other books and picked it because the cover was so intriguing. This one, as others have mentioned, looks like any other romance novel. I enjoy a well-written one of those here and there…but I think it’s selling your books short to package them the same. This cover wouldn’t stand out to me and I, sadly, would probably not have read your books. That would have been a tragedy because I love your books and have faithfully bought every one in hardcover. I’m just not as excited to display this one on my shelves.

  33. Lauren on July 13, 2010 at 2:41 pm

    Hi, all! I miss the fine art covers, too. But the series has been around for over five years now (can you believe it?) and my publisher decided it was time for a makeover.

    I can assure you, though, that no matter how much the covers may change, the content will remain the same.

  34. Brenda on July 13, 2010 at 4:04 pm

    I think your publisher is wrong in the cover needing a makover. Haven’t they heard of why fix it if its not broken. We who purchase and read your books, like the portrait covers. Like the other 32 comments, I will see your name on a book and I will read the book for its content, but there is no head on this cover.

  35. Beth on July 13, 2010 at 4:21 pm

    A figure without a head on the cover of a book sends the message that it’s not what is going on inside the characters head that counts. And with your past heroines, and from what I’ve read of this one, what’s going on inside their heads is the essence of the books! Regardless, I love your stuff and I’ll continue to love your work even if I don’t like the wrappings they come in. Change isn’t a bad thing, and maybe the portraits did have to go, but might the publishers consider a re-work?

  36. Jane Bigelow on July 13, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    Augh. Another headless female. Also, I suspect those aren’t orchids.

    I already know that the book inside will be wonderful, but they sure haven’t done you any favors with new readers on this one.

    Jane

  37. Heather on July 13, 2010 at 4:30 pm

    While I like that my covers are the same, my guess is that the publishers know we will buy the books but need to market it to new people as well. If they pick this one up then they will pick up the previous ones as well.

    Is this being released in Hardcover first or Paperback? It matches the Paperback of Blood Lily that you already posted.

  38. Amy on July 13, 2010 at 4:49 pm

    I think the fact that she doesn’t have a face is kind of neat. After all, she is in “deep cover” so to speak. It adds to her mystery.

  39. Susan on July 13, 2010 at 5:16 pm

    For some reason I was expecting something purple.
    I am also disappointed that it doesn’t seem to follow the set. Using the portraits on the previous books gave it a certain elegance and style. I am going to miss that. I like covers to follow a series.
    This happened with the Bayern books by Shannon Hale too. The first books had beautiful original artwork on the covers, and the newest ones have people.

  40. Susan on July 13, 2010 at 5:20 pm

    To Lauren,
    Just out of curiosity, will your publisher see these comments?
    I hope so. Whatever focus group they used to ask about book covers needs to be replaced.
    Still looking forward to the book!

  41. Alyson on July 13, 2010 at 5:46 pm

    I have to agree with the majority here. The new cover is nice and pretty but it’s not cohesive with the rest of the series. I hate when they change the design of covers in the middle of a series. It diminishes the integrity of the series a bit, at least, that’s how I feel. Like everyone else pointed out, this cover matches the new mass paperback. There’s a reason why they change the mass market, to attract more people. If they pick up that and love it (which they will), they’ll be sure to pick up the rest. So why do the hardcovers have to change and be inconsistent with the rest of the series? Publisher = Fail! Aside from the disapointment of the cover, I can’t wait for this book. This is by far one of my all time favorite series and I early await each installment.

  42. Elizabeth aka Miss Eliza on July 13, 2010 at 8:12 pm

    Susan OMG yes, the books of Bayern! I desperately miss the Allison Jay covers!

  43. Yvette on July 13, 2010 at 11:39 pm

    The best place to hide a flower is in the middle of a garden … so who is going to notice the next Pink book if it looks just like ALL of the other romance books out right now??? Why NOT be distinctive???

    A while back, we were asked what made us notice the first Pink book that we read, and the vast majority of us said that it was the beautiful, distinctive covers.

    Right now, every second or third romance novel has a headless figure with one shoulder exposed (at least), and a large number of them are facing away from the viewer. (I can hear the art-director extolling the “moody-ness” of it all.)

    So, if all of the other marketing people were jumpng off of a cliff, would these guys do the same, just to fit in? “Fitting in” is highly over-rated, in my opinion.

    Well, now i’ve gotten that off my chest … I really like the portraits that are being used now, can you tell?

  44. anna on July 13, 2010 at 11:59 pm

    I agree with the majority. Charlaine Harris’ Sookie books all have similar covers AND titles, but no one is going to mess with that golden goose. The Pinks should be considered golden, too. Grumblegrumblestupiddutton.

  45. Jenny on July 14, 2010 at 12:08 am

    The fact that the series has been around for five years has little bearing on the cover. Many series have been around longer than that. Five is still young. Classic series that don’t fade are published with matching covers.

    Up until Blood Lily, I had been purchasing the trade paperbacks (easier on my budget). I switched to hardcovers because I hated the trade cover for Blood Lily so much that I decided it was worth switching from paperback to hardcover and spending an extra $10/book. Now I’m kind of mad at myself.

    At least I can take the dust jacket off. I’d be embarassed for someone to see me reading a book with this cover. It looks like a trashy romance novel.

  46. Sheila on July 14, 2010 at 11:53 am

    Sad to say, I agree withthe majority here. Although I like the sky, colors and flowers (but are they really orchids?), this is such a generic cover. There is nothing that will make it stand out from the competition. I realize the publisher wants to widen the audience to readers of “ordinary” romances, and this is fine for a mass-market paperback, but those of us willing to shell out for hard covers hope for something classier than this.

    Of course , I am still eager to read it, as I know the writing will be wonderful, despite the silliness of the cover.

  47. Veronica on July 14, 2010 at 2:43 pm

    The cover is really gorgeous, I like the writing in the sky as well. But I must agree with the majority of comments above.
    It’s a very generic “romance” cover. Part of what draws me (and i’m sure others) to the pink carnation series is that it’s about MORE than just the romance. The other covers make it mysterious, and above all, historical.

    Still… i’m very excited to get my arc copy! Because the cover certainly doesn’t detract from the writing!

  48. Kevin Verdon on July 14, 2010 at 3:43 pm

    Yikes! Has our portrait cover been a victim of Madam guillotine!

    I’ve got to agree with the majority and say that the cover is way too generic and REALLY lacks the class the other covers have had and, I may add, the writing has.

    That being said, who do we express our displeasure to at the publisher? C’mon gang its time to get out the torches and storm the Bastille (hmmmm what day is it again? 🙂

    Viva la Revoltion!

    Kevin

  49. Kevin Verdon on July 14, 2010 at 3:50 pm

    One other comment is that the cover, combined with the title, makes this book look like a trashy romance set in Hawaii instead of a classy historical romance set in Napoleonic France.

    Just sayin’

    Kevin

  50. AnneK on July 14, 2010 at 6:50 pm

    Well said Jenny (and kudos on the very early morning response).

    MY first of the series was Black Tulip (yes, I read it out of order), and what drew me to the book, of all the books on the sea of shelves in the library, was play on the title by the cover artist. BTW, my Black Tulip is the older one with the portrait of the lady holding the mask and the pink ribbon for the title swag. I knew that the book was going to be funny and clever even before I read the blurb.

    I wasn’t thrilled about the cover changes that started with Crimson Rose. We’ve chit-chatted about how that cover is similar to far too many other covers. If I had not already been a fan of the series, I’d boubtful that I would have picked up Crimson Rose or the ones after.

    This new cover style is a fresh disapointment, not only becuase of all the excellent reasons stated before mine, but because it looks like a ROMANCE NOVEL. While the stories are historical romance, the covers let the books “sit pretty” next to the books in the historical novel or fiction sections. My bookseller hasn’t figured out that these are romance, but he certainly will now. I will have to search for them in the back corner romance section, next to cooking! sigh. My husband will take one look at this and refuse to read it with me. Double sigh.

  51. Christine on July 14, 2010 at 7:28 pm

    I liked the old covers, but I like this one as well. It might be because it reminds me of the UK Emerald Ring, which is my favorite of all the covers. In the end, it’s just a book cover. Who cares what anyone else thinks of what you’re reading? Read Lauren’s books (or anyone else’s) for the fun of reading them. If the person next to you on the train wants to judge you for reading what looks a “trashy romance novel,” it’s that person’s loss because we all know the book will be awesome. We should all just give it a chance because, as we’ve all been told, never judge a book by its cover.

  52. Becky C. on July 15, 2010 at 12:06 am

    Sorry to say it looks like the mass market romances you see in line at the super market. I don’t normally read “romance” books and I never would have read Pink Carnation if it had had a cover like this one. I am still really excited to read it though…

  53. Chanpreet Singh on July 15, 2010 at 12:24 am

    I have to agree with the 50 other commentators. I absolutely adored the portrait covers. I read trashy romances and non trashy books, but a cover that is unique is the best thing a book can have going for them, besides the actual story. Please, please, pretty please have your publisher/agent/editor/whoever is in charge take a look at your website. I sincerely doubt that you’ll lose any readers, you certaintly won’t lose me, but this cover just doesn’t match with what you write and what we’ve come to love and expect. I was so excited when I saw your post for The Orchid Affair cover. I wondered what painting/portrait had been used. My initial reaction on seeing this cover was horror. “Oh no!” was my response to be exact. Lauren, if you need us to write/e-mail/phone someone to let them know how displeased we are, we’re willing! Just point us in the right direction!

  54. Stephanie on July 15, 2010 at 6:54 am

    Long time reader, first time poster- I feel so strongly about the cover issue that I’m de-lurking to add my two cents- I agree with most of the other commenters. I think this look is fine for the mass market paperbacks, but as Sheila said, for the hardbacks, I’d like something a little less cliched.

    Any hope at all of getting the portrait look back? I echo what the above commenter says, if there’s someone we can give our opinions to, please tell us!

  55. Jennifer on July 15, 2010 at 8:18 am

    I gravitate towards books that are a series, and I like the covers to look the same. Series have a consistent look so they are easily recognizable as belonging together.

    This cover looks like a cheap romance novel, when it’s so much more than that. The other covers were so beautiful and intriguing. I always looked forward to seeing what the next portrait would be. I’m sad to say I won’t be buying the book with this cover.

  56. A. on July 15, 2010 at 9:22 am

    I imagine these covers are already printed. It’s not to my taste, either, but it’s not the end of the world.

    Take the cover off when reading the book in public if it bothers you that much. Or if you have a Kindle, you won’t have a problem at all! =)

  57. Rachel on July 15, 2010 at 12:25 pm

    I haven’t bought a Pink book since the paperback of Emerald Ring, because the covers started changing with Crimson Rose. I’ve been borrowing from my girlfriend or the library in order to read Crimson Rose, Night Jasmine, and Blood Lily. And sad to say, that practice is definitely going to continue when Orchid Affair comes out. It looks exactly like the sort of book I wouldn’t read in a thousand years, and if Pink Carnation had had a cover like this one I wouldn’t ever have picked it up.

    Mistletoe, however, has a beautiful cover that I think better fits the series and harkens back to Pink 1, 2, and 3.

  58. Kevin Verdon on July 15, 2010 at 12:33 pm

    Could you drop us a name at your publisher to whom we could voice our displeasure to? Maybe they would be more interrested in listening to their customers?

    Kevin

  59. carole on July 15, 2010 at 12:47 pm

    I can’t remember what the main character of the book looks like. But there is a pretty portrait. Here’s a link:
    http://jameslogancourier.org/media/MCT/20080104-Recamier.jpg

  60. carole on July 15, 2010 at 12:48 pm

    It’s a picture of Jeanne-Françoise Julie Adélaïde Bernard Récamier. (of course she is French).

  61. Kevin Verdon on July 15, 2010 at 1:32 pm

    Odd? Did some posts from Lauren just disappear? Mayhap evil spies from the publisher are afoot! 🙂

    Kevin

  62. Lauren on July 15, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    Hi, Kevin! I’ve been having some trouble with my spam filter and I think I may accidentally spammed myself out! Me and technology… not so much.

  63. Kevin Verdon on July 15, 2010 at 5:17 pm

    Whew! After seeing the Portrait cover get guilotined I was afraid that you had been set upon by the Committee of Publishing Safety for denouncing the vile deed!

    🙂

    Kevin

  64. Diya on July 15, 2010 at 7:49 pm

    Ok, so Dutton Books is a part of the bigger, badder Penguin Group. I do believ that this is the email to contact them:

    ecommerce@us.penguingroup.com

    They say that “every effort will be made” to reply within 48 hours.
    Lets go people! Like Kevin said, Viva la Revolution!

  65. Kristie on July 15, 2010 at 10:50 pm

    I have to agree with Jenny and all those who agreed with her (I honestly didn’t read all comments).

    I wish that the cover kept in league with the previous six novels.

    Not only that, but the first thing I thought of when I saw the cover was: “Romance novel” While I like the romance in the books, I like the espionage and historical aspects even more. So I wish it looked more like the way I look at the series–not pure romance.

  66. Debra R. Callaway on July 16, 2010 at 9:59 am

    Just like most of the others who’ve commented, I don’t like this new cover style at all, at least NOT for the Hardback and trade versions. It just does not have the same “feel” as the other covers, the others were “classier”. WHAT IS IT WITH RECENT TREND IN HEADLESS GIRLS ANYWAY? I would expect it on a mass market paperback for a “romance” but not for the Pink books. When I see covers like these, I keep wondering, is a total misogynistic nutcase making the decisions on covers now? The message I get with these kinds of covers is the reader of this book has no brains. I agree with the other comments about the previous covers being classier and especially agree with the comment about the booksellers. At my bookstore, your books are in the Fiction section, not romance, with this cover, your books will be relegated to the romance section (or maybe just this one book). I admit I do read historical romances but only when when I want MENTAL POPCORN, your books are NOT mental popcorn, they are LITERATURE. I also would not have been tempted to read the first Pink book if it had had a cover like this (unless I was completely and totally, in the mood for mental popcorn). I was not in the mood for mental popcorn mood when I picked up the first book. I also have friends that would read your books with the cover style they have been printed with but would most definitely NOT be interested if it had this cover because “they don’t read romances.” I am frankly very disappointed in the cover. It would be okay in the mass market paperback version, because the first Pink mass market book also has this type of cover and you could do the whole series in mass market with this kind of cover, but the Hardback and Trade PB versions should be consistent with what has been done before BECAUSE IT IS A SERIES and because this book is a part of that series, not a book outside it, this cover makes it look like it is outside the series. Sorry if I rant but this book looks TOO DIFERENT from the others. I love your books so much that I have all the others in 3 formats, Hardback, Trade PB and Audio (I will get Blood Lily in Trade PB when it comes out) but I will probably only get this in Audio with this cover because it doesn’t fit next to the other covers.

  67. Lauren on July 16, 2010 at 10:13 am

    One of the ideas I’ve been playing around with– and it’s just an idea at the moment, since I need to figure out the mechanics– is creating a replacement dust jacket for those of you who are really unhappy with Orchid’s new cover. It would be a limited edition and just for you guys. (This, I’ll admit, was part of what was floating around in the back of my head when I posted the cover contest).

    Would folks be interested in that?

  68. Cho on July 16, 2010 at 10:51 am

    Lauren,

    I think that your last idea was an excellent one. I was fairly disappointed with the new cover and miss the beautiful old ones. I will, of course, buy it no matter what, since I love the writing. I wonder…might it be possible for this to be the paperback version, and one from the contest to be the hardcover?

  69. carole on July 16, 2010 at 12:16 pm

    Ooooh, I’m liking what you’re thinking Lauren.

  70. Susan on July 16, 2010 at 12:22 pm

    In what universe is the women on the cover a GOVERNESS?!!!
    Did the art dept actually take the time to find out what the book was about? Do they honestly believe this in an accurate depiction of the book?

  71. Kate on July 16, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    I too, like many who have commented, am heartbroken at such a terrible cover. I think that it completely misses the spirit of the books. I am so revulsed that I don’t even want to purchase a copy.

  72. Elizabeth aka Miss Eliza on July 16, 2010 at 5:10 pm

    Lauren, totally! I was actually toying with making one just for myself till you announced the photoshop fun!

  73. Sheila on July 16, 2010 at 5:22 pm

    Yes. I would love a cover of my own What a super idea…however it works out, or the cost, what a great collectible.

  74. Diya on July 16, 2010 at 11:23 pm

    YES please! thank you so much for LISTENING to us 🙂 now if only your publishers would too!

  75. Georgia on July 19, 2010 at 12:58 pm

    Most certainly. Where do we sign up?

  76. Irina on July 19, 2010 at 5:31 pm

    Add me to the list for the dust jacket!

    I was SO disappointed with this cover!! Trashy romances are fine in their place, but I would never EVER buy one in hardcover! The lovely covers have always enhanced the experience of reading a Pink book, especially for those of us who still prefer the weight and feel of a good quality hardcover. I would be embarassed to be caught in public with the cover above, which would put a major damper on my “reading at Starbucks” fun 🙂

    Yes, I would still read the book, but I would certainly not buy it, which may be of interest to your well-intentioned, but misguided publisher.

    Thanks for listening to all of us, and please let us know when/where/how to “procure” a limited edition dust jacket.

    Thanks!

  77. Olivia on July 19, 2010 at 11:19 pm

    I would *love* having a dust-jacket for Orchid Affair. Would it be possible to get one for the paperbacks of that *and* Blood Lily (which would be the hardcover cover) as well? I started buying them in paperback, so I want to have all of mine of the same kind.

    Thanks for listening to us Lauren, and trying to find a compromise!

  78. Stephanie Ball on July 20, 2010 at 5:30 pm

    I agreed i would be embarrassed to have this on my shelf. I considered not buying it. If there is another cover that matched with the first novels available i would buy it in a heartbeat. I hate to sound mean but it looks like regency porn which the book are so far from. They have depth and quality. Its wrapping something wonderful in a trashy cover to make it marketable to those who want trash and will be disappointed by the substance.

  79. Ashleigh on July 27, 2010 at 5:07 am

    I LOVE the pink series, and I can’t wait for the new book(s) to come out, but this new cover is terrible. Yes, it is pretty, but not only does it not match the rest of the series, it makes the book look like something that I would never read. I first started reading pink after a friend recommended it because I like historical fiction. The new cover makes orchid affair look like nothing but a romance novel, and that isn’t what any of the pink books are. I have been looking at the contest covers, and they are AMAZING! If the current cover can’t be changed, I am loving Lauren’s dust jacket idea. Since they would be limited edition, I hope I would be able to get a hold of one. 😀

    I saw that someone posted an e-mail, and I looked at the website and they also have a phone number listed that you can call.

    “To reach a specific department within Penguin Group (USA) Inc., you may call our general switchboard number, 212-366-2000, and request to be transferred to the department of your choice.”

  80. […] and with all due respect to Dutton, The cover for The Orchid Affair, which was revealed on July 12th, 2010, is a travesty for those who have been fans of the series […]

  81. Stephanie on August 23, 2010 at 11:15 am

    I agree with the majority of the comments above. One of the reasons I adore the Pink Carnation series is that it gives us SMART romances: heroines who are clever, passionate, and independent. I loved the old covers because they were original and took some thought to put together. This new cover looks like every other generic romance novel. It could be slapped together by anyone for any story and doesn’t do the Pink Carnation series justice. I have the hardbacks for all of the other books, but I wouldn’t pay the money for a hardback with this cover even though I love the series. Lauren, I hope your publisher takes notice! Thanks for reading and responding to us.

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