SCL

c dollar has nice teeth, long fingers but he doesn’t equal biblically sound, that’s for sure.

The best book ever in this category is hands down “He-motions” by TD Jakes. The cover is total art.

Since when is he a “Dr.”

If the author is on the cover…I don’t touch it…usually the author wants all the glory and God is an afterthought!

I’m a bit different, I shy away from books with the author on the cover. One of the reasons I’ve never read a book by Joyce M. TOTALLY judging the book by the cover.

Maybe you should write one on “steps” we LOVE steps.

Those do seem a bit cheesy.

(He’s been a ‘Dr.’ for awhile now. He’s got a bachelors in education, a masters in counseling and a doctorate in counseling. I believe he earned those degrees at mainstream universities.)

Which is ironic, because shouldn’t “Christian” authors be deflecting attention away from themselves. Just a thought!

There are other kinds of books we like too… books with tranquil scenes (e.g. a dog asleep on a couch, a beautiful river, a beautiful lake, a beautiful beach, a beautiful tree) and the new and very important emergent/emerging/cutting edge/edgy/postmodern/stream of consciousness with bold colors and contrasts: if you see a burnt orange book with black silhouettes and text on it, you know it is relevant.

hehe. I just looked at the “He Motions” cover and I became scared. It looks like he wants to beat me up!!!

Why do they all have smiles like a used car salesman that has just given you a bad deal?

“I wish I had longer fingers”. Hilarious.

I just came across this post and wanted to mention the best example of this that no one knows about…”Bad Girls of the Bible”.

Yep…that’s Higgs on the cover dressed as a Biblical “bad girl”, seductive egyptian eye makeup and all.

Ive always thought the opposite, being a graphic design student I prefer a creative contextualized cover. also, i think that a cover with the author on it is quite egotistic. btw, i have noticed that the authors that usually put their picture on the cover are the ones that like to talk about god wanting you rich and free of pain.

I actually find most books with the author on the cover to be unappealing. I agree with julio.

I get irritated with authors on the cover– I always feel like they’re trying to glorify themselves rather than God.
And for authors with a dozen books on the shelves, it’s like they’re saying “Look at me! I’m a Christian celebrity!”

I don't think that guy knows how to count. I mean he has 8 fingers on the cover sure, but I've taken more than 8 steps in my time and I still don't have the life I want. Makes me want to sing, "You can have all this world, but give me Jesus." Good tune, but really even excepting Christ as my savior wasn't even a step, it was just a conviction that turned into a thought that turned into a prayer. Maybe I could write a book called 3 steps to a better life. I'd put my dog on the cover though, he's cuter than me. It would be a short book too and I don't think Zondervan would publish it.

I work at a Christian book store and I see these books ALL the time! Makes me wonder who buys them… I especially like the ones where the premise is basically about "being the best possible you" or similar and the man/woman on the cover has clearly had a fair amount of cosmetic surgery and ultra bleached teeth. Sends a pretty contradictry message if you ask me….

I don't know if I particularly like them on the cover, but they're on there. Joel Osteen the biggest culprit right now!

I'm surprised no one mentioned him earlier (Joel Osteen)! That's the first one I thought of. I spent time at a Christian treatment home that had a whole shelf of "Your Best Life Now!" Well, there were more than that, but one shelf upstairs in the hallway was filled with them. To be decorative, I guess. We also watched videos of his sermons. He's a big supporter of the ministry. Glad I got out of there when I did!

How about the ubiquitous book cover featuring a cup of coffee and an open Bible next to an artistically placed pen. Extra points if a fresh floral arrangement appears in soft focus in the background.

A still life arrangement, maybe…but I never could focus on serious study if there was something delicious smelling good nearby. And I always spill my coffee. Better to do one or the other.

I LOVE this, you always crack me up!

I work at lifeway Christian store and got two words for ya. Beth Moore lol

BINGO!! I stopped reading Beth Moore when she began appearing on the covers!

Oh my gosh, I worked at Family Christian and I think I ranted about this to every one of my coworkers. I refused to read any book in which the author is on the cover of the book. I just want to ask "Is the book about God or is the book about you?"

excellent point! I also dislike it when the author's name is written on the cover in larger type than the title of the book…