It seems like a whole lot of book covers feature swords and necklaces these days. If I had my way, there would be far less glowing jewelry and far more sabertooth tigers. Luckily, according to the chart below, “glowy magic” is in decline on fantasy novel covers. The graph was created by Orbit Books to track trends in cover art. I’m sorry to say that “dark covers of meaninglessness” have not declined at all in the past year, but it’s nice that Orbit is now tracking the portrayal of damsels who are not in distress.
Which trends in cover art would you like to see decline?
Parker Peevyhouse’s ideal cover would show unicorns manning dirigibles
How can most be down? Does that mean fewer fantasy books being published and therefore fewer covers to survey?
It’s possible covers are showing all new trends instead of following older trends.