Now,
disclaimer, I DO NOT design my own covers. But I have found an incredible cover
designer who appears to be able to read my mind, across country, between California
and Maine.
As I write
and edit, ad nauseum, my mind is whirling with images of what the cover will
look like. When I have spare moments, or can’t think creatively to write words,
I search for photos that might fit my vision of the perfect cover. So, by the
time I am ready to contract for my cover, I know exactly what I want.
Okay –
another disclaimer. I THINK I know exactly what I want.
In my
imagination, I can see the cover, but having the brain translate the vision
into words, not so much. That’s where my file of photos come in. Also, I am not
an artist. So, what I think might make a great cover, never does.
For
example, for The Legacy of Parkers Point, book one of Serenity
Harbor, I had an evening image picked out of the front of a café. Picture dark background with twinkling lights sparkling EVERYWHERE, off trees and
a “loving” couple.
Enter my
cover artist. She is called an artist for a reason.
I sent
Karen (of Covers by Karen) my ideas through the photos I
collected and book covers of authors I love that showed what I want to say in a
cover. I also described the setting of my book.
She pointed
out that there was no space that wasn’t too busy to add the title, series
title, or author name. But she also knew the novella series was set in a
seacoast town on an island connected to the mainland by a bridge and that book
one was set in the fall.
Since this
was my first time making a cover, we did a lot of tweaks. It was a learning
process for both of us. For me, understanding what makes a good cover background. And for Karen, learning to anticipate what I really wanted.
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| The first try with couple we found on depositphotos. But author name didn't show up well. |
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| I asked Karen to use my author name off my website, But too dark. |
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| Website-branded author font, but white shadowing added to make it lighter and readable. And we tweaked the background along the way. |
For The
Rancher Needs a Wife, my book to be released in October, I sent her a
photo taken by my daughter while on a hike in Colorado.
When I saw
the photo, I knew it was a perfect example of what I envisioned for my cover, a
fence and mountains. And miraculous teal-blue skies on a fall day, that fit the
setting of my story. Karen loved the picture. Plus, it had the correct
resolution.
So, in this
case, with that one photo the search for the cover background ended. But not
the tweaking of the cover.
When I
chose the model for my hero in The Prince’s Son, book one of the
Cowboys of Mineral Springs, I also took notes on models for the next three
books and socked them away in my file. Of course, a year later, when I worked on the cover for book two, The Rancher Needs a Wife, weighed down
with half a dozen links from Period Images, I had to start over. Same model,
but oooh, so many pose choices. I went back and forth, forever…and narrowed it
down to three, then sent them out to my critique partners. Amazingly, we all
agreed.
A special
thanks to my critique partners. I have run every cover by them and they always
have good suggestions. The best part is when all of us say, THAT’S THE ONE!
I sent the cover
model photo to Karen, and she sent out the first rendition of the cover.
Loved it!
Except…
I loved the
white writing for the title, BUT it got a bit lost in the clouds, as did the
hero’s white hat. I loved the red in the author name. And I loved the feathery
look of the tree branches. I looked at the original photo and picked out the
section of the photo she had used. BUT, I REALLY wanted the fence. And the
title needed a bit of shadowing to make it pop a bit more. Luckily Karen can
interpret what I’m looking for, even when I’m not sure what I really want or
how to say it. So, Karen used a different portion of the background photo.
Loved it!
Except…
I did miss
the feathery tree, but to get the fence, I had to sacrifice the tree. Maybe we
could lower the sky a tad, so that patch of blue would make not only his hat
stand out more, but make the hero stand out from the background more.
What came
next was WOW! Karen worked her magic by moving the background photo over,
zooming in a little, and lightening it up a bit. She changed the title from
white to red. And everything popped.
Here are some other examples of the cover production progression. This is the cover for Come Dance With Me, book two of the Serenity Harbor series.
I wanted
the heroine to have dark hair and a clip in her hair for the final romantic
dance, before her world gets turned upside down…and not in a good way. We also
tweaked the background several times, as I recall. And as I also recall, we
made more than three attempts at this cover.
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| I really loved the cover, but the hero was all wrong from what I envisioned. |
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| Yay - found a couple I loved. Except hair color was wrong. |
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| Karen changed the hair color and added a barrette I found on a free clip art site. |
Although I
felt like a pest, tweaking here and there, that was only my second cover. And
working with Karen on both the first and second covers, gave her an idea of my
working style. And mine of hers, cool, calm, collected, and ready to do
whatever I needed to make a great cover.
In Moonlighting,
book three of Serenity Harbor, we got the cover right the first time around.
Although, the following year, I had Karen update both this cover and Come Dance
With Me to show they were holidays reads, by adding ribbon banners at the top.
Each author
and cover artist have their own strategy for working together to make a cover.
Mine is simple. I know what I want, but I really don’t. 😊 I tell Karen. She works her magic. Sometimes several times.
And voila!
Finding the
right cover artist is crucial and may take working with several before you hit
on a good working relationship. I got lucky the first time around. Karen gets me and understands what I want.
Sure, it takes some back and forth work on both our parts. That’s to be
expected. After all, the process is similar to writing, editing A LOT, and
finally releasing a book.
But as I
mentioned, it is a fun ride.
And oh, so exciting,
when that cover finally appears on the front of your “baby” on release day.
Thanks for stopping by today. When you chose a book, what stands out in a cover that convinces you to buy the book?
Thanks for stopping by today. When you chose a book, what stands out in a cover that convinces you to buy the book?
~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires
burning ~
Delsora
Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the
mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.
Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor
Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of
Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine.
Social
Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
21 comments:
I hope you enjoy the post. I am having computer problems, so getting it checked this afternoon, I will try to check in on and off today.
Delsora,
I love this about your journey toward the perfect covers. You do have great covers that really pop. Thanks for sharing this process.
Thanks, Susan - it is always fun for me to work with Karen. Your covers are great too. It's interesting to see the differences between romantic suspense and contemporary romance, and of course, all the different genres in romance. You have to have a certain "feel" depending on genre. And yours are incredible with that "feel."
So much fun to see the stages! And love the fact your daughter contributed! The cover initially designed for my 3rd Lady Adelaide mystery was...not right. Fortunately my editors pushed for a new one, and now we're all happy. First time I had a chance to put my 2 cents in, and hopefully next summer people will like it!
Both interesting and entertaining to see the various stages of your covers! Really fun, but educational at the same time. Thank you!
Super covers! I save my inspirations on Pinterest and buy images from Depositphotos. I have made a few covers, but the professional ones always come out better.
Delsora, your commitment to finding the perfect images is amazing. I now have a headache just reading about your searches . However I agree that finding a cover artist who "gets" you is critical. One that will work with you is priceless. And for me, one that explains why what I want won't work, won't convey the message I want is critically important. Thanks for sharing your process though.
Fascinating, Delsora. Color and faces are what draw me to a cover. The tweaks made to your cover and why they were made were enlightening. Thanks for sharing.
Watching the process you go through to achieve the perfect cover - I think you nailed it each time - is fun! Going through the same process for my own covers is excruciating! LOL After a while I stop 'seeing' things, much like what happens the 79th time I read my manuscript. But the cover is so important in the publishing biz, it's well worth the time, and headache, to get the best one.
Maggie - so glad they were able to fix your cover. I can't wait to see it and read the 3rd story. The first two were great! And, yes, fun to use my daughter's photograph. She is the talented one in the family :-) Most of the photos on my website are ones she took.
Elizabeth, thanks for stopping by. I do have fun working with Karen on covers. I only wish I was talented enough to have the "designer" eye for that kind of detail.
Hot Ash Romance Novels - I really need to get into Pinterest. MY problem is, I would have too much fun and forget to write :-) I do like making up promo on CANVA, but I'm not an expert, for sure. Good luck with your own covers.
Judith - I had to laugh. For me searching photos is fun. Yet, sometimes headache inducing :-) Mostly my problem is I can't make up my mind between a handful of photos and probably spend way too much time going back and forth. And yes, I am lucky to have found a patient and informative cover artist, and to have critique partners who humor me by looking at 18 renditions of each cover :-)
Anna - thanks for stopping over. Yes, I agree, faces and color draw me in to. Although, I do like some with fun scenes. When there is a bit of both (but not too busy), even better. It was a fun blog to write and a trip down memory lane looking at covers from several years ago.
Luanna, you are so right. After a while you have to say "enough" and go with what you have. Otherwise I could tweak until 2075 and then where would I be?!??! Glad you could stop in and say hello!
I love the "birthing" of a cover! It's fun (an difficult) to create the image that's going to represent all the sweat and late nights of writing your story.
I love the cover. Karen does great work!
~Nina
Great post, Delsora! I would say colors, fonts and titles draw me to pick up a book or click on one in an online store to read the blurb. If the blurb intrigues me, I'll buy the book.
Delsora,
Fascinating how your covers developed. I really like them all.
To answer your question what draws me on a cover to buy the book?
Something unusual. I was sitting on a chair facing the fantasy section in Barnes and Noble. I don't read fantasy normally. A book by Paula Brackston , "The Witch's Daughter" was facing outwards and the cover and the title drew me in. It was a simple cover, bottom of a long red dress, hiked up a bit to show black stockings and short lace up boots. That was it! and because I picked up the book I found a new author I really enjoy reading! I've read everything she's written.
Now in Romance fiction I think simpler is better. Not overly busy. and something on the cover to insinuate what or where the story takes place. Your book "Rancher Needs a Wife" was perfectly balanced. I could tell it takes place in the country, its westerner themed and having a white wooden fence shows it is contemporary .
I think for me too , bold colors draw me in. The title on the above book being in Red would draw me to pick the book up and look at the blurb. I once bought a Regency romance on the cover alone. the heroine had on a tangerine ball gown. A color rarely seen on covers.
Great post!
Thanks, Nina - Karen does do great work. And she listens to me. And then I listen to her, since she's the expert. Between all that, we come up with a cover. So lots of fun.
Sarah, I'm with you. And sometimes, even if the cover and then the blurb draws me in, I'll use the look inside feature to read part of the first chapter.
Diana - so exciting to find new authors. And I can see how that cover would have stood out among all those books in a bookstore. I have also bought books because the color of the outfit intrigued me, and as a result I discovered a new author. Or I've looked because of the font of the title. I'm sure each of us has different visual cues that work for us. That's the hard part of making a cover - trying to second-guess what readers will like. In the end, we do with what we like and hope for the best :-)
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