Sue Moorcroft's The Christmas Promise

The Christmas Promise is my winter release in Canada this year, both in ebook and print (look out for it in paperback in your local Costco store). The US liked the Canadian cover so much that they’re bringing it out too - this year as an ebook and next in paperback.

The Christmas Promise came out in the UK in 2016 and the ebook went to #1 in the Kindle UK charts. It stayed there for about five days, during which I felt as if I were living in a dream.

The ebook and paperback UK cover are quite different to the North American cover and even have different colour values to each other. The paperback had plenty of ‘bling’ and the ebook the kind of contrast that works well on screen.

Paper Back Cover

Ebook Cover

It has since come out in German.

Germany 1st Edition

Germany 2nd Edition

In Italian. First as a beautiful hardback.

Italian cover HB

Then as a pocket-sized version.

TCP Italy Pocket-size

And in Danish.

In Germany it was a bestseller in 2016 and has been reprinted at least five times in paperback. You can see that after the first printing the title font colour was changed to stand out more. This year, it’s out in a pocket-sized version. This is seriously cute yet isn’t abridged at all.

So why such a variety of covers? Covers are incredibly valuable when it comes to marketing novels. They play a great part in getting a book noticed and to its ‘pickupability’. Covers also say something about a book’s genre - but the genres are perceived differently in different cultures and the audiences are not precisely the same.

‘Christmas’ has been omitted from the Danish title because it’s not such a big thing there and the cover isn’t festive. The pocket-edition in Italy is markedly different to the hardback because it was part of a range made up of many authors and all the covers were created in the same style. In short, each publisher is an expert in its own market and chooses what will give its edition the widest appeal.

The Christmas Promise was my first book with HarperCollins and, having since written two a year, all these books are now moving across the pond. The next in Canada was Just for the Holidays in the UK but because of the different way the word ‘holidays’ is used in North America it will be Just for the Summer.

Meantime, back in the UK, Let it Snow is my winter release.

I’ve already accepted offers from my German publisher and my Italian one. It will probably come out in those countries in 2020. The US Team loved the UK cover so much they adopted it straight away and have brought it out already. My new release in Germany was my UK release last year but came out in Italy the year before. 

Are you confused yet? I hope not too much and that the examples of The Christmas Promise and Let it Snow give you some idea of the depth and richness of the art - and business - of publishing novels.

Buy link: The Christmas Promise in Canada https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-christmas-promise/9780008355975-item.html?ikwid=christmas+promise+sue&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

Buy link: The Christmas Promise in the US https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Promise-cosy-book-wont-ebook/dp/B07QMV7JTW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=9780008344788&qid=1570199282&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

Buy link: Let it Snow ebook in the UK https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-christmas-promise/9780008355975-item.html?ikwid=christmas+promise+sue&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

Buy link: Let it Snow paperback in the UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Let-Snow-Sue-Moorcroft/dp/0008321795/ or at your favourite bookshop or supermarket

Sue Moorcroft is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author and has reached the coveted #1 spot on Amazon Kindle UK. 

Her novels, short stories, serials, columns, writing ‘how to’ and courses have appeared around the world. If you’d like to see more of her covers go to www.suemoorcroft.com and click on ‘Gallery’.

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Giving Birth to a Book Cover —by Delsora Lowe

One of the most exciting things about writing a book, besides the words THE END 😊 (Okay, in full disclosure, there are many other things that are exciting too,) is designing the cover.

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.

The first try with couple we found on depositphotos. But author name didn't show up well.

I asked Karen to use my author name off my website, But too dark.

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.

I really loved the cover, but the hero was all wrong from what I envisioned.

Yay - found a couple I loved. Except hair color was wrong.

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?

~ 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

Covering the Cover

by Diana McCollum

I have been a part of two anthologies. The first was a collaboration with other Windtree Press authors. I wrote my story. It was edited by other authors. And I had no control over the cover or anything really but my story. One person handled each and some times more than one of the tasks in putting the anthology together.

In the anthology "Gifts from the Heart", released early January 2015, I wrote a very short story "Saved by the Ring". This story is based on a true story my father told me about. The incident took place during WWII. I updated it to a contemporary story.

I felt the book turned out great. I liked the cover. It's hard to please everyone, and the more authors involved the more differences there are of what would work and what wouldn't. So the fact that one person or maybe two were in charge of that aspect was great.

Fast forward a couple years and I had two short stories come out in the anthology "Love & Magick". All together there are six different short stories, from various genres, and by three different authors. There are historical, time travel, a grown up fairy tale, contemporary, western and paranormal.

In  the anthology, Love & Magick my first two short stories were published, "Ghost of a Chance" & "The Crystal Witch".

We all chimed in on what we wanted on the cover. When you think about it, covering all the different genres on one cover would be impossible.

Having three women with their own ideas, almost impossible.

Our cover went back to the cover artist half a dozen times until we finally settled on this one. And this last cover one of us didn't like the fact the lady looked like she was NOT wearing a swim suit.

Although, she could have been wearing a strapless bikini top. So it went back to the cover artist and Karen Duvall of Duvall Design photo shopped bathing suit ties around the ladies neck. A cover artist is an indispensable part of your publishing process. No matter who you hire, the money is well worth having a professional looking cover.

Our theme was romance and each story had some sort of magick in it. I believe our final cover suggests that.

The design of a book cover is so important since that is the first thing that grabs a reader to pick up your book and read the back copy/blurb and buy it. That initial emotional response, so important!

One thing you need to think about is the mood of your book. The colors, patterns, and type of lettering that resonates with your book theme.  "Love & Magick" I believe the cover mood shows mystery, magick and romance. The blues with the moon enhance the mood.

Another way is to check on the e-book outlets for covers in your genre. What is popular right now for suspense, historical, paranormal etc. You want your cover to stand out from the competition. Check out the covers of New York best sellers in your genre. Set up a file on your computer with all the covers you like. What is it that draws you to that cover? Then you have ideas to give your cover designer.

If you are creating your own book design it is better to go simple and sophisticated, rather than trying to cram too much on to the cover making it cluttered and too busy. If the reader's eye can't focus on the simple, she'll move on to another book. Fonts should be bold and clear for your title and your name. 

Always make sure you check your cover as a thumbnail size. Is the design show good as a thumbnail? Most people who buy online will see this thumbnail size first. You want your book to pop and show well in the small size.

Have you read books where you've wondered how on earth does the cover relate to the story?

When I write,  I weave elements of paranormal,  and fantasy into my stories. I always have a Happily Ever After, because I have to for my own satisfaction!  

My hope is that I am able to take you away from your everyday life for a journey that is both entertaining, and fun, and sometimes a little scary, then I've succeeded in my job as a writer.

To purchase click on links:
"Gifts of the Heart" by Windtree Press Authors
"Love & Magick" by Judith Ashley, Diana McCollum & Sarah Raplee

http://dianamccollum.weebly.com/books.html
http://bit.ly/2nld4AC  (visit my author page on Facebook)
@Dianasuemcc   Follow me on twitter

Favorite Places and Book Covers

I’m Judith Ashley and I write romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

Usually I write my monthly blog post several weeks ahead of time but for some reason that didn’t happen this month. I kept waiting for inspiration, some fantastic idea, etc. to come to me and nothing happened. So, here I am the morning before you read this sitting at my computer with a vague idea of something to write. Here goes!

Book covers!!! Specifically the covers on my books.

I’m putting together the cover images for the last two books in The Sacred Women’s Circle series and so setting is on my mind. Setting is about place. Where does the story take place? What is magical about the place? What role does the setting play in the story?

The covers for Lily and Elizabeth are directly related to those stories. Lily Hughes spends time along the California coast. Elizabeth Elliott sees visions of the sacred grove and those visions draw her to Ireland.

However in Diana the setting on the cover is designed to show the reader the stark emptiness of her life but there is hope. See the crocus?

Ashley is one cover that really doesn’t show setting. It does show dragonflies which are very important to the story.

Hunter's cover evokes movement and water. Hunter is a dancer and much of the story takes place on the shore in Rhode Island.

Right now I’m working on the cover for Gabriella. While the story begins in a cabin in the woods in Oregon, much of it takes place in Italy, in a villa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. I think I’ve found the elements – a beautiful urn on a railing with the Mediterranean Sea in the distance. Adding to that a lighthouse and the background is complete.

For Sophia I’m looking for gardens. When I go back to look for more pictures I’m narrowing it down to Victorian Gazing Ball in a garden and see what that brings.

What’s important in creating the covers and in writing the stories is that you, the reader, can ‘see’ yourself there. Feel the dampness of the sea soaked wind on your face. Smell the plethora of scents from the blooming garden. Sigh with relief in the cool of the forest on a hot summer day.

My covers also have overlays—muted images overlaying the stronger picture of the setting. These overlays are connected to the sub-title of each book. Lily’s subtitle is “The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl”. Can you see the overlays?

In addition, in the upper left-hand corner you’ll see a circle of crystals. Something is different about that circle of crystals on each cover. Can you see what that is?

Three comments will be chosen at random from all comments with the correct answer AND the additional requested information that follows. Each winner will receive a free e-book of her/his choice from The Sacred Women's Circle series. In addition to the 'right answer', your comment needs to include the name of the book you want, the file format (mobi for Kindle, e-pub for everyone else) and your email address.

You can learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Check out my Windtree Press author page.

Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19 

I’m also on Facebook.

© 2016 Judith Ashley

Do You Pick Up a Book Because of the Cover?

by Diana McCollum

Book covers can be decorated with a man or woman or a seductive couple, landscape scene, symbol, even a pair of shoes can draw me in to pick up the book and possibly buy it. Of course, the second most important thing is the blurb on the back and the opening pages. If I like all that, it's a sure bet I'll be buying the book.

All these books I've read, and any one of them would be a great Summer read.

Some novels don't live up to their covers. When this happens I feel a bit disappointed that the cover designer/editor didn't research the story line before creating the cover.

Recently I read a book by Catherine Anderson, "Silver Thaw". The story was good, but the cover? First it takes place in central Oregon. The Cardinals' habitat does NOT include Washington, Oregon or California, or the rest of the northern western states. But there, on the cover is a Cardinal sitting in a tree.

"The Mystery Woman" by Amanda Quick, is an intriguing and accurate cover. Intriguing because we don't see the heroines face only her leg, bloomers, garter and derringer. And the derringer is a vital part of the story, as is the delicate holster she keeps it in on her leg.



My friend, and fellow blogger, Paty Jager, has beautiful covers. In her three Spirit books the covers convey the Native American theme along with the legend each book contains.  This one being about the wolf, who is the spirit of the Mountain.

One of my all time favorite covers, has the main focus a pair of shoes. "The Witch's Daughter", by Paula Brackston. I picked this book up because of the cover, thinking it was a historical book. As it turns out, it is the story of one witch and how she survives by fleeing to different time periods through out history,  to avoid a Warlock who wants to have her, and have her powers. It starts out in present day first person, and she begins to tell her story to a young girl she befriends. Excellent book for the summer or any time.

Now I want to share the cover of the anthology I have two short stories in, "Love & Magick". There are six short stories in this book. A wide variety of genres. The couple on the front is representative of all the heroes and heroines in the six stories.

Submit a comment with your pick of names for the couple on the front of "Love & Magick", I'm curious as to who they look like to you.

Do you have a favorite book cover from books you've read?

Yes, Please - Judge a Book By Its Cover!

You know the saying: "You can't always judge a book by its cover." To that I say - bollocks. Whether literally looking at a book, or figuratively looking at a person, what you see is strongly indicative of what lies beneath.

Publishing is an intricate business, one that most brand-new authors don't understand. Lured by the ease of self-publishing, they write what they are certain is the next great American novel, slap together a cover on their computer, and toss the mess up on Amazon. Then they are shocked when nothing happens.

There are twelve million books on Amazon. Twelve. Million. And growing. How can a consumer possibly be savvy in that ocean of words? Look at the covers. While a beautifully designed cover does not guarantee that the narrative inside will be wonderful, at least the reader knows the author cared enough about their product to put its best face forward.

Conversely, a pixelated or fuzzy photo plus a standard Word font pretty much guarantees the author has never bothered to do research in a bookstore. I wouldn't expect they bothered to learn much about good writing, either.

So what should the reader look for? What makes a good cover?

1. Does it catch your eye with a clear, indicative image?

While the book itself is verbal, its cover lives in a visual environment. The cover image should reflect the genre and style of the interior. Is the key photo element dominant on the cover? Was it professionally photographed? If there is a live model, is it one you have seen on dozens of covers before, or has the author chosen originality?

If there is more than one image, are the photos blended professionally? Do they make one cohesive collage? Or are they cut-and-pasted awkwardly from a variety of sources? Do they assault the eye, or entice it?

If an author chooses to use original artwork (a very risky choice) has the artwork been done professionally - as opposed to a friend's amateur acrylic-painted efforts? Or worse, is it magic marker, crayon, or No. 2 pencil on crumpled paper? Yep. Seen them all.

2. Is the title easily readable?

Is the title font a custom font, not a standard-issue Word choice? Is it large and well-placed on the cover, as opposed to slanting, stacking vertically, or obscuring the image? Do the color and style of the text coordinate with the cover image or compete with it? Does the font reflect the genre, setting, and target audience?

If there is a subtitle, is it short and in a different, smaller font so it's noticeably secondary information? And by the way, if the cover states "A Novel" beneath the title, then you are probably looking at a pretentious amateur effort.

3. Is the author's name clear?

The author's name should also be in a large easy-to-read font; using a standard serif font (the ones with pointy parts) is more acceptable here than it is for the title. But if the cover says "By" Name O'Author, you are once again looking at an amateur piece of work. Real books by real authors from real publishers don't say "by."

4. Does the overall design let you know what's inside?

If you, as a reader, can't discern from the cover the book's genre, era/setting, and something about the plot or characters, then the cover has not done its job. And if the cover looks painfully awkward, steer clear. Spend your hard-earned cash on a product which honors the reader, not one which insults them.

I subscribe to an equally hilarious and terrifying site, LousyBookCovers.com. Several times a day, new covers are posted which make me shudder, cringe, and slap my forehead in disbelief. Sad to say, I personally know six authors, and one over-exposed cover model, who have been featured there.

When their covers showed up, I did tell them. After all, if one of my covers was called "lousy" I'd want to know - and then I would change it! Only one of them chose to make changes, however. They all shrugged and said, "Any publicity is good publicity."

Really?

Bollocks.

Light Up the Night

by M. L. Buchman

Sometimes titles are evocative, sometimes they're good, and sometimes they just suck. It's one of the wonders of traditional publishing when you aren't in control of your own titles. (Though I've certainly seen some awful indie titles as well.)

That said, for me: This one Rocks!

The title is totally cheerful, they "Light Up" the night! It's one of those words like working "Heart" into your title or finagling it into the last word of your pitch. It just makes you feel better.

The challenge of a good title is delivering on it.

• The Divine Comedy for Dante Alighieri's journey through hell
• Pride and Prejudice that has us still debating two hundred years later exactly which one is which but still sighing at the ending anyway.
• Zorba the Greek a title which I dare you to say without smiling. Or remember without smiling.

Frequently the trick is that you can make up the title after you've written the book.

• The Old Man and the Sea is about, um, this old guy and the sea
• Don Quixote is this book about this, uh, quixotic guy
• The Hobbit The "What-it?" You just have to pick it up to find out 

All great titles, and I'll bet they were all chosen after the book was at least well started.

The catch with my traditional books has been that the way traditional publishing works, they choose the title before I know what the book is about. I might have main characters, and some guess about where on the planet it will occur. But other than being a military romantic suspense, I don't know a whole lot more than that by the time the marketing pack is due at the sales team (over a year ahead of publication).

That's another of the reasons Light Up the Night rocks for me. The characters really do, almost like a pinball machine. Not only their battles with evil forces (of which there are plenty in the book), but in their sparring with each other. Neither wants to be in love, especially not with the other one, which turned out to be really fun to write.

Lieutenant William Bruce is a Navy SEAL who is working undercover in Somalia.

Trisha O'Malley is an Army helicopter pilot for the secretive Night Stalkers and saves his behind when he doesn't think he needs it.

He's dirt-poor Scottish from Chicago; she's well-bred Boston-Irish.

He's strong and silent; she's so not...silent that is. (Though she teaches him a thing or two about what strong means.)

So, when they take on the Somali pirate lords, and each other, it definitely Lights Up the Night. And like the umpteenth crazy good thing about that cover is that, at least to my author's eye, that's pretty much how they look. (Okay, I'm looking at the really cute girl. I'm a guy who writes romance, so sue me. :) )

Anyway, this title (the latest addition to my "Night Stalkers" series) is available in just 6 days on September 2nd (or sooner if you're reading this later).

The reason I chose older titles above is I'd love to hear what are some of your favorite romantic suspense or romance titles that just really fit the spirit as well as the story of the book.

You can sign up for my newsletter at www.mlbuchman.com to receive release news and free short stories. You can also read an additional  free short story during the Ides of Matt (the 14th-20th of every month).

Writing Collaboration: Author and Cover Designer

by Christy Carlyle

When I heard this month’s Romancing the Genres theme is writing collaborations, I immediately knew I wanted to talk about a special kind of collaboration. I have never co-written a story with anyone, so I can’t speak to that experience. However, I am a full-time book cover designer as Gilded Heart Design when I am not writing, so I’m extremely familiar with the collaboration that occurs between author and graphic designer in order to give birth to a beautiful cover design.

The cover design process is a joint venture between writer and artist and, when it works well, can result in an image that will give a hint of the story inside, capture attention, draw a potential reader’s eye, and, hopefully, result in fantastic book sales for the author. Haven’t you been drawn to consider a certain book because of its fabulous cover while browsing Amazon or Kobo online or even wandering the aisles of Barnes and Noble? I know I have. I recently discovered a new author and am starting on his first book, simply because I was drawn in by his covers, then hooked by his blurb, and finally sucked into the fantastic story he’d written.

This is the actual size of the small row of "Customers Also Bought..." covers on Amazon. My title is barely readable, but my large single couple implies a romance cover.

As with any process, there are ways to make the whole journey easier and more successful. After two years as a cover artist, there are two principles that stand out for me as essential for making the process more satisfying for both author and designer. Since I am a writer and a designer, I try to see the experience from both sides, and I've found that paying attention to the following topics assist me as a designer but can also assist writers who need a cover and want the design process to result in the best possible image to represent and sell their story.

Realistic Expectations – This is probably the most intangible and yet one of the most important

These are the first three covers of a series
I'm working on for author Judith Ashley.
We are going for consistency across
the series.

aspects of any collaboration. One person’s vision is never going to match another’s, as we all come at the world from our own perspective. This is where communication is key, but knowledge and prep-work can also assist with expectations.

Unless you have hired an illustrator to design your cover, be aware that book cover designers are constrained by what is available in terms of stock images. So while it’s tempting to want to represent a very specific scene from your book or your unique-looking character on the cover, it may not be feasible. Not everything can be “photoshopped.” I’ve been asked to do things like change the expression on a stock model’s face. That’s just not feasible.

Also, while there may be an appeal to the notion of including multiple elements from your story or a detailed scene—“My frightened purple-haired heroine is running with her one-eared dog along a road with a cemetery on one side and a construction zone on the other, while a helicopter hovers overhead”—be aware that such complex scenes don’t usually make for a compelling cover. Their details tend to get lost in thumbnail and may confuse a reader. Larger (and fewer) images, broad strokes, beauty that catches the eye but doesn't convey too much detail, a cover that signals your genre and gives a big picture impression (I sometimes ask authors to think of their covers as impressionistic paintings) of the story inside are elements that tend to be most eye-catching.  

Knowing Your Market/Genre - As a designer, I try to keep an eye on what’s typical, popular, and works well for covers in each genre that I design for. I know that readers expect certain elements in a paranormal romance cover versus a contemporary romance cover.

I created these two covers for a publisher for the same author.
Can you tell they are for two different romance subgenres?

When an author comes to me for a cover and knows some of these same genre expectations, it makes collaboration easier. I sometimes ask authors to browse other covers in their genre or look at the covers of bestselling authors who write the kind of books they do. The goal isn't to copy anyone else’s design but to know what reader expectations are for that kind of book. And, sure, sometimes breaking the rules can be cutting edge and exciting, but in terms of cover design, I’ve found that if book covers are too “off” from what readers find on other covers in the same genre, those books with unique covers may get lost in the mix.

It’s important to remember most readers buying books online will be viewing your book in thumbnail, so color, contrast, and simplicity of design are key.  For a series, consistency of design will link your covers in for reader’s eye and might immediately identify your brand or style, so that someone who liked your first book will pick up your next. A readable font, even if it’s not as pretty, might also be important, especially if you have a hot keyword in your title that will draw readers.

As with any collaboration, there are other essential elements, including being open and receptive to ideas and

options, flexibility, and clear, open communication. However, I’ve found that realistic expectations and coming into the process with a solid understanding of what readers like to see on a cover for your given genre can also help enhance the adventure of book cover design collaboration between author and artist.

If you're a designer or author who has contracted a book cover artist, do you have any tips for the cover design process?