What's New in Cover Design

by Christy Carlyle

While the title of my post refers to what’s new, most of what’s important to know about cover design remains consistent. And that’s good news! It means you don’t need to scramble to keep up with constantly changing trends. Sure, there are fads and genre specific trends, and I’ll mention a couple of those, but in general the following fundamentals have remained true of book cover design since I began designing three years ago.

FUNDAMENTALS

Stay true to your genre and optimize its best aspects – Being unique sounds appealing, but creating a cover that strays too far from what paranormal romance, historical romance, or fans of any specific genre expect to find on a cover may mean that your book gets lost rather than standing out in the crowd.

Look at what’s hot in your genre by studying bestseller lists or browsing bookstore shelves. Sure, those books are ultimately selling because of excellent storytelling, but great cover design can also play a role. And it can’t hurt to emulate the folks who are selling heaps of books, right? Figure out your genre’s cover design expectations, and then work to create a cover that optimizes those aspects. In other words, figure out what works and do it well.

I write Victorian historical romance and there are basically two main cover design modes in my genre—couple in a clinch or lady in a pretty dress. There are other options, of course, but those two styles have remained consistently popular for years. When I designed the covers for my Whitechapel Wagers series, I tried to combine the appeal of both.  

Don’t skimp on quality – For an indie-published author, paying for book cover design may be one of your larger expenses, but it’s well worth it. Expect to pay between $100-200 (or more) for a professional cover designer to create your perfect cover. As a designer, I have been asked to redesign covers for several authors—to create a more consistent look, to improve on the quality of their previous covers, or to “try something different” to boost sales. 

I've learned that a good deal of the work in cover design takes place before images and typography are combined. Taking the time to envision consistency across a series and figure out your overall brand as an author will improve your covers the first time around. Who knows. It might save you the trouble of a redesign. Then again, one of the great freedoms of being an indie author is the ability to change your cover. It's an aspect of your business and marketing strategy that you control, tweaking a cover or trying different options to test their impact on sales. 

Cover designs for Christina Tetrault with a focus on consistency.

Design principles to keep in mind – Did you have to take an art history or art theory class in school or at university? If you did, they might have droned on about design principles like contrast, color harmony, clear, readable typography, the Z pattern, etc. Did you know you can use these concepts to improve your cover and that any good cover designer will be applying them to the mock-ups and final art you see?

Since many readers purchase ebooks based on small thumbnail images, it’s important to make sure your typography is large and readable in thumbnail dimensions. Also, the higher the contrast of dark and light colors/images on your cover, the more it will “pop.” Keeping color harmonies in mind is also useful. I often pull out an old school color wheel or browse a site like Adobe's Kuler, which features infinite color palettes, for design inspiration. The Z-pattern refers to the notion that our eyes tend to view images in a Z pattern, scanning from upper left to right, then down diagonally to lower left over to right. Since typography and key elements on book covers tend to be at the top, bottom, or in the center of the diagonal, most follow the Z-pattern.

TWO TRENDS I’VE NOTICED

I feel certain that as soon as I type these out, they’ll go out of style. Or perhaps they did go out of style when my finger slipped off the pulse of cover design. And of course these aren't hard and fast rules, just some trends I’ve noticed as I study covers.

Historical romance – I’ve noticed a trend toward monochromatic color schemes which use several aspects of a single hue on the cover. Memorable recent examples are Sarah MacLean’s Rule of Scoundrel covers, but I've seen the technique on many beautiful historical romance covers recently.

YA Paranormal romance – While dark background colors remain a visual cue for many paranormal covers, I’ve noticed YA, in particular, tends to be focused increasingly on single female figures on the cover rather than an object or couple, both of which seemed to be popular for a while. On a recent bookstore visit, these covers caught my eye and held me captive. Beyond the compelling central figures, note their use of contrast, simple design, and readable typography too.

What trends have you noticed in cover design? Feel free to post any questions you have about cover design and I'll do my best to answer. 

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?