My
latest novel, DARK MOON RISING, will be published by Luminosity on July 24th
(my birthday). Hopefully, that will bring the novel good luck in reviews. As of
June 9th, the novel is available as a Kindle book on Amazon for
pre-order. Eventually, it will be available in a print edition as well.
Why
was this cover selected? First, let me say that much thought went into the
creation of the cover. From the cover, readers know immediately that this novel
is a romance between a man and a woman. Second, from the cover there is a
suggestion of the paranormal. Third, it is clear the novel is intended for an
adult readership. I particularly wanted that clear distinction because my
recent YA novel THE DEVIL AND DANNA WEBSTER is a “clean read” appropriate for
teens as well as adults who might be offended by sensual romance. This YA
novel, currently available in all e-book formats, has proven popular and earned
a print edition which will soon be released.
As
readers, don’t you judge a book by its cover? So it stands to reason that writers want to
create an appealing cover that draws the eye. Cover art can make or break the book. What
kind of front cover grabs the reader’s attention? What kind of cover art should
a book display? A lot depends on the
genre of the book itself. The cover should be appropriate to the type of book.
Readers expect it. For example, writers of romance want to demonstrate that their
novel is an irresistible love story. How to do this? For adult romance, the
clinch or embrace is a familiar pose. Bare-chested men are popular as well. Dramatic
raised lettering with flourishes is always in style. A basic question to ask:
is the book going to be sold on the shelf of a bookstore or is it going to be
available only online? Is the novel going to be a hardcover, trade, paperback
or e-book?
With hardcover fiction books, as with all others, the
cover needs to fit the genre, be attractive, while the title should be easy to
read and intriguing. Cover art needs to play fair with readers so that they
don’t feel cheated when they select a book. Covers for adult gothic or
paranormal romance are generally dark and boding in appearance, appropriate to
that genre. Readers expect it.
Paperbacks need simplicity in covers. The artwork
should also support the title and the genre. E-book covers shouldn’t be too fussy
or busy either. The old saying “less is more” works best for a book cover
that’s displayed online. A short title with a large, easily readable font and
bright contrasting colors shows up well on the computer screen. Publishers want
to avoid covers that are complicated and hard to read. Plain, simple graphics
are preferable.
What are your feelings regarding cover art? What
draws or attracts you to a novel? What do you dislike or prefer not to see?
Beautiful cover, Jacqueline. It is absolutely gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteSusan, also known as Janis
Thanks, Susan Janis,
DeleteI know you're a pro when it comes to knowing cover art. I appreciate your comment.
That's a very thoughtful discussion of what goes into designing a cover. And the cover is beautiful. Good luck with the book; it sounds like another winner.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan, I appreciate your support.
DeleteWow, Jacquie! Great cover! Best of luck with the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alice. I hope the book does well and that the cover art helps sell it to readers.
DeleteI like your cover. Congratulations! Often the cover art is the first thing a potential reader sees, so it's important to get it right. You did. :-D
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,
DeleteI can't take any credit for the cover design except for a few suggestions. The editor was very involved.
Interesting analysis of all the things that go into creating a cover. Your cover is eye-catching and nicely dramatizes the description below the title. Hope you sell a million!
ReplyDeleteAllan,
DeleteA good cover is one component for book sales. Promotion and publicity are crucial.
Jacqueline,
ReplyDeleteI love the cover and the title and I can't wait to read the book!!!
Thanks, Pat, so glad you had a positive response.
DeleteYour discussion re covers is well done. The cover pulls me initially to a book and then I read the back material. The cover, however, is the first impression and can make or break a reader's interest.
ReplyDeleteYour cover is lovely.l
Thanks, Betty. Like you, cover art is the first thing that draws me to a novel. But back cover blurbs are really important as well.
DeleteLove the cover! I can tell I'd like the story very much at a glance!
ReplyDeleteThanks, D'Ann. From a romance writer who has done some beautiful covers, that Is a great vote of encouragement.
DeleteGorgeous cover! And as you mentioned in your blog, very clear conceptualization of the content :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Loretta, so glad you like it and can connect with it.
DeleteThat is a lovely cover, Jacquie and it denotes the subject matter perfectly. I spend hours looking through clip art images to send to my cover artist. She plays around with them and produces her own magic. It's not that easy combining humor and mystery in cover art but we give it our best shot. Your should be thrilled with this new cover. Can't wait to read the book.
ReplyDeleteHi, Cindy,
DeleteGlad you like the cover. Like you, I thought it was appropriate for a dark romance.Humorous mystery needs an entirely different look to cue readers.
This looks like the perfect cover for your book, Jacquie. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nancy, time will tell. I hope it appeals to romance readers.
DeleteLove the purple/blue in the cover, Jacquie. As always, a fine blog about covers, as well. I'm one of those who probably miss a few great stories because I get turned off by "the clinch" on a the cover. I like to read about romance; I don't like to read about sex. How can a cover convey that distinction?
ReplyDeleteWell-known writers generally avoid the clinch because their readers know in advance whether there will be sex scenes or not. However, in order not to offend romance readers who prefer sweet romances, I think a clinch scene on the cover indicates that there will some level of sensuality.
DeleteNice colors and sensual images should attract the reader. I like clinch covers myself. Do not like headless heroes.
ReplyDeleteI've seen a lot of headless heroines lately in Regency romance covers emphasizing the gowns. Bare-chested heroes are also favored. I'd love to know reader reactions.
Deletecongratulations on the new release. Interesting discussion on cover design.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Helen.
DeleteGreat cover, Jacqueline! I thought the images you selected were rather evocative and definitely got the message across.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maggie. I hope the novel will appeal to paranormal romance readers.
DeleteCongratulations, Jacqueline. The cover speaks well of what to expect.
ReplyDeleteHi, Carole,
DeleteHopefully, readers will have a positive response. But I did want them to understand the novel is for adult readers.
Outstanding cover! You are right--cover art is extremely important and should fit the story. This sounds like a very compelling novel. Good luck!
DeleteThanks, Susan, glad you like the cover art. Hopefully, readers will find the novel absorbing.
DeleteCongratulations, Jacquie,
ReplyDeleteI like the cover, and I agree it is appropriate to its adult audience. While I have been warned not to put a teen on the cover of my adult mystery, it is dark and foreboding, and she is clearly threatened. So I'm doing a bit of genre-bending, because I think New Adult readers will like it. It is a fairly clean read, no worse situations and language than most kids hear in high school everyday from the urban crowd. Both she and the urban girl who is kidnapped with her are threatened with great abuse and harm and it's up to them to work out a plan to survive. You can see the cover at my website, www.peterhgreen.com, to get what I mean. But your two covers for the adult and YA novels are spot-on! May you have great success with them, Best, Peter