I stink at graphic design, so I hire a cover designer for my books. If you prefer to give cover design a try, consider this article by Nancy Moser. Otherwise, follow me on this journey through the cover design process for one of my collections.
Okay, so I acquired the rights to my first two novels quite a few years ago, and after many requests, decided to go back and write a third book in that original chick-lit series. Once all three books were back on the market, and summer was on its way, I thought it would make sense to offer that series as a collection – with Chocolate Beach (book 1) as the flagship book.
But what about the cover?
(Note as of 2023: I hired a designer to revise the Chocolate series covers once again, and then I used BookBrush to create my own collection cover. But this article still may be helpful to you. You can find the new covers here: Chocolate Series Box Set)
I contacted a cover designer I had worked with before and began brainstorming design ideas and swapping photos with her by email. I could’ve gone with a From Here to Eternity-type cover with a couple smooching at low tide. After all, all three books contain romance (not to mention smooches). But the centerpiece of these stories, in my mind, are the friendships of the heroines Bri, Gaby, and Livi. So I knew I wanted three women on the cover, if possible.
Here’s the first idea cover designer, Roseanna White, presented:
Nice. Playful. And their faces don’t show, which was what I initially asked for (I’d suggested a photo of the back view of three women sitting on the beach.) I chose not to go with this cover, though, because 1) I didn’t like their clothing much, and 2) I didn’t like seeing only half their faces.
So next, Roseanna plugged in a photo of three young women taking a selfie on the beach. Cute, right? I still liked it. BUT … I felt that this might give the impression that the books were all about the three women together, and nothing much else – including romance. In other words, it was all about them.
Finally, I found a photo that looked remarkably like the three women whose stories are told in Chocolate Beach, Truffles by the Sea, and Mocha Sunrise.
Finding a photo was only part of the cover design battle
Problem #1
: Color.
Problem #2: I had no idea what to do about it.
I consulted with my kids and decided that the green had to go AND that there needed to be some fun pops of color here and there. After all, these are fast-moving romantic comedies. No lackluster stories here 🙂
Here’s the next cover design that Roseanna presented:
Definitely LOTS of color. Even Roseanna conveyed her trepidation over all that, um, color! My initial reaction was YESSS … but after some tossing it around with others, I decided that the explosion of color would be perfect for a children’s book, but maybe not for women’s fiction/romantic comedy.
So after another consultation with my patient and creative children, I went back to my long-suffering cover designer and asked that some of the color be tamed. At that point, several covers were batted around, until finally, a decision was made.
And voila! Here’s the cover I ended up choosing for The Chocolate Beach Collection (The Chocolate Series):
Helpful Hint
Some distributors don’t allow 3D covers, like the one above. So for those (iTunes or Smashwords, for example), you’ll want to have a flat cover made as well. Here’s the one I’ve used in those instances:
Happy book cover creating!