The Art of the Cover

One of the things that attracts attention to the romance novel is the cover and its subject. Covers have evolved over the years. In the 70s, the covers were women in white (usually night-clothes) fleeing over the deserted moors, and always – always looking over their shoulder in terror. You never knew what was chasing them, a killer, Cujo, or the IRS, but the idea was that in order to find out, you had to buy the book.

In the 80s, the glory years of the bodice-ripper brigade, the covers changed. The title was scrawled in elaborate script, and for the first time, the hero took cover-stage as well, and the clinch was born. Usually involved in bending the heroine over his arm, while miraculously removing some item of her clothing with one arm behind his back (literally). A rearing horse was in the background to symbolize the antagonistic passion that flared between the two lovers. A new market appeared, faux book covers to hide what you were reading, lest anyone label you a romance reader. There is a rumor about the clinch, which I don’t know if it’s true or not. Book distributors (the folks who put the books on the shelves at the grocery stores and airports) were predominately male, and thus the idea for the publishers was to have a cover that would appeal to the male eye rather than the female, thus the down-to-there cleavage. I don’t know if this is really true, but it’s a fun story to tell.

During the 90s, the trend went back to solo. Study males with washboard abs, or a headless female body-part (usually a back, or a leg, or a hand). Very tasteful and aesthetically pleasing, and also not nearly as embarrassing as the clinch to the reader. Also, a parallel trend appeared, the absence of people at all. Flowers, jewels or coins were used instead of humans. I don’t see these as much anymore, so I suspect that marketing discovered that people sold better.

It’s always fun to watch the cover trends. They are definitely cyclical, in a follow-the-best-seller sort of way.

As for the process of choosing the cover, no, the author doesn’t get to design their own cover. Publishers DO listen to the author, though. The author will fill out an art fact sheet or else the editor will, and there will be a cover meeting between the editor and the art department to determine what gets chosen. Items discussed include type of book: funny, passionate, dramatic, etc. The characters physical attributes: hair-color, eye-color, and clothing (or lack thereof ). Also, scenes from the book are looked at.

In my historical romance, Touched By Fire, I gave my editor a lot of insight into the cover. I told her that the character wouldn’t be caught dead without clothes, and that he wasn’t rakish or a ladies-man, and shouldn’t be portrayed as such. She agreed with me on all points, and the cover ended up being the scene that I had recommended. It was interesting to see that cover, because for an author, the characters (and what they look like) are in your head and in most cases, the artist’s representation of your characters jars with what you think they look like. But it’s always interesting to see what other peple visualize from your words. With my Harlequin Temptations, you fill out the art fact sheet, which asks a lot of questions about the book. My editor is much better at covers than I am, and all of my covers have turned out better for her input .

A good cover can sell a lot of books, a bad cover can prevent a lot of sales, and for an author, getting your first look at your cover is a lot like coming downstairs Christmas morning. You don’t know exactly what you’re getting, but you’ve got your fingers crossed that it’s good.

Kathleen