posted on June 18, 2019 by Stefanie London

Best. Job. Ever.

I love my job.

Every day I get to write about hunky heroes, swoon-worthy kisses and all kinds of other sexy things. One of my favourite bits of the whole process is getting a cover for one of my books. Even though I deal with words, I’m a really visual person (hence why I have Pinterest boards for all my books!) and seeing a new cover for the first time is so rewarding.

Best. Job. Ever.

So what elements go into making a great romance book cover? Well, take a look at the cover for How To Lose a Fiancé. Isn’t it gorgeous? The people at Entangled really know what they’re doing with covers.

First and foremost is the…models. A good choice of models goes beyond getting the hair colour correct – it’s also about the post and the tone. It’s about the chemistry between the models or, if it’s a single model, the chemistry they create with you when you pick up the book.

Ever wondered how the designers know what models to put on the front cover? Well, authors fill in something called an Art Fact Sheet (sometimes called Author Information Sheets) which outlines a whole bunch of things about the books:

  • What the characters look like (hair colour, eye colour, the kind of clothing they wear etc.)
  • The tone and feel of the book. The level of sensuality will also affect the kind of image that gets chosen for the cover. For example, a sweeter book might have a couple gazing lovingly at one another while a sexier book might have a couple in a close embrace.
  • Setting – if the book is set in a big city, it might get a skyline backdrop. If it’s a cowboy romance we might see horses or a barn or a bale of hay or a beautiful mountain backdrop.

Based on this information the Art Director or Cover Designer find a background and colour scheme to complement the models. Rom coms tend to have brighter colours whereas romantic suspense covers tend to be darker or grittier. There’s a lot that can be conveyed through these choices, so it’s important to get it right!

Then there’s a title and font, which can help to create a brand for the author or convey subgenre. Ever noticed how a lot of historical books have more elaborate font choices? Each of these elements help to show the read what kind of a story they’ll find.

So what about How to Lose a Fiancé? It’s a cheeky, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy with a touch of steaminess and plenty of heart. Think the cover matches it well? I do! Here’s the blurb so you can see for yourself:

Sophia Andreou has always been the “good daughter” who tried to keep her domineering father happy. She followed the rules and did everything that was asked of her. But this time, her father is asking too much. The family company is crumbling, and her father has arranged a marriage to a Greek billionaire who can save their property business. What?! Umm no thank you. If Cinderella can dress up to win a prince, surely Sophia can do the opposite and ditch hers…

Dion Kourakis has come a long way from being an orphan with only a single friend to his name. Now he runs a billion-dollar investment company and has the respect of everyone in Europe. His charming personality covers a lot of emotional scars, including his desire to make his mentor proud. Dion doesn’t exactly want a bride to go along with his next business deal, and he plans on letting the lass down gently when they meet…

Only, his future bride has turned out to be nothing like what he thought she’d be. She’s quirky and has a habit of turning up to social events in strange outfits. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what she’s up to, but the harder she tries to convince him she’d be an awful wife, the more he wants to convince her they’d be perfect together.

Stefanie London

Stefanie London

Stefanie London is the USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance with humour, heat and heart. Growing up, Stefanie came from a family of women who loved to read. Her favourite activity was going shopping with her Nan during school holidays, where she would sit on the floor of the bookstore with her little sister and painstakingly select the books to spend her allowance on. Thankfully, Nan was a patient woman. Thus, it was no surprise Stefanie was the sort of student who would read her English books before the semester started. After sneaking several literature subjects into her 'very practical' Business degree, she got a job in Communications. When writing emails and newsletters didn't fulfil her creative urges, she turned to fiction and was finally able to write the stories that kept her mind busy at night. Now she lives with her very own hero and dreams of travelling the world. She frequently indulges in her passions for good coffee, French perfume, high heels and zombie movies. Recently she gave up her day job to write sexy, contemporary romance stories and she couldn't be happier.

https://stefanie-london.com

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