There’s no doubt that book covers are an art form. Those who create the very best examples are talented artists and designers; take, for example, artists like Jon Paul and Elaine Gignilliat who paint covers for leading romance publishers. But of course book covers are more than art: they are function. A book cover must help to sell a book – it must stand out in a sea of competing titles and call to a romance reader; it must embody the sentiment and mood and key theme of the books; it must spark interest and imagination in the onlooker.

Of course, all readers are individuals with unique tastes. To bend slightly the words of Abraham Lincoln, ‘You can please all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot please all the people all the time.’ So the publisher looks for the cover that will please the most people.

What features do you look for? What draws you in, and what puts you off? The following sections explore elements of covers in turn.

Font

It has to be clear, but also striking. I love romantic fonts – they instantly conjure up the mood of the book. For example, in the following cover the title font is an appealing feature of the cover which draws the eye.

Colour

For me, colour is essential in a romance novel cover. Colour says vivacity and passion, and it makes the cover stand out (especially among the often sombre colours of literary fiction, and the greys and blacks of paranormal and thriller novels). For example, initially I picked up the following book in a bookshop simply because the hue of the blue spoke to me, reminding me so much visits to the Greek islands (where the book is set).

Model(s)

In the romance genre you may find the love interest (male) alone on the cover, the protagonist (female) alone, or the two together, often in a seductive pose.

Some are entirely illustrated, and such covers can be very appealing for the romantic style of the artwork, as in the following novel:

Others are photograph based, and more grabbing and vivid. I love the simple romanticism created by flowers in this cover:

But I am perhaps more drawn to covers which really showcase the love story through the inclusion of both the lovers. Here’s a book I love whose cover really encapsulates the emotion of the love story:

Fashion

I think many female readers have an interest in fashion, and the hair and makeup style, jewellery and clothing of a model on a cover say a lot about the character’s personality, the era in which the book is set and the romanticism of it all. For example, this book cover really appeals to me, especially the wartime fashion of the heroine depicted:

Backdrop

Last but by no means least! Backdrop can do so much to sell a book, especially if the setting is of paramount importance in the novel. Take, for example, this book whose cover beautifully conveys its tempestuous, Scottish setting:

And for my own debut novel, Burning Embers, in which the sultry, beautiful, wild Kenyan setting is key to the love story, the lovers are depicted against a sunset by classic acacia trees.