Let's Talk Romance Book Covers

Do you judge a book by it's cover?

Readers have been reading romance for centuries, but it wasn't until the 1940's that eye-catching cover designs were used to attract readers. These single process color covers with simple titles were responsible for helping to create the phenomenon that is the Romance Novel.

Personally, I'm a fan of the medical romances popular in the 1960's. I recently came across the above book and several others while on a trip to London. They were sitting in a box outside a used bookstore for the equivalent of 25cents US. The original price was 35cents. I am attracted more to the covers than the stories. You've gotta love a nurse in uniform with a somewhat threatening background.  

Here's a cover of another book in my collection. Back in the 60's, women were stay at home moms. Faraway themed stories were very popular.

When I published my first book, Brooklyn Ballerina with Avalon Books, it came under the category of a Career Romance. By then the color process had improved offering brighter color and more variants.

Today, indie authors are always in search of a cover artist who will produce a cover that not only attracts readers, but serves as brief story board for their novel. The options these cover artists have to work with is endless. 

When I needed a cover for my 1st self-published novel, I found my cover artist, Ravven. Her colors and details were exactly what I was looking for.  

Recently, MAC cosmetics introduced a new line "A Novel Romance" collection. The deep rich colors of the lipstick, nail polish, and eyeshadow are intense and pleasantly appealing like the colors on the cover of modern romance novels.