The Dark Side of Romance Covers, Part I
The cover for Heather Massey’s steampunk romance, A Tale of Two Thieves
Whether romance book covers are created with illustrations, stock photography, or models, they share one thing in common—they’re art used as marketing tools. Each book presents a blank canvas upon which publishers (trad, small press, self-published) can make a creative splash to attract prospective readers.
The production values and design choices of romance cover art vary as widely as the millions of books published annually, which is part of what makes covers such an interesting topic for discussion. Publishers and authors alike seem to be constantly in search of the most effective, persuasive romance novel cover art—whatever that means in a world where taste is subjective.
Romance book cover trends have run the gamut. Depending on the era and subgenre, covers have featured the use of models, various illustration styles, object covers, man chest, and stock images, among others. I’m here to discuss the dark side of romance covers, but for an in-depth look at their history, check out these articles:
The Steamy, Throbbing History of Romance Novel Covers (via Jezebel).
Romance Through the Decades: A Cover Art Retrospective (via Harlequin)
The art of the romance novel cover (via Chicago Tribune)
The elephant in the romance novel cover art room
Unfortunately, not all romance covers are created equally. There are stunning covers, standard covers that get the job done, and wince-inducing covers. Keeping production costs low is one factor that impacts cover design for most publishers and authors, but that’s not necessarily a negative. In the hands of an expert designer, a modestly priced stock image cover can be just as effective as an expensive illustrated cover. When publishers and authors make a professional investment in cover design—regardless of style—the result is usually a cover with obviously high production values.
Everyone seems to agree that romance book cover art and design are essential marketing tools, but the poorly designed covers out there tell a different story. I get the impression there are authors/publishers who slap on any ol’ cover because their goal is to maximize sales even at the expense of readers or best practices in marketing.
Sometimes covers are substandard because a marginalized author/publisher lacks sufficient resources through no fault of their own. Technology has somewhat evened the playing field, but not nearly enough to give authors on a budget more of an advantage. Cover designers who are worth their weight in gold are in demand for a reason.
A romance book cover art style also plays a role in the marketing of romance books. Different styles are used primarily to signal a certain type of romance, but also for a variety of other reasons—ones that run the gamut from effective to downright insidious.
To help illustrate (heh!) this aspect, in part two of this series, I’ll zero in on an informal case study of science fiction romance covers.
