Covers create interest

As an indie author, I work with other professionals to create a finished product. Yes, I used the word product! In my case, this includes an editor, a marketing professional, and a cover designer. Many readers felt that the cover for The Admiral’s Wife was very eye-catching – so did I – and I asked the same cover designer, Jane Dixon-Smith of JD Smith Design to apply her creative talent to That Was Then, my upcoming novel.

The first thing Jane asked for was a list of elements from the book that might work into the cover, and a handful of covers in the same genre which represent target readers for That Was Then. I sent her several along with some information about the story.

We then went back and forth a couple of times with ideas for the design – not a long process but an intriguing one as the concept takes shape. The aim was to create a striking cover that also gave potential readers a solid clue of the story and a reason for stopping to take a look.

Drum roll please … here’s the final result.

I love the boldness of the title and the way the colours transition from pale to fiery red. The font suggests a contemporary story. The image – it’s the Massachusetts state house – says politics which is central to the plot. The background is dark blue fading to black and hopefully implies a thriller involving dark forces.

What do you think??

FOR MORE ON READING & WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION – AND MARY’S NOVELS –  FOLLOW A WRITER OF HISTORY. There’s a SUBSCRIBE function on the right hand side of the page.

M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel is THE ADMIRAL’S WIFE, a dual timeline set in Hong Kong. Mary’s other novels, PARIS IN RUINS, TIME AND REGRET, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads or on her website www.mktod.com.