5 Book Covers in 2020
Due to the world-wide pandemic, 2020 has meant, for most people, slowing down more than ever. But somehow for me, design-wise at least, it's been my most productive year yet. Online sales of books haven't slowed down, and writers haven't stopped writing. On the contrary--many writers have found ways to use the time in lockdown to restore an old project, start a new one, or work on revisions. Reading and writing are some of the most satisfying things people can still do.
In 2020 I produced book covers for two different authors, both for ebook and print versions. Take a look at the following front covers of these independently-published books:
Fate & Longing in Lisbon is a Romantic Comedy by V M Karren. It's a short book, somewhere between a short story and novella, and comes in ebook form. In this cover I really wanted to bring out the feeling of wandering through Lisbon's winding and stair-studded alleyways, but I added some characters to illustrate the romantic twist. Since the main character is a postman, I used an iconic red Portuguese mailbox as a focal point. I love the use of analogous (and warm!) colors. Makes you feel transported to a sunny place.
The Witch of Drontenburg, also by V M Karren, is another short story/novella in the same series with Fate & Longing in Lisbon. This book, however, is set in rainy Zeeland, a southern province of the Netherlands. The main characters are a group of young boys, and a reclusive old widow whom the boys regard as a witch. You can see her flying on her bike, instead of a broom, at the top of the cover. I chose more of a blue-gray color scheme to match the climate and sea, but incorporated the iconic step-gabled houses to bring out the Dutch culture.
The Plucked Hen by V M Karren is the French story from the same Armchair Travel series as the other two books above. For this cover, I used a photograph of a kitchen in an old French castle, and combined it with images of a rooster. Then, hidden somewhere in the background, is the main character: Chef Le Coq. The story about this rooster on this cover is funny. I happened to be visiting the Dutch city of Breda with my family, and noticed this brightly colored rooster as we were strolling through the city park. As I was already preparing to make this cover, I seized the opportunity to take a lot of photos of that poor rooster. I think he turned out to be perfect for this project. I just hope he won't charge royalties :)
Armchair Travel is the print compilation of the three afore-mentioned books, Fate & Longing in Lisbon, The Witch of Drontenburg, and The Plucked Hen. It is 'Volume One' of the continuing Armchair Travel series, which aims to take readers on virtual journeys through European lands. The author specifically requested that I include an armchair covered with travel patches. I added the book shelves, globe, and stacks of books to give a somewhat erratic, travel-obsessed feel. The author said it really fit his vision for the book.
The last book cover I designed was for Sunset House, by M J Burke. This book is available in ebook and print, and is a fun little mystery. Here, also, the author had a clear idea of what she wanted. She showed me a picture from an ad she had found which fit her version perfectly, so I did my best to re-create it with licensed photos from Adobe Stock. The colors are different from the original photo (it was mostly yellow), but I think this color scheme works. It gives a feel of a luxurious setting (a posh retirement home where an elderly actress becomes involved in a murder), with a bit of foreboding--black dress and deep shadows-- that naturally fit a murder-mystery.
I hope you enjoyed this mini-tour of my book cover design from the last year. I had a lot of fun creating these! If you or anyone you know is writing a book and looking to add an eye-catching cover, feel free to contact me (Christine Karren) at flybynightpress@gmail.com.