Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday post, brought to you by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today’s official topic is Cover Redesigns I Love/Hated, but I’ve deviated slightly from that topic so I can talk about some cover trends emerging in Christian fiction.
We all know the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” and I’m sure we can all think of times when that advice has served us well. But that fact is, first impressions do count for a lot, and when you’re faced with so many reading choices, and eye-catching cover can mean the difference between someone picking up the book or passing it over.
The trick for cover designers is creating something that stands out, but which also accurately communicates the mood and genre of the story. It’s a fine balance between knowing which conventions to follow and which boundaries to push. And so today, I’m highlighting some cover trends in Christian fiction that have caught my eye.
Men on Historical Romance Covers
You don’t have to spend long looking at historical romance covers to discover that having a female cover model is the norm for historical romance. There have been a few other covers featuring the hero on the cover rather than the heroine in the last year or two (including another of Susan Anne Mason’s books), but these are two of the best, in my opinion.
Minimalist Covers
This is a cover trend across the overall market at the moment, not just Christian fiction, and it can be so eye-catching when done well. I love the way the first two covers, in particular, manage to communicate so much about their stories with a minimum amount of detail. I think it’s the colours of the French flag on Allison Pittman’s The Seamstress, and those hands on The String by Caleb Breakey. And the simplicity of the cover on Nicole Deese’s 2020 release Before I Called You Mine, with that single thread draws my eye again and again.
Art-inspired Covers
I love these art-inspired covers. They’re eye-catching, and they evoke their settings and moods so well. Retro is also an emerging trend across both the general and Christian markets at the moment, and I’m hoping it will continue!
Illustrated Covers
Closely related to art-inspired covers are illustrated covers—including computer-illustrated covers. Romanov by Nadine Brandes is just stunning, both the design and the colours, and I love that we’re beginning to see illustrated contemporary romance covers rather than photographic covers. These days, a photographic cover has to really stand out to draw my eye, but my eye is naturally drawn to these illustrated ones.
Go Big or Go Home
Another trend that’s emerging across the general market and now making its way into the Christian market is the BIG trend. This can mean very prominent titles, such as with Samuel Parker’s Border Son or James R. Hannibal’s The Gryphon Heist, or it can be the image itself that is zoomed in, such as Melissa Tagg’s Now and Then and Always, where the cover is zoomed in on a front door.
Landscapes
This is something I’ve noticed particularly in Christian fiction—the use of landscapes as backgrounds for a prominent title. There’s something about that lone girl in the corner of Sean Dietrich’s Stars of Alabama that really draws the eye, and for me, that railway crossing on Tom Threadgill’s 2020 release Collision of Lies holds so much anticipation. I can feel myself bracing!
Well, I think that’s about all I have time for today. So let me turn it over to you. What do you look for in a cover? Which of these emerging trends catches your eye?
I’m really digging the covers with a male character. Not that I think we need to get rid of female covers … definitely not. But that Spice King cover is amazing. It’s intriguing. There’s a strength and stubbornness to it that I really love!
i’m in love with this post! And those first two covers (SWOON) 😉
Thanks! And yes 😍
I really liked your twist to this week’s prompt. I hadn’t noticed most of these trends! Doesn’t it make you wonder how and why they start?
My TTT.
I love your take on this topic! I really like the illustrated covers, and I was so excited when Romanov’s cover was revealed, because it’s just so gorgeous! The landscapes can be hit or miss for me. The landscape has to be visually interesting, otherwise what’s the point? I feel like there are quite a few landscapes that are just kind of blah, and my eyes just pass right over them without paying any attention. But when done right, landscape covers are just beautiful!
Here’s my TTT post.
I like that there are more male covers, I think Michelle Griep’s ‘The Noble Guardian’ was a good example of a male hero on the cover as well. I think sometimes female covers can look a little cheesy or whimsical, whereas this combination of colours with the male models say ‘deeper’ and not too romancey.
How do you join the Top Ten Tuesday’s group BTW? Do you have to register on The Artsy Reader Girl blog, or just join in and post the link there?
You just add your post to the link on her blog, much the same was as with First Line Friday 🙂
Oh my gosh, all of these covers are so beautiful. There are so many gorgeous ones on your list.
Thanks for letting me know. That sounds simple enough. I might pop over next week and see what the theme is, and then see if I can do a post.