Illustrated book covers have become all the rage in the romance genre in recent years, and I am all for it! If you’re looking for an illustrated book cover artist, look no further. The following artists have been listed at ascending price points (to the best of my knowledge – some don’t have pricing information on their websites!).
Illustrated Book Cover Designers
1. Red Leaf Book Design
Wilette at Red Leaf Book Design creates both photo and illustrated covers for a variety of genres. My personal favorite(s), of course, are the covers she has done for me (Beauty In The Details is pictured below), but the rest of her portfolio is great as well!
UPDATE: Wilette had decided not to take on new commissions at this time as she focuses on her writing. Keep an eye out in case she opens up her calendar again in the future!
2. Bailey Designs Books
Bailey makes fun illustrated book covers for a variety of genres.
3. Elle Maxwell Design
Elle has created adorable illustrated book covers for a variety of popular indie romance authors! My personal favorites are the covers she’s done for Jen Morris’ Love In The City series (The Love You Deserve is pictured below).
4. Yummy Book Covers
Yummy Book Covers are created by author Enni Amanda. She does illustrated covers for both fiction and non-fiction books.
5. Dot Covers
Dot Covers are created by author Mia Heintzelman. She creates both photo and illustrated covers.
6. Ink & Laurel
Sam designs everything from logos to book covers!
7. Leni Kauffman
Leni has made a variety of stunning covers for both traditionally published and indie authors. She also makes art prints and other illustrated products!
How To Choose A Cover Designer
- Budget – First and foremost, look at your budget, and keep in mind that your cover is one place where you may want to allocate a little extra cash. Your cover is arguably one of the most important parts of your book because it is the first thing people see associated with it. People do judge books by their covers!
- Style – Look for a cover artist whose portfolio you’re attracted to. If you don’t love any of the covers they’ve done in the past, don’t assume they can make a cover you will love!
- Pre-mades – Most of the artists listed above have galleries of pre-made covers that they sell for set prices. These often come along with one round of edits, or you can pay a minimal amount for changes. This can be a great way to cut costs! See if the designers you’re looking at offer pre-mades.
- Swag – Many cover artists will make swag (graphics, bookmarks, stickers) for an additional cost. If this is something you are interested in, research if the designers you’re looking at offer this service!
Illustrated vs. Photo Book Covers
This is a pretty hot topic in Romancelandia and I can easily see both sides. I believe there is a place for both illustrated and photo covers, and I have nothing against either of them!
As an author, I have chosen illustrated covers for my books so far because they can often provide a more accurate depiction of the characters, setting, etc. than a photo cover made from stock photos can. When using stock photos, you also run the risk of other books using the same ones, or different ones with the same models.
As a reader, I will read books with either photo or illustrated covers, but I do find myself more attracted to the illustrated covers. Some prefer them for their inconspicuousness – it’s harder for someone in public to tell you’e reading a steamy book when it has two cartoon people on the cover rather than a photo of a shirtless man. Others argue that we should be reading books with abs on the cover loudly and proudly.
There is also an argument to be made for expectations, and what expectations are set for illustrated cover romances vs. photo cover romances. It used to be that illustrated covers were pretty exclusively used for light, fluffy rom-coms. Nowadays, they are used far more widely in the romance genre, but it is difficult to glean steam level from an illustrated cover, which is where a well-written blurb becomes important! Photo covers, or even indiscreet covers, are definitely still industry standard for romantic suspense, dark romance, erotica, etc.
At this point, it’s really an author’s choice whether to use photo or illustrated covers unless they are writing in a very specific niche, in which case one or the other may be more industry standard and set readers’ expectations more accurately.
There are certainly a lot of options out there when it comes to choosing a cover designer, but I hope this gives you a starting point for your research into illustrated covers!
