When Cover Dreams Come True

ByKaren Witemeyer
33 Comments

A book’s cover is such a critical piece. It sets the tone of the book. It must grab a reader’s attention and invite them in. I’ve been very blessed to have some really wonderful covers. But they don’t just magically appear. There is a lot of hard work that go into them, and OK . . . a little magic.

When my first Hanger’s Horseman book came out, I fell in love with having a rugged cowboy on the cover. He was fabulous! But he wasn’t perfect. Readers pointed out that his vest was not the cavalry style or color that I described, nor was his horse the right color. As much as we wish the designers would just make everything perfect, there are limitations when it comes to budget and available costumes and models. No model, however handsome, is going to fit my exact mental image.

When it was time for Book 2 to have its cover designed, I dreamed big but kept my expectations realistic. The Heart’s Charge is a double love story – featuring two of the four famed Horsemen and the women who claim their hearts. With both heroes having equal POV time, it was important to me to have both heroes featured in equal prominence on the cover.

Here are some of the inspiration photos I sent to my publisher. Jonah is a sharpshooter and Mark is a trumpeter from their cavalry days. My dream was to have the two men on horseback charging across the cover like the top right photo, but realizing that might be unrealistic, I also would have been happy with something rugged like the Costner and Duvall shot.

Well, this new cover is living proof that dreams do come true . . .

I can’t tell you how pleased I am with how it came out. Jonah has his rifle. Mark is ready with his revolver. The horses are perfect. The expressions on the faces are intense and heroic.

And here’s where the magic comes in – the cover models/actors were never on horseback! I didn’t believe it until I saw pictures from the photo shoot.

I’m amazed at what they can do and how realistic it looks. Digital artists are amazing!

I’d love to hear what you think of the cover.

As a reader, does it bother you if some of the smaller cover details don’t match the story? Or is the cover more of a symbolic representation for you?

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For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Karen is a multiple award-winning author and a firm believer in the power of happy endings. She is an avid cross-stitcher, tea drinker, and gospel hymn singer who makes her home in Abilene, TX with her heroic husband who vanquishes laundry dragons and dirty dish villains whenever she's on deadline. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.

33 Comments

  1. I am very particular when it comes to publications, and I really wish covers to match writers’s descriptions – especially if the book is about set in some particular period in history that I’m not familiar with. I would like to know, for instance, how a frilly orange bonnet or a sky-blue day dress looks. Movies adapted from books have to match too but that’s another matter. It just doesn’t feel right if the cover doesn’t match the work.

      1. I understand your desire to see accuracy depicted on the covers, Anna. I feel it too. For some reason, I’m more picky with movies and TV shows. I guess I can let my imagination take over when I’m reading. And yes, the horses’ legs are hidden behind some strategically placed prairie grass. 🙂 I guess grass makes a better background for the title. 🙂

  4. I love the new cover! I do sometimes compare the cover with the descriptions, but truthfully it doesn’t matter that much to me. I like to let my imagination take over and picture the subjects myself.

    1. I agree, Jocelyn. I like to imagine the heroes and heroines my own way, and sometimes the models on the covers just get in the way. Ha! I’ve always been partial to dark headed men, so when there is a blond hero on the cover, he often transforms into a darker-haired hero while I read. 🙂

  5. Great cover! It makes me wonder, WHO is the main character (romantic lead) and WHO is the sidekick? I don’t mind if covers have small details that do not reflect the story, but when bigger random things are just there…it distracts me. Mostly though, I don’t worry too much about what’s on the cover. I just want to read the story!

    1. The fun thing about this book, Angie, is that both men are romantic leads! This is a 2-in-1 story where there are four POV characters (Mark, Jonah, and the two women who capture their hearts) and two complete love stories. That’s why it was so important to have both leads featured with equal prominence on the cover. 🙂

  6. I’m just happy to see males on the cover. Most have the female, but this shallow-man-lovin’-booknerd MUCH prefers the handsome heroes! And two on one?!? YEE-HAW!!!

  8. This is a fantastic cover. I do so wish more covers had men on them like this series. I tend to look at the cover as a door… if it’s a good cover, it invites me to open it and walk inside. Once I’m inside the book… my imagination takes over and I don’t really go back to the cover to make sure it matches what my imagination came up with. It did what it should – it convinced me to pick it up. And I can appreciate the cover for having done that while separating it a bit from the story.

  9. Yes, it does bother me when the cover doesn’t match the story/characters’ descriptions. It really bothers me when there are English people dressed up in Amish attire, and “pretending” to be Amish, w/ make-up on & cut hair…ugh.

  10. It’s such a thrill to see the dream you have for a cover come to fruition! This one was a tough ask — two men and two horses?!!? I’m delighted that they came through for you. 🙂

  11. I love the cover, Karen! While the esthetic of the cover draws me in, I don’t pick it to pieces. It is just a jumping-off point for the author’s description and my imagination. I can’t wait to read The Heart’s Charge!!!

  12. Wow! Looks great, and you got a two-fer! And yes, as a history nut who reads a lot of historical fiction, I really appreciate when the clothing is true to the character and the period, when the hair is the right color, etc. If it’s not right, then I start to suspect the author’s level of research, or the publisher’s support of the author’s vision, etc. I’ve seen some real doozies, both on traditional and self-published books, that totally ruined my interest for the stories. And may I add that I do like seeing both leads on a romance cover? (When it’s only two people, of course! Squeezing four on this cover would have been a nightmare for your designer.)

  13. What a wonderful cover, Karen! I’m looking forward to reading another fantastic Hanger’s Horseman novel of yours. Blessings!

  14. You could have a plain black cover with your name on it and I’d read it! That being said, this cover is AMAZING! You must be over the moon!

  17. Awesome cover! Thanks for sharing the behind-the-scenes photo shoot. I think it’s a good representation of the novel and the adventures ahead for the new leads.

  19. Great cover! The cover catches my attention but the descriptions inside the story become part of the story. When I read I live in my head. 😬

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