You Should Absolutely Judge a Book by Its Cover

Now editing: The Bone Key by Mary Rajotte (releasing October 2024 from Quill & Crow Publishing House). Next edit: Song of the Sea by Sabrina Voerman (book three of the Blood Bound series)

Now drafting: Mistress of Night: A Ship's Haven novella (November 26, 2024)

Now listening: Morbid: A True Crime Podcast episode 564: Fred and Rose West (Part 1)

Now reading: To Wake a Kingdom by Nisha J. Tuli

The cover of a book is your first chance to give readers a glimpse into the world you've created. Not only should your cover draw the reader in and make them want to know more (even before reading your blurb), it should also give them clues about the story within. You're probably thinking, "Tiff, you want us to judge a book by its cover? Doesn't that go against everything we've been taught in life?"

This is why you SHOULD judge a book by its cover.

I worked closely with Goddess of Cover Art,  Faera Lane, to design the cover for Daughter of Shadows. The process was very collaborative, and Fay is incredible at interpreting the author's vision to make sure the heart of the story comes through.

When we started working on the cover for Daughter of Shadows, I shared my mood boards, Pinterest boards, and a ton of ideas with Fay so we would be on the same page regarding what I was searching for. She initially provided me with two equally incredible covers that weren't completely perfect - when we combined them, they were everything I had been dreaming of.

The cover for Daughter of Shadows by Tiffany Putenis, designed by Faera Lane

While I can't share the thought process behind the cover without spoiling the book itself (and I HATE spoilers), each element - from the crossed daggers to the wispy shadows - is an important part of the story. You can reasonably guess the genre from the imagery chosen, and the color palette was carefully chosen to express the darker, sexier side of the book.

Book Cover Considerations

So what should you consider when you're working with your cover artist?

• Your book's genre - a crime noir cover will be very different than a sweeping epic fantasy.

• Comp titles - what are their covers like? Following trends in your

• Main settings, themes, and tropes in your narrative - a Western reverse harem romance probably wouldn't have neon city lights on the cover, for example

Make sure you give your cover artist tons of inspiration, too! I personally share snippets of the story, my Pinterest boards, and any teaser graphics I've made to help get us on the same page with my overall vibe for the story.

And now for some other, very exciting news...

I received the first drafts of the possible cover for Mistress of Night from Faera Lane, and it is super cool so far! Hubs and I are looking at them more closely tonight to send notes back to Fay so we can make sure it's exactly what I've been envisioning. I'm really, really excited about what she's done so far! It's reignited my excitement for the story, which is helping me push through this final draft.

You can expect a teaser to be posted in the next week.

As always, thank you for spending some time with me, dear reader!

-T.