The Indigo Heiress cover that wasn’t…

Laura FrantzBook Covers, Books, Inspiration, Novel News, Reading, Scotland, Uncategorized

Cover art is my favorite part of publishing so it’s fun to share a peek behind the scenes of covers that didn’t make the final cut. Revell has a top-tier art team and designers dedicated to bringing readers the very best wrapping for books. It’s quite a process that actually begins a year or more before the book releases.

I’m always delighted when I’m given cover options or mockups like the 2 you see here. While there are design elements in both these mockups that I love, other elements aren’t true to the story. The win in #1 is the indigo plant which dovetails with the title. But the scenery is Scottish Highlands and The Indigo Heiress is a Lowland tale. Also, the heroine’s gown needs to be more elaborate as she’s an heiress, after all, not a middling colonial woman. Love the detail of the ring on her finger and the box with author name.

Cover #2 gives me all the feels here with that beautiful window and our heroine looking out. Our heroine spends a lot of time looking out windows in the novel:) I love the way the indigo is framing the title, too. Such a lovely embellishment. Her gown is blue but still not quite right. 18th-century dress details are a challenge. There are many more dress options for 19th-20th-centuries. Here the box moves from the author name to the title.

After considering both these designs with my agent, I gave feedback as to what works & what could be truer to the story. Then came the delight of 2 more options.

The choice now became much harder! I loved both & so the clock was ticking toward a decision. You can see which I chose though I hated to say farewell to the other! I then received the final cover which I find a stunning design. The remaining tweaks were minor & it was time to be shared. I’m thrilled & thankful it echoes the novel so well!