Cozy Book Covers Have a Look All Their Own

Have you noticed the unique style of Cozy Mystery books? They favor illustrations that depict the book’s locale and the main character’s hobby or job. If our amateur sleuth runs a bakery, there will be cupcakes! And if she has a pet… look for an adorable dog or cat on the cover.

As a writer who’s taken over where only publishing companies dared to tread, I struggle with book covers. And I’m offering up my first cozy mystery book cover for feedback.

Share Your Constructive Comment & Help Shape Future Book Covers

I’m opening up a little self-help group for fans of cozy mysteries and authors that want book cover advice. As the requests arise, I will share book covers and ask you — oh, seasoned reader with an artistic eye — to weigh in with some helpful comments. Share the pros & cons, along with a virtual show of support.

All the rules for submitting a book cover for comment are on my guidelines page. AUTHORS CLICK HERE TO VIEW GUIDELINES FOR BOOK COVER SUBMISSION.

One of the things I will ask of authors: tell us how we can help you! For instance, below is the first cover in my cozy mystery series FIT GIRLS. I wanted something graphic in style, and easy to see as a thumbnail on Amazon. Most of the publishing house cozy covers still look like they are meant for a brick & mortar bookstore. The covers are too detailed and impossible to ‘read’ as a thumbnail.

Hopefully, my cover passes the Amazon thumbnail test, however, I worry that it’s too comic. Does it read too young? And I’ve broken a common cozy mystery cover standard — my cover does not depict a location. It features my two protagonists. I personally like covers with people, but what do cozy readers’ like? The cover also has a bracelet, which is a clue related to the storyline. So, I’d like to know what you think of my cover. I’m planning to stick with this layout for future books. Comment now or forever hold your peace.