Tag: Sweet Regency Romance

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Revealing the New Jack & Jool Cover (and the Experiments Before It)

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Good morning my dear readers

A Brand-New Look for Jack & Jool

Last time I told you that I loved making my own. I think this edition I made in Gimp. A program I’m sadly not proficient at.

The idea looked much better in my head than in reality. And then I learned blending of images. Oh happy days!

Attempt 2
Attempt 3

Even though these flowery editions of the series never saw the light of day, I did like it.

Looking at it now, it looks more like women’s fiction or tragedies. Maybe gothic, just way too colourful!
Then of course these book covers for Jack & Jool

I think I’ll always experiement with designing my book covers. Especially when I’m starting on a project. My publisher might have something to say about it. But just look at this collection of covers!

Working with a book cover designer

One of the most difficult thing I found when I worked with this designer was the brief. What do I tell the designer? In my head I see an image. In my heart I feel something else.

In reality, there’s a few pointers:

  • If you take a snapshot of the top 100 book covers in the genre, will your covers stand out?
  • What are the basic elements on each and every book cover?
  • Forget about the ‘message’, hints or otherwise, you wanted to communicate.

With these 3 pointers in front of me, all images and feelings flew out the window.

Standing out is not the objective. In my mind it says ‘pick me!’ For readers it says ‘something’s off here… ew’ and they scroll past. Bummer. But so we learn.

The Cover Reveal

And that brings me to the exciting part.

Without delaying any further, here is the new cover for Jack & Jool, the second book in my The Unknown Series of sweet Regency historical romances.

I do love it. I got to add a little bit about Jool, my female protagonist, her fiery red hair and her horse on the cover! But purely because it worked. Very happy about it.

It’s genre-specific and it fits beautifully into the world of top 100 sweet Regency romances.

What’s Next?

Next time is the third book in The Unknown Series. You can find it on Amazon already but I bet you forgot about the previous covers.

In the meantime, here’s how you can dive into the story:

Let’s Chat

What do you think of the new cover? Do you enjoy seeing the behind-the-scenes of an author’s creative process? I’d love to hear your thoughts—feel free to drop me an email anytime.

Thanks for being part of this journey with me.

Until next time.

Cheers!

**Please send me an email with your feedback at anne@annecwest.co.za. Comments vanish and get missed, hence emails.**

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Surprise Update – Evolution of Frances & Gilbert

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Good morning my dear readers

A Brand-New Look for Frances & Gilbert

For the longest time, I played around with my own book covers.

1st ever book cover for Frances & Gilbert

I learned how to figure out overlays, textures, and blending images, and at one point I thought, “Not too bad!”

Attempt 2
Attempt 3

Like many indie authors, I admired how the Colleen Hoovers of this world and other big authors could pull off those abstract, flowery covers that filled bookstores and Kindle charts. So, of course, I tried my hand at it too.

It never saw the light of day

The mock-up sat on my computer for ages, waiting for its big reveal. But here’s the truth—it never saw the light of day.

My last attempt at designing Frances & Gilbert’s book covers.

And while I enjoyed experimenting, I eventually had to admit something important: if I really wanted my books to have the best chance of success, I needed to approach them differently.

Treating Writing Like a Business

For about a year now, I’ve been taking my writing seriously—not just as a passion, but as a business. Everywhere I looked, successful authors, coaches, and entrepreneurs were saying the same thing:

“Treat your hobby, dream, or interest like a business.”

And you know what? That advice stuck.

Since then, I’ve made some big shifts:

  • I found a book cover designer who understands my genre and helps me create covers that feel professional and market-ready.
  • I started working with a life and business coach to refine my habits and mindset (more on that another day).
  • Most importantly, I began to see my books not only as stories, but as products in my author business.

I still enjoy dabbling in design, and part of me will probably always play around with fonts and images. But if I want my books to reach the readers they’re meant for, I have to be willing to let the professionals step in.

The Cover Reveal

And that brings me to the exciting part.

Yesterday, I received the new cover for Frances & Gilbert, the very first book in my The Unknown Series of sweet Regency historical romances.

And honestly? I love it.

It’s genre-specific, it fits beautifully into the world of top 100 sweet Regency romances, and most importantly—it truly captures the heart of the story.

What’s Next?

This is just the beginning. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing the cover evolution of the other books in The Unknown Series, and I can’t wait to show you how they’ve transformed.

In the meantime, here’s how you can dive into the story:

Let’s Chat

What do you think of the new cover? Do you enjoy seeing the behind-the-scenes of an author’s creative process? I’d love to hear your thoughts—feel free to drop me an email anytime.

Thanks for being part of this journey with me.

Until next time.

Cheers!

**Please send me an email with your feedback at anne@annecwest.co.za. Comments vanish and get missed, hence emails.**