Under the covers where they make the romance happen
Romance novels are famous for cover art that shows the buffed and the beautiful in states of semi-undress – but what’s the story behind the creation of those distinctive images?
But yes, let’s talk about those covers and the bad rap they get for, according to the stereotype, featuring an impossibly attractive (and occasionally shirtless) bastion of virility. But as Iago says in Othello: “Reputation is an idle and most false imposition, oft got without merit and lost without deserving.”
Romance novels might not be Shakespeare, but the reality behind what goes into making a romance cover is more complicated than the genre’s detractors would have you believe. Ask Erika Tsang, the editorial director of Avon, HarperCollins’ romance imprint, and the first thing she’ll tell you to keep in mind when looking at a romance cover is that it’s a romance cover, and with that comes a certain level of expectation.
“Romances in general are female fantasy: if I’m going to have a fantasy I want the best-looking guy ever, I want that very masculine, buff guy on the cover,” she says. “You know what you’re getting when you pick up a romance novel.”
Those who pick up romances help create a billion-dollar industry. According to statistics compiled by the Romance Writers of America, romance sales topped US$1.08 billion in 2013, accounting for about 13 per cent of all adult fiction sales. E-books are the genre’s bestselling format, at 39 per cent of sales.
“I used to say that we look to create a cover that is going to jump off the shelves, but these days actual shelves are diminishing,” Tsang says. “We now look to have covers that jump off the screen, covers that are eye-catching and capture the attention of people who are browsing with the swipe of a finger.”