3 Trendy Design Elements for Striking Book Covers: A Guest Post by Savannah Cordova

Hey everyone! Today, I'm so pleased to host Savannah Cordova. She's writes a very interesting piece. Welcome to my blog, Savannah...Over to you. :)

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A book cover is one of the most crucial elements when it comes to attracting readers. Most of us have heard the saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover”, but the truth is that a beautiful cover illustration — or one that signifies a specific genre — is often the first thing we consider to gauge our interest. If you’re wondering how to make your book stand out above the rest, then consider these three eye-catching trends to really make your cover pop!

1. Yellow with contrasting colors

Prior to 2018 or so, yellow was rarely used on book covers. (Seriously, try to think of a pre-2010s book with a yellow cover.) The good news for authors is that using this previously underutilized color can definitely make your book stand out on shelves and demonstrate its trendiness! Opt for yellow and gray if you want extra style points, as these were named the Pantone colors of the year for 2021.

Recent books that have taken advantage of chartreuse-yellow covers — as opposed to the mustard yellow of yore — include You Will Get Through This Night by Daniel Howell, Thrown Off Script by Mike Domeny, and Paper Father by D. Todd Deeken. You may notice that these examples all hail from very different genres, from mental health guidance to dystopian fiction, which proves just how versatile this trend is! Whichever genre you choose to write in, you can bet that your book will shine with a striking yellow-green cover.

2. Big and bold patterns

For a while, minimalist book covers were all the rage — Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey is a quintessential example of this — but with the 2020s has come a new and loud trend. The bright colors and interesting shapes across the front and back covers of these books act almost as active voices that demand your attention.

Books hot off the press, like The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given, are cleverly using bold patterns to catch readers’ eyes right away. Of course, whether or not you should choose a bold pattern depends on your book’s theme; for example, you may want to steer clear if you’ve written a book about tragedy. But if you’re writing a story with lots of action (or similar bold themes), this trend is definitely worth a try.

3. Imagery within the title

Replacing letters with objects of a similar shape can lend an element of intrigue to your cover and connect the title with the book’s imagery. Some authors opt for designs that replace letters with recognizable objects; a great example of this is Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin, where the golden snake in the title doubles as an ampersand.

You can also add flavor to your cover by replacing letters with abstract objects — as on the cover of Breath by James Nestor, which uses in-title particle effects to reflect the book’s scientific theme. If you need help with ideas for this, try attending an online art workshop to develop your artistic understanding! The end result is worth it: in-title images draw the reader's eyes straight to the title, while also giving them insight into your book’s themes.

In the end, it could be that none of these trends are for you – or maybe you want to combine them all! Either way, if you have fun with it, it’s sure to engage the reader too. Go on and make the world a little bit brighter with your exciting new cover design!

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Savannah Cordova is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects self-publishing authors with the world's best editors, designers, and marketers. In her spare time, Savannah enjoys reading novellas, writing short stories, and browsing the bookstore for interesting book covers. She's no artist herself, but she remains deeply fascinated by contemporary design!

प्यार कहीं खो जाता है...

(मेरी पेंटिंग)

आज की पोस्ट, वर्षा कालेलकर (लाइफ़ कोच और लेखिका) द्वारा रचित एक प्यारी सी कविता...

पाने खोने के मुक़ाबले में,

प्यार कहीं खो जाता है।

रिश्तों के बंधन में

साँस घुटती है,

दुनियादारी के बोझ में

प्यार कहीं खो जाता है।

कसमों-वादों के बीच घिसटते हुए,

शर्तों की तंग गलियों से गुज़रते हुए,

आंसुओं के सैलाब में,

प्यार कही खो जाता है।

प्यार एक खुशबू है,

इसे तो उड़ना होता है

खेलने दो इसे हवा के साथ,

वरना ये कहीं खो जाता है।

ये तो खुली धूप में निखरता है,

ज़िंदगी में सावन के रंग बिखेरता है

रहने दो दूर इसे

रस्मो और रिवाज़ों से

नही तो, 

ये प्यार कहीं खो जाता है।

5 Books I Read And Loved Recently: A Guest Post By Sudesna Ghosh

Reading is a beautiful addiction. And talking or reading about books is so joyful. So, today we are going to talk about books. Sudesna Ghosh  writes a guest post for my blog. Welcome, Sue.

Sue is an avid reader, a cat lady and a prolific author. Her latest short story 'A Lockdown Story' is such a thoughtful and well written story. 

Okay, over to Sue. 

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

Call me a bookworm, a book addict, or an avid reader – that’s what I’ve been since my childhood and I’m proud of it. Starting from trips to the local libraries with my mother to picking up books at the Scholastic book fairs in elementary school in the United States, and now splurging my income on kindle books, I have been happiest in the world of books.

In adulthood, writing books and reading books are my most time-consuming activities. No surprise there! In fact, I’m pretty sure that my reading habit is the reason I can write decently. Some people say that I write well. Thank you to the books and the authors who create them!

Today, I’ve had a hard time putting together a list of five titles that I’ve enjoyed reading recently. It’s so hard to choose favourites but no blog post can take my endless list. So here goes:

The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin – I discovered Julie Caplin and her amazing books on my Twitter feed. This is her latest book and the timing was perfect for me because 2020 was the year I was planning a trip to Japan. The virus ruined my plans but Julie’s book allowed me some beautiful armchair travel. She taught me things about Japanese culture, the famous tea ceremony, and the cultural scenario in modern Japan – while simultaneously treating me to a sweet romantic escapade.

Honeymoon for One by Portia MacIntosh – Portia’s books are fun. They are always fun and this book was no different. While I don’t like reading much about cheating boyfriends, the author’s treatment of each scene was too hilarious to feel sad about it. The hero was super hot and the side characters were fun too!

The Flat Share by Beth O’ Leary – This book was worth a re-read. I was dying to know how a book could carry on with the hero and heroine not meeting for what seemed like ages! The plot was unique and the romance was so sweet. It was all about finding true love in an unlikely situation.

Willow’s Wedding Vows by Debbie Viggiano – This book was full of deception and mystery BUT it wasn’t your regular cheating fiancé story. Debbie put in an air of mystery throughout the book until the very end where I was shocked by the twist! Lots of suspense and a strong heroine that made me put it down only after I was finished.

The Life of Geraldine X by Mary Werner – I may have mentioned this in multiple posts recently but I just LOVE books with heroines in their 30s. This book has a female protagonist who is ‘past marriageable age’, independent, successful in her own right, and snarky too. The story starts with her coming across a CD with another woman’s psychic reading and goes into her journey with mid-life dating and romance. It’s so honest and so real.

Thank you, Sue for sharing.
It's an interesting list, isn't it? Have you read any of these?

My Favourite Author – Enid Blyton: A Guest Post by Shalzmojo

Hello readers,

I'm sharing yet another post in 'My Favourite Author'series. I started this series, on my blog recently and featured three guest posts under this category. You can read them HERE. Also wrote about 'My' favourite author! You can read the post HERE.


Today, I am so pleased to host Shalini {Shalzmojo}.  Actually, this guest post is part of the December bloghop '#mymojo with Shalzmojo', all about books and travel! You can read my guest post, 'Top 5 Reads by Women Authors {With Women Protagonists}' on her lovely blog.

'An interior designer by profession, writing is a passion, which coupled with travel love, and blossomed into this blog where I love to just “do my thing”! Be it recipes, food events, travel jaunts, fiction dreaming or even meditative musings; all of it’s taken up quite passionately on my blog. I am a serious wine guzzler and love to chase butterflies in my free time,' she says.


You can follow her on:

| Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest|



OK, now over to Shalzmojo! 

Hello readers. I am delighted to be here on Tarang’s blog to talk about my favourite author. It’s quite difficult for an avid book worm to choose from one of her many most loved writers. I had to really think carefully about why I am listing Enid Blyton as one of my all-time favourites.


“Writing for children is an art in itself, and a most interesting one.”
― Enid Blyton 

I was first introduced to Enid Blyton as a child and I think one of the first books was one from the Secret Seven series. I graduated to Famous five and many other such. But it’s when I chanced on the Enchanted wood and Wishing chai, that I was thoroughly entranced.

The world of children as brought alive by Enid Blyton was just too magical and enchanting for me. The toys in the nursery that came alive at night and went on to have so many adventures is something I found very difficult to fathom. I must confess to staying awake to catch my toys in action night after night ;-)

Her Noddy series was aimed for younger children and are an absolute delight to read to this day. The colourful books with tales of mischief that young Noddy got into, make for quite a fun read.

Then came the boarding school series and I couldn’t get enough of any of them. Imagine glamorising this world in a book to make kids like me beg their parents to send them to such a school. The description of high teas that were served to these children in the stories left me wanting more. 

What's SO special about Enid Blyton?

I think the charm of Enid Blyton for me was the way she teased my imagination with just the right bit of dramatic flair. Reading her books has made my childhood richer by much and I would say this is one author every parent should encourage their child to read. 

Something about my favourite author:

Enid Mary Blyton (1897-1968) was a prolific children’s book writer from England who indulged in poetry, playwriting and short story writing among other things. She has been one of the bestselling authors since 1930, selling about 600 million copies worldwide so far. She set up many clubs to encourage the children to work for a worthy cause. Her books have been translated into 60 languages across the world.

She started out with poetry and one of her poems was published in a magazine when she was just 14. One of her closest friends illustrated one of her early books which incidentally was a collection of poems.

I don’t think I know of another such writer whose popularity soars so high and for so long. She has been on top of the book reading charts for as long as I have been reading books.

I hope I have enchanted you with my fascination for Enid Blyton. Are you a fan of hers too?

{You could read my book review of  The Bell Jar by Slyvia Plath, one of my favourites!}

Who's your favourite author?

In writing, there is no safe zone: Guest Post by Adite Banerjie

Adite Banerjie is a writer. No Safe Zone, her recently released romantic thriller is getting nice reviews. Her screenplay has won first runner up prize in an international contest. Many congratulations, Adite.

Here, she is talking about writing, and switching from romance to thrillers. Welcome to my blog, Adite. The post is all yours.

Writing a new book is always an adventure—much like a journey to a dream destination.  It begins on a high note. The preparations are full of excitement. You plot and plan, find out as much as you can about the best places to visit, the routes to take, the things to pack. You are dreaming all the fun things you are going to do. You chart out your trip meticulously. And then the D-day arrives. You are off on your trip.  And then, reality bites. Real journeys always pan out a bit differently from the one that you had charted in your head. Even the most meticulously planned trip will throw up some unexpected twists and turns. But if you are a seasoned traveler you buckle up and enjoy the ride.

That sums up the process of writing a new book.  When an idea grabs you and won’t let go, you are flying high. For a while you are in uncharted territory, almost like driving down a new road, without a map or a compass, reveling in the wind in your hair and the sun on your face. Nothing can beat that tremendous rush of feeling. Like real life journeys, writing too needs a lot of planning and plotting. And that’s when the doubts begin to set in. You begin to opt for safety rather than taking those risks. Why go for something untried and untested? Why not stay in your comfort zone?

As a writer, romance has been my ‘comfort zone’. Exploring the highs and lows of relationships through fiction has perhaps come a little more easily to me than any other kind of fiction. On the other hand, I have always been an avid reader of thrillers. Adrenaline pumping action movies are as close to my heart as mushy romantic films. A good action plot has always appealed to me. The kind that has a compelling hook, draws you into the story and doesn’t let go. The ever-present danger. The tension between hope and fear, leading up to a high-octane finale. I wondered if I would be able to pull it off.

To make things a bit easy on myself—I guess you cannot totally discard your comfort zone :)--I decided to experiment with the genre of romantic suspense or romantic thriller.  And that’s how No Safe Zone was born.

One of the biggest challenges was to figure out the right balance of suspense and romance. It required a lot of drafts and many, many rewrites to get it right. And of course feedback from my editor and beta readers helped me to navigate my story without getting totally lost.

If there is one thing I learnt from the experiment it is this: in writing, there is no safe zone. All the planning will take you up to a certain point and then you have to simply dive in at the deep end and risk the consequences. Believe me, it can be one heck of a thrilling ride!

Of Favoritism and Nepotism: Guest Post by Namrata

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Namrata is the author of three books (Metro Diaries, To Love And Be Loved, and recently released Metro Diaries 2), and contributing author of several anthologies. She is a very active blogger and write wonderful reviews @ Reviews And Musings.

Today, she is a very special guest on my blog and shares something that is close to her heart. So, here it goes!

As a reviewer I come across many instances when I am asked, “Please recommend a good read.” Though it does sound very flattering for me this question in itself is a bit unnerving.

For me reading is a very personal thing to an extent that I am very possessive about my books. When someone asks me this my first reaction is that of surprise and then my mind starts analyzing. What do I recommend now, does she seem to be someone who would like romance? What if I recommend something and she finds it too dumb for her taste, will it make her judge me based on that and worse will she judge my reviews as well? *Gulp* that is scary!

I try to ask politely, “Any specific genre that you really enjoy reading!” I want to tread on a safe path and not overturn the whole basket of choicest expletives on me and my books. “Ah! I read everything. You just give me some names and I will get them.”

To be honest such readers are risky because they don’t know what they like they read everything and anything. They are someone who go by the most read books and best sellers list to decide their buy-of-the-month. And here there is me, who loves to go through book shops painstakingly for hours together. Sometimes crunching on my knees to catch sight of that little brown book on the last shelf just because its title looks alluring. For me finding a good book is like unearthing a treasure while this person here is right now treating a book like a commodity on the shelves of a super market store which can be picked in a random moment without much thought behind it. Such people do scare me.

As a reviewer I do have the privilege of getting some amazing books to read but I do have my personal choices when it comes to my personal library. When I am reading them it is like having a conversation with an old friend, they trigger my senses and awaken the sleeping muse in my tiny brain. Like I always say the perks of being a voracious reader and a writer is you are never alone. In your mind you are always having a party with your fictitious character.

And here we have this lovely lady who wants to read a book because,“Everyone is talking about it at my work place and I so don’t want to sound dumb or out of place in the conversation. I want to add my own opinion there and nod in agreement. “Somehow to me talking about books comes naturally and I have no qualms in accepting that I don’t enjoy reading a particular author who otherwise is very famous. It’s a personal choice and it no way defines me as a person.

Yes I love reading and talking about books but I don’t enjoy talking about them for the sake of it all. They are my first love. When you talk about your love you do get starry eyed and cannot stand someone talk anything against it right? So, for the next time we meet can we just skip this topic of favoritism and nepotism…. please?

So good to have you here, Namrata! Thanks for your time. 

Chronicles of publishing: Guest Post by Harsh Agarwal

An entrepreneur by profession, Mr. Harsh Agarwal is an author and editor. Recently, I got an opportunity to read his nice novel Nazaqat. You can read my review HERE.

I'm glad to share his insight about 'writing and getting published', on my blog!

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Getting published is the new cool among people from all age groups. Is it bad? Not at all! It’s a great feeling to see your words taking form with ink and paper. It’s beautiful and of course prestigious. No one can be called a real author unless he/she is published. And e-book doesn't really count.

So, let’s talk about how one can get published because I have been myself asked the same question repeatedly. It is the second last phase of your journey to become a published author and the most painful one. Wondering what’s the last? Well, it’s marketing – just as daunting as getting your stuff published. I have never been able to decide which of two I hate most. I guess it’s a tie.

Now, before you pledge to get published, let’s get a few things straight. Be it a short story, a full length novel or a part of epic series. Are you sure your work that you want to get published at the moment is complete? Does it need any more editing? You sure there are no more changes from your side? If your answer is no or uncertain, work on your piece again. Polish it more.

Only when it’s done, you need to sort out a few elements like sample chapters, synopsis, blurb, author bio, your lovely photograph and the complete script of course. Each of these elements has their own significance and by compiling all these elements, you make a thing called ‘proposal’. Proposal is a medium to sell yourself and your product. Yes, your product alone is not sufficient. You need to know your thing in and out. What are your target readers? What is your marketing plan? Which kind of cities the book will target? How efficiently you will be able to market the book?

Once you are done with the proposal, you can start approaching publishers. Plenty of fishes in the sea actually. Fishes of all kind. The first attempt is usually to opt for traditional publishing where you don’t need to invest a penny in publishing. If that doesn’t work out, the other option is self publishing. Both have their own pros and cons so choose judiciously. It usually depends on your own caliber to promote and sell the book.

If you are completely new, you can participate in numerous competitions for anthologies. A number of publisher – old and new – regularly organize competitions for short stories. So you can mark your presence by getting few stories published and then do a full length book.

How to find a publisher for your book in particular? Go to flipkart and see which publishers are releasing books of your genre or category. Go to their websites and find the submission guidelines. Act accordingly. Word of caution – don’t be disheartened by rejections. There would be so many of them. Brace yourself and be immune to all such heart breaks. Have faith in your work and keep working.

If they ask for complete manuscript, don’t start dancing because you still haven’t reached anywhere. It just means they want to read the complete script and decide. Also, it can take from weeks to years for publishers to reply and hence you have to be really patient with the entire procedure.

If you ask me the best part of being an author, it would be the experience. Becoming an author is a complete learning experience. You are not merely an author! You are your own critic, your own editor, a marketer, a salesman and pretty much what so ever you are required to do in the journey. It helps you have new perspectives about everything. You get to deal with a lot of new people and make new friends.

Well, this is just a brief insight about getting published. There is definitely lot more going and there is lot more to deal with once you embark your journey of getting published! Feel free to contact if you need any help.