This month, Deborah Bradseth at Tugboat Design reimagines the cover of Five Quickies for Roger and Suzanne by Jerold Last, who called the new cover “a terrific improvement over my previous do-it-yourself effort.”

Design Note #1: The new color scheme gives the cover a more serious tone, which targets readers who love a good “whodunit.”

Design Note #2: This is an anthology of short mysteries, and though the original cover features a chalk outline to indicate murder, the lips evoke romance. In the redesign, we made the tone more mysterious and suspenseful.

Design Note #3: The title is part of the eye-catching new design, so we emphasized “Five Quickies” to establish hierarchy and to give the cover another element that might catch a reader’s attention.

Design Note #4: Using a silhouette that resembles a private eye allows readers to quickly recognize the book’s content, which will attract the right audience.

To submit your book for a free cover redesign, email us at booklifeeditor@booklife.com.