This month, Michelle Argyle at Melissa Williams Design reimagines the cover of Chance or Circumstance? by indie author James R. Mapp. To submit a book for a free cover redesign, email us at booklifeeditor@booklife.com.

Design Note 1: The compass is important to the story’s plot and theme, so adding it front and center helps pull everything together.

Design Note 2: Since the subtitle is very important to selling the book, I made it much larger in the redesign.

Design Note 3: The author’s family wanted to include images from the author’s past. They weren’t high-quality, so making them look like a pile of old photographs solves the problem with an artistic flair.

Design Note 4: Using red bolded lettering helps this cover stand out in a thumbnail and makes the viewer look twice.

Original Cover