20 Bold Books With Red Covers

Posted on by Bryn Donovan
woman holding red books

Books with red covers

jump out on the bookshelf. If you’re thinking about commissioning or creating a red book cover design, here are a bunch of examples from 2022 and 2023 to inspire you!

BookTokkers and Bookstagrammers may want to use some of these for color-themed posts for Valentine’s Day. While most of us don’t choose books by their covers, aesthetic posts sometimes help us discover something new.

a stack of books with red covers

Books With Red Covers 2022

The Maid by Nita Prose
This mega-bestselling murder mystery that the New York Times review described as “charming” and “eccentric” is soon to be a movie starring Florence Pugh.

 

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty - Akwaeke Emezi - the face of a young Black woman, flowers, and leaves on the cover
My next read! Isn’t this title and this cover ravishing? I think it’s a literary novel about overcoming grief and finding new love. 
Bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair’s reimagined New Greece.
“The dashing son of a disgraced duke teams up with a sultry beauty to thwart an assassination plot against Queen Victoria.”
The Last Flight by Julie Clark
In this thriller, two women swap airline tickets and identities to disappear from their lives and make a fresh start.

 

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
A status-driven wedding planner grappling with issues in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

 

Jackal by Erin Adams
This thriller (with a side of horror?) debut got amazing reviews. “A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white rust belt town. But she’s not the first—and she may not be the last. . . .”
American Royalty Tracy Lives
I just finished reading Prince Harry’s memoir, and some people have said this story is a bit reminiscent of Harry and Meghan. I’ve heard great things about it!

 

Steve Berry - Omega Factor
Putting this one on my TBR pile because I’m obsessed with art crime. 

 

Rules of Engagement by Stacey Abrams writing as Selena Montgomery
Yes, that Stacey Abrams. A lot of people didn’t know for the longest time that the politician also writes romance and romantic suspense! This one is about two undercover operatives infiltrating a terrorist group…and falling in love.

 

Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart - it looks like a city carved from bone
I first noticed this one on a BookTuber’s bookshelf. It’s a debut fantasy that got RAVE reviews.

 

A histórical fantasy reimagining of an ancient epic!

 

Books With Red Covers 2023

Tale of Two Princes by Eric Geron
This opposites-attract YA royal romance sounds super adorable.

 

Pirate Enlightenment. or the Real Libertalia, David Gruber - a compass on the cover
A history book about pirates in eighteenth-century Madagascar that Cory Doctorow calls “magical and enchanting.”
Someone Else's Shoes. Jojo Moyes
I haven’t read any of Jojo Moyes’s books yet, but a lot of people love her. This romance is a “story of mix-ups and second chances” starring a wealthy woman whose husband asks for a divorce and cuts her off.

 

Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper
Attica Locke called this “One of the best LA noir novels I’ve ever read.” That’s some high praise!

 

This Is Not a Personal Statement by Tracy Badua
A YA novel “about a teen who, after getting rejected from her dream college, forges her own acceptance and commits to living a lie.” I don’t read many young adult novels, but I love this type of story!

 

 

Readers of a certain age may get this song stuck in their heads, haha. This book’s gotten a lot of buzz (no pun intended—it’s the follow-up to My Heart Is a Chainsaw).

 

The Fervor by Alma Katsu
“The acclaimed author of the celebrated literary horror novels The Hunger and The Deep turns her psychological and supernatural eye on the horrors of the Japanese American internment camps in World War II.”

 

The Angel Maker by Alex North. A lit match; the flame becomes an angel wing.
I love Alex North! “A thriller about the mysteries of fate, the unbreakable bond of siblings, and a notorious serial killer who was said to know the future.” Publication date: Feb. 28, 2023.

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Directing a Bold Book Cover

Master Lists for Writers by BRYN DONOVAN

The first book I ever self-published, Master Lists for Writers, was a burgundy red. I chose the color to match the first version of this website, several years ago! I’ve decided to use that color again on my website, and I really like it. 

On many self-published book covers, the titles and author names are too small. I wanted a bold book cover, and I told the designer to make the title readable from outer space. 🙂 

I also deliberately went for a no-nonsense, not-trendy look. I wanted it to look like an essential reference book that every writer should have on their shelf.

 

Thoughts? Faves?

Aany comments on these cover designs? Or any books with red covers you’d like to recommend? I’d love to hear about it in the comments! You’re welcome to link to your books for sale, too. I don’t feel like there have been a ton of red books lately, but if you have a story that conveys passion, danger, or, well, Christmas, it’s worth considering! 

Thanks so much for reading, and have a great rest of your week!

hands of a white woman holding a plain red book

 

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