Do Authors Choose their Covers?
By Therese Walsh | April 27, 2010 |
Before I forget to mention this, I’ll be presenting a session on “Unboxed Platform” at Grub Street’s The Muse & The Marketplace conference in Boston this coming weekend. If you’re there, stop by and say hey. Also, WU friend Erika Liodice has posted a Q&A with me today on her site, Beyond the Gray–all about working toward goals and pushing through doubts. Swing by if you can. Finally, rumor has it that WU has made the Writer’s Digest Best Websites for Writers list for the 4th year in a row. W00t!
Today I want to talk about covers. “Did you have any influence on your cover?” is one of the most asked questions whenever I do a presentation with book clubs or writing groups. (I’ve done ten since The Last Will of Moira Leahy was published, if you can believe it.)
The short answer is yes. But it’s way more complicated than that, so let me take you through the steps–or at least explain how it worked for me.
The Cover Concept Meeting
Almost a year before the book was released, I was told that a cover concept meeting would soon be taking place to discuss Last Will–a meeting when lots of ideas are thrown around by the editor, possibly the publisher, and others involved in the book. This is when the author’s voice may be presented to the art department. I was invited to submit any ideas I had, including any jpgs of images that I felt spoke to the work.
Of course I took them up on their offer, and submitted about a page of description about twins, the book’s water themes, and magical realism, and named some setting possibilities–Castine, Maine and Rome, Italy. I also sent 36 pictures along in a Word document, which now feels over the top, but at the time felt just right. (You know how I love a good picture.) Of those 36 shots, 24 were of twins or included water imagery, and many featured saturated colors–great for pop, to attract attention on a bookshelf. One of them even contained a picture of a woman with red hair covered in bubbly, magical looking water. I included jpgs of a few book covers I’d liked, too, including Amy MacKinnon’s Tethered and Kate Brallier’s The Boundless Deep. (Erm, you think I was subtle about what I wanted? Oh, lunacy, thy name is debut author.)
Designers Designing
Everything is shared with the cover designer–the memo and the photos–before the designer sits with all of those thoughts, digesting before the real design work begins. And then it does begin. Take a look at this great video showcasing the birth of the cover Blameless, a novel by Gail Carringer.
Cool, isn’t it?
The Jacket Meeting
At some later date–three months in our case–the potential covers are unveiled at a jacket meeting. Hopefully at least one of them captures the collective imagination of the Important People in the room, including the publisher, and makes them confident the book will shine on a shelf next to other books. In the case of Last Will, the chosen cover did resonate with everyone.
The Author Email
That’s when it was presented to me. The first time I opened the PDF file and saw the cover of Last Will, I literally got teary eyed. Yes, I was curious about the other possible covers, but I didn’t ask to see them (and probably wouldn’t have been shown them even if I had); I was happy. “Have I ever seen a prettier cover?” I wrote right immediately after seeing it. “I think not! The saturated colors are blowing my mind. I love the illumination around the lettering, too. Hug the designer for me!”
Even though we all loved it, I was cautioned not to fall too hard yet. If a top buyer (at Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc…) decided they hated it, that would very likely be the end of the cover. Luckily for us, that wasn’t the case. And, let’s play devil’s advocate for a sec: What would’ve happened if I’d hated it? Would it have made any difference? Yes, I was told that they would’ve presented something else.
Other Editions
Foreign editions of Last Will have yet to be published, but when they are, it’ll be with new covers (I have editions coming out in Brazil and Germany–later this year, I think, and next). And a large-print edition of the book is already available, which features a slightly different cover showing more of the cover model’s face.
Random House has also been gearing up for the trade paperback release of Last Will and–you guessed it–we’re going to have a new cover. Want to see?
Twins. Water. Saturated colors that’ll still jive with my website (phew). This isn’t the final version of the cover, by the way, but it’s close enough for show-and-tell.
Why change a cover that so many loved? I’ve heard that question quite a lot lately. The reason: Because sometimes it’s smart to woo a particular audience with a particular look. In this case–with the Library Journal quote and the image of twin girls–the cover should appeal to the contemporary women’s fiction crowd.
So that’s what it takes to put a cover together and how an author can impact it.
Have a cover story to share? Any questions or comments? The floor is yours.
Therese Walsh (she/her) co-founded Writer Unboxed in 2006 and is the site’s editorial director. She was the editor of WU’s only book, Author in Progress, and runs the Writer Unboxed UnConference.
Her second novel, The Moon Sisters, received starred reviews and was named one of the best books of the year by Library Journal and Book Riot.
Learn more about Therese on her website, and sign up for her newsletter to be among the first to hear about any new projects.
Teri,
Great story. When my non-fiction book was published, I had no input into the cover design, but my publisher’s art department absolutely nailed it.
I was given the same type of opportunity as you to give information for my two fiction books, including what color was the heroine’s hair (nice to be consistent there) and what I thought the cover should portray. With novel #1, it took three tries (and they gave me input into each) before we settled on what I think is a great design. For #2 they got it on the first try. We haven’t started the process on #3 yet.
I’ll be interested to see the experience of other authors with their covers. Thanks for posting about this subject.
I’ll be the first to admit I buy a book based on two things: (1) I know the author either personally or through past works, or (2) I love the cover. I pulled LWML off the shelf simply because it was beautiful. If not for that, I wouldn’t have found Therese, WU, or half the wonderful people I know on Twitter so a cover can do magical, wonderful things for a book and for the people who read it. ; )
In addition to the image, what appeals to me most is the texture of the cover. Usually it’s a pretty subtle thing, but it’s the gloss or the grit in my hands that’s kept me from buying an e-reader.
Thanks for the great comments, guys.
Anne, so glad you found us, and trey cool that it was through Last Will.
Siddhartha, I am horrid at making decisions. As much as I would’ve liked to have been a fly on the wall during that jacket meeting, it’s a good thing I wasn’t involved.
Meg, I’m thrilled you’re enjoying Last Will. Thanks!
Sharon, I’m interested to see what you come up with for your cover. Let us know, okay? (Bump me on Twitter if I don’t seem to be paying attention; I really would like to see.)
Steve, I agree about the different feeling of the large-print book. And I think the whole publishing team decided, in the end, that it might be smartest to hone in on twins–at least for the paperback.
Sharon, re: branding, you raise an interesting point; it’s something I was a little worried over too. It’s not even as simple as saying, “X’s book was a NYT’s bestseller in hardcover, so we’re going to keep that jacket for the trade paperback release,” though that is what happened in the case of Allison Winn Scotch’s Time of My Life (and we share a publisher and jacket designer). Brunonia Barry’s The Lace Reader was wildly successful in hardcover, yet they changed the imagery for the paperback release. I think it really is about inviting in the audience you want to entice, and it’s all a sort of guessing game in the end: Which pictures will make the readers feel something–enough to pick up the book, read its teasers and maybe the first page, buy the book. After debating the matter, the possible benefits of changing the cover and honing in on the message (really saying something about the book with the cover rather than letting it entice purely with stunning imagery) outweighed the possible risks of losing whatever image-branding we might’ve gained with the hard-cover push. And we still have the title, after all, which has been blasted around the Internet and which is hopefully memorable in and of itself. A tough question, but that’s the best I know how to answer.
Aww, Lydia. Thanks.
Kristan, that’s why I blasted ya’ll with a huge picture of the paperback; the details are lost in a smaller image. Personally, I can’t wait to see the final-final, when the color is clarified. (Your job sounds cool, btw.)
Thanks, Camille! Great to see you here.
Great info! That video is just fantastic, too.
I’m in the part of the process where I’ve submitted photos and made my opinions known, so the next thing that happens is seeing the proposed cover for the first time… which has me petrified. But while I’ve heard a few horror stories here and there, most authors I know are thrilled with their covers, so I’ll just trust the process and let the professionals do their thing.
I just love that blue from the Last Will hardcover, and it pops even more beautifully on the paperback. Another home run!
.-= Jael McHenry´s last blog ..duck prosciutto: back to the beginning =-.
That is fascinating stuff. Thanks for sharing your experiences and wisdom with us.
I imagine it would be a difficult job to select the right cover art. I remember when we were building our house having to make all those choices; flooring, countertops, cupboard designs and drawer pulls—it seemed like the choices were endless.
Just looking at the two examples you posted here I’m not sure I could pick my favorite.
Hi Therese,
Cover design is something I’ve often wondered about. I appreciate you giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the process!
And thanks again for sharing your journey to publication with us over at Beyond the Gray!! You’re an inspiration.
Erika
.-= Erika Liodice´s last blog ..Dream Chaser: Therese Walsh, Author =-.
This is a great piece! I’m in the middle of reading Therese’s book (loving it) so it’s fascinating to learn a little bit about the process behind it. And I’ll be going through this process soon with my first novel so it’s good to know what to expect. I love both the hardcover and paperback covers of Last Will. Both are perfect in different ways. I think the reader who made the comparison with making decisions for a house nailed it. When we renovated our kitchen a few years ago my husband and I had SUCH different ways of going about it. He wanted to see every single choice available for everything and really consider all of them and I wanted someone to say, “Here are two choices. Pick one and move along.” It will be interesting to see how that method transfers to book covers.
Interesting, Therese. As an indie author I’m in the process of going this alone, with an independent designer I’ve had to hire myself on a tight budget, and no input other than her experience and both of our ideas. It’s been great fun, though: after all these years of working almost exclusively with words and mental images, I’ve loved discovering the process of bringing these images to life. Like you, I got teary when I saw the first concept mockup. But we’ll never know whether top buyers will like it or hate it (or whether this even matters in my case….)
I’m also intrigued by your account of changing the cover several times. I’ve often wondered why publishers do that, and have sometimes been disappointed to find that a cover I really love has been replaced.
The large print cover showing more of the model’s face seems very different to me; more revealing and in a way less enticing because less is hidden and left to the imagination and curiosity of the potential reader. Also I’m curious – what did the publisher make of the covers that had images of twins? That strikes me as a powerful thing and after reading the book I wonder why they didn’t go with it. It would certainly have drawn me in.
Ah. I did not see the RH PB cover. But now I do. There they are.
PS – I’m all the more intrigued about changing covers since, from a branding perspective, it doesn’t quite make sense…
Wow. Great post, and that video is amazing. :)
You certainly got a gorgeous cover with Last Will, but I like the new cover, too. It shows more of the twins’ lovely red hair. In fact, now I’M getting teary eyed from looking at those covers and remembering the story… I think it’s time to read it again.
.-= Lydia Sharp´s last blog ..Tuesday Tunes–Using Love Songs To Kick Butt =-.
DUUUUUUDE that video is amazing. In my day job I’m surrounded by talented designers, but we’re not as Photoshop heavy as that cover was. Stunning skills, and I love the end result (series of covers)!
I have to admit, I love your hardcover cover, so I was happy to purchase that version over the paperback. That said, the paperback cover DOES have a certain appeal (especially in larger format — I had only seen itty bitty thumbnails prior to today) so I can see why they went in that direction. I love the symmetry.
Thanks for the info on covers. I can’t wait to see my own cover someday… ;)
.-= Kristan´s last blog ..“Maybe” never sounded so good =-.
Therese,
Thanks for sharing this! I’m not even close to the cover process yet, so this is really interesting. BTW, this new paperback cover is as gorgeous as the hardback.
So interesting, Therese! I had a similar experience with Twilight of Avalon’s cover–and actually not just me but my agent and everyone else I consulted collectively didn’t much like the first cover we were shown, so my publishers were good enough to scrap it and come up with something completely new. And I got to pick Dark Moon of Avalon’s cover, too. Though now of course that cover is going to be scrapped, too, in favor of a completely different look!
That was awesome! I’ve been wishing for the answer to exactly this question but didn’t want to seem like a n00b for asking. My book goes on sub this week, and I dream of the day I see the cover for the first time.
Thanks for this, Therese. It’s nice to see how the whole process works. I’m a very visual person, so–like you–I would have probably sent in a ton of pictures. Your covers are beautiful!
.-= Suzannah´s last blog ..How Quitting Can Help You Finish Your Writing =-.
That’s fascinating! I love that you sent all those pictures. They clearly were able to get a good idea of what you wanted from all of that.
And your covers are gorgeous!
.-= Erika Robuck´s last blog ..Authors to Watch =-.
How fortunate you were to be allowed some input! I love the cover of your novel, and the images you linked as examples/inspiration are gorgeous as well. Perhaps we just have similar tastes. Still, this is a great thing to see, since so often it seems authors don’t get any say.
.-= Kristin Laughtin´s last blog ..Getting it done =-.
I have to agree with Kristin, often we get little or no input on covers (depends on the publisher…mine lets us make suggestions, but those may or may not end up being used when the cover is designed). I’ve had one knockout cover, one so-so, and one dud, and it really does affect sales, so consider yourself very lucky if you not only get involvement in the process but the process results in something really striking to potential readers!
I love your new cover! The twins do catch the eye.
Isn’t the Blameless video amazing? Too cool.
.-= Deb Salisbury´s last blog ..Blog posts for writers – April 27 =-.
I love the original cover. It’s just so beautiful. But I do believe the new one will work for your paperback edition! t
Wow, really interesting. I had never considered about this process. Thanks for this.
.-= Liz H. Allen´s last blog ..Progress Check-In (pledge writers response request) =-.
Coming to this late, but a few comments. First, I loved that video. After spending a few days exhausting my paltry photoshopping skills, I’m all the more impressed.
Second, Jennifer Crusie had a blog post about two weeks ago about cover art. Her back list is being re-released, and the issues and process about having art that captures the essence of the book, appeals and says “by the same author” might interest your readers.
Third, I wonder if the different images aren’t designed to catch the eye of a slightly different demographic. Your hard cover art is breathtaking but has a more educated, European vibe. This one might appeal to a younger crowd – perhaps the ones who waited for paperback prices out of necessity.
.-= Jan O’Hara´s last blog ..Behold My Dorkiness =-.
[…] Do Authors Choose Their Covers? Therese Walsh shares her experience in working on the cover for The Last Will of Moira Leahy. […]