Authors who write for large New York publishers often don’t see the cover art for their books until the cover has already been printed. I’m fortunate that my small press publisher, GASLight Publishing LLC, allowed me to have input into the cover design of Dream or Destiny.
The cover designer submitted a great first draft. The body of a woman in a nightgown lay on her side on a hardwood floor, and the spine of the book looked like a blood-splattered door jamb. However, in Dream or Destiny, the victim was shot while lying on her back in bed, and there was no blood-splattered door jamb in the story.
I gave the publisher several suggestions, but the cover designer couldn’t find stock photos that would work with any of my ideas. He suggested several photo Web sites, but the publisher and I couldn’t find anything that fit the story. GASLight’s publishing plan didn’t include original artwork, but we all became increasingly frustrated with the cover. Now I understood why book covers don’t always match the contents of the books.
Although we always hear that you can’t judge a book by its cover, people do. Readers often choose books based on the author, published reviews, or recommendations from people they trust. Otherwise, customers in bookstores typically look at the front cover, then read the back cover blurb, and finally open the book and read a few paragraphs. The cover art, blurb, and opening have to capture readers’ attention or they will return the book to the shelf.
I help my clients who self-publish come up with the right covers for their books, and I wasn’t going to be satisfied with anything less for my own story. I talked to artist Aundrea Hernandez, who has created covers for several of my clients, and got a quote for original artwork for the cover illustration. Then I approached the publisher and offered to split the cost of the artwork. GASLight agreed, and I sent Aundrea an excerpt from the book. She sent us several sketches, and the publisher and I made suggestions. Aundrea kept refining the illustration until we all agreed it was perfect.
The vague and shadowy murderer Marilee envisioned in her dream, a smoking gun, and a bright splatter of blood occupy the top of the cover. Below the title and author name Marilee sits up in bed, eyes wide with the terror she felt on waking from her dream. The picture on the cover perfectly matches the opening scene of the story.
Does the cover of Dream or Destiny make you want to read the book? Do you have any cover art horror stories or any happy stories of perfect cover art to share? I’ll also be glad to answer any other questions you might have. Just leave a comment, and I’ll be back to answer later in the day.
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Lillie Ammann is on a blog book tour for her second novel, the romantic mystery Dream or Destiny. You can read reviews, a free excerpt, and the tour schedule on her Web site. As a freelance writer and editor, Lillie specializes working with self-publishing authors. She blogs books, authors, writing, editing, and publishing at A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye, where she covers. She and her husband Jack live in San Antonio, Texas.
About Dream or Destiny: Marilee Anderson dreams about a murder and wakes to find it really happened. She and David Nichols, the victim’s brother, become the prime suspects. Though they have their secrets and aren’t sure they can trust each other, Marilee and David team up to find the killer in this psychic suspense.
Thanks for stopping on The Dark Phantom today, Lillie. I really like your cover art and I agree that a good cover is crucial to marketing a book. I wish you lots of sales during your tour! 🙂
The Phantom
Phantom,
Thank you for hosting me here. I look forward to reading and responding to comments from your readers.
[…] cover art for Dream or Destiny is the topic for today’s blog book tour stop at The Dark Phantom Review. Mayra Calvania is hosting my guest post: A Twisted Tale of Cover Art. If you’ve read the […]
Hello Lillie!
I don’t have any cover art experience from an author’s point of view, but I wanted to mention how much I like the cover for ‘Dream or Destiny’. I would definitely pick it up to have a look.
I think it’s an extra plus when a cover is something I want to look back at while reading a book, when it has a more direct relation to the actual story. It’s surprising how many books lack that.
~JM
I have a copy of ‘Dream or Destiny’ for review and can’t wait to read it. I love reading mysteries snug in a comfy couch while it rains outside… and it rains a lot here in Belgium!
Phantom
I have read and reviewed Dream or Destiny and that cover fits very well the context of the book. It’s mysterious enough to hook a reader and the reader is hooked until the end.
I may have to contact GAShouse press for my books.
ron
Unfortunately, people do judge a book by its cover and sometimes we as authors don’t have any input. Lillie was one of the fortunate ones. Great blog post, btw, Lillie!
JM,
Thank you! I’m glad the cover makes you want to pick up the book. The cover is doing what it is supposed to do then.
Phantom,
I hope you enjoy Dream or Destiny in the perfect weather to enjoy a mystery.
Ron,
Thank you for your comment and compliment. GASLight Publishing is small and doesn’t publish many books, but I’ll be glad to put you in touch.
pumpup,
Yes, I am very fortunate that I got to have input in the cover. I would have been very unhappy if I’d been stuck with the original cover.
Lillie,
I think the cover of Dream or Destiny is very effective at conveying a sense of mystery and danger. It would induce me to pick it up and read it. I agree that covers are important and that they ought to reflect the content of the book, but how accurate do they need to be? I don’t think accuracy is that important. The first cover you describe would tell me this is a murder mystery and it, too, would induce me to pick it up. How much would I have to read before I discovered there was no stabbing victim? Maybe all of it. But then, so what? If I got all the way through and learned the cover artist was wrong, I wouldn’t demand my money back.
IMHO, the cover should tell you that you will have a satisfying reading experience. Once you open the book, the cover is history and your satisfaction is now in the hands of the author.
Excellent article. I posted an excerpt and a link to the rest of the article at The Book Connection – http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/
Cheryl
Mark,
That’s interesting that an inaccurate cover wouldn’t bother you as long as the cover correctly reflected the book’s genre. Maybe because I’m a nitpicky editor, it does bother me when I read a book and realize that the cover doesn’t accurately reflect what the story is about.
Cheryl,
Thank you for posting the excerpt and link. I appreciate it.
I guess in a way I’m like Mark. The cover may influence me to buy the book, but once I start reading, I don’t pay much attention to the cover. On the other hand, if I finished reading the book, then realize there was no stabbing — and for some odd reason, that is what made me buy the book, I would be disappointed.
But covers do influence my buying and I do look at them before plunking down my dollars.
It’s an intriguing book cover, Lillie, and I would certainly pick it up in a bookstore. It’s great when an author is able to have input into the cover design. I’m looking forward to reading Dream of Destiny and visiting your blog site on my own book tour on December 11, for my novel, A Shattered Village.
Helen,
Maybe one reason I notice when covers don’t match the stories is that many of my friends who are published by large NY publishers have complained about their covers. I guess I developed the habit of noticing whether the cover matches the story or not. And, of course, I think each of us is much more aware of things that like in our own work.
Jean,
Thank you. I’m looking forward to your visit to my blog.
Hi there Mayra! Just wanted to let you know my website address has changed:
http://ingemarwrites.wordpress.com/
All the best,
Heather S. Ingemar
I self published two novels and what I did for the cover was get artists to do them. On my second book, Let Us Play, A Rock ‘n Roll Love Story, the artist lives in England (I am in Canada) and never read any of the book. Yet he managed to get a cover that related to the story. Sometimes a person lucks out.
As for judging a book by its cover, it happens all the time. If the cover grabs my attention I will take a look and see what the book is about. A boring cover tends to get ignored.
Karen,
That’s interesting the artist was able to relate the cover to the story without reading it. Did you tell him what you wanted?
Lillie, I enjoyed the posting. I have been doing visual communications for numerous years within the corporate environment and recently stepped back into more of the illustrated art world. I could not agree more about cover art and the importance of impact it serves. Too many wonderful publications die on the shelf because the cover either communicated the wrong message or had nothing to do with the story.
I wish writers could take a class on visual storytelling or Pucha Kechu to see how much impact a simple graphic or photo has to a story. I teach this in the corporate world, but it seems that the world of storytelling cover art is becoming more and more like business presentation, visuals for teh wrong reasons.