JUDGING BOOKS BY THEIR COVERS
Posted by Janet Chester Bly | Labels: book covers, Julianna Ortiz, Paperback Writer, Paul James Watson, Retta Barre, Stephen Bly, The Lost Wagon Train, The Outlaw's Twin Sister, writer's contracts | Posted On July 29, 2012 at 10:30 AM
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| Stephen Bly |
by Stephen Bly
Copyright©2008
I've often gotten asked, "Do you do your own artwork
for your book covers?" or "Why did you decide on that particular
cover?"
So, I reckon I'll write about book covers.
How a book's designed is usually under the control of the
publisher. The contract the author signs spells out the details. When I first
started out, I was so thrilled to get a book published, I didn't worry about
the cover. In those days, the publisher had full control. I had no idea what
the book would look like until it arrived. That's fun. And scary. If the
cover's great, it's a delight. If the cover's weak in some way, I'd be a tad
disappointed.
As I got more experienced, I negotiated a different contract
that included a "mutual agreement" clause. Both the publisher and
author must agree on the cover. Even so, some of my suggestions never got used.
Since some have asked, here's
three of my covers I really liked ...
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| The Lost Wagon Train |
The Lost Wagon Train from Retta Barre's Oregon Trail
Series is a personal favorite. It has the wagon train, but also the artist's
rendition of Retta Barre is exactly the way I pictured her. She's rebel with
short hair and no bonnet. Many times a cover can misrepresent the protagonist.
But Retta is perfect. That's my girl. I love this cover.
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| Paperback Writer |
Another of my favorite's is Paperback Writer. No
image of the protagonist, Paul James Watson, is included. Just old typewriter
font letters. A steaming cup of coffee. A shadowy figure in the lower right
hand corner that hints of mystery and suspense. And then if you hold it to the
light, you can see the coffee cup stains. Makes you think you left your mug on
the top of the book. You can't tell what is real or fake. Just like the plot in
the book. The cover reflects the story.
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| The Outlaw's Twin Sister |
On the cover of The Outlaw's Twin Sister (Belles of Lordsburg Series), this likeness is
truly Julianna Ortiz. I love the town in the background, the dress, her hair,
the eyes, and most of all, the melancholy look on her face. No fake grin for
the portrait artist. She's had a tough life. Then along comes a nephew to raise
(the capricious Paco). And she runs into the mysterious DelNorte. Both these
events change her life forever. And I like the tagline they added in the upper
left hand corner: "Hers wasn't the life little girls dream of. Not yet anyway."
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What's one of your favorite book covers and why?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
website: http://BlyBooks.com
Blog: http://BlyBooks.blogspot.com
I guess every author either loves or hates his or her book covers. I like all of mine, and I also like all the covers connected with your article. But to be honest, I would have to say I like my book covers beter.
The cover I like best of all the covers on my published books is the cover for Sanctuary, my long historical set in France in 1740. An artist sent several possible covers to my publisher, and I got to pick my favorite. I think I made a good choice.
If you go to my website, scroll down and click Molly's books, you can see that beautiful cover as well.
Molly
www.mollynoblebull.com
Molly: Thanks for your note. Yes, the cover for Sanctuary is excellent--very well done. Thanks for sharing.
Blessings,
Janet
i like this article as i've often wondered about cover art. sometimes the art just doesn't seem to convey what i'm thinking the character and/or setting is. guess that's another way of God showing how different we see things. thanks for the post, enjoyed it!.
For His Glory: Thanks for your comments. Glad you were able to get a behind the scenes view of how covers are created.
Blessings,
Janet