Cover Story
It’s a momentous day, the day you get your first ever book cover.
For me, it was right up there with receiving an offer, signing a contract and receiving an advance cheque. Those things are momentous, too – oh boy, are they! – but they are paper things and business things.
A cover is the first thing a reader will see of my story.
I received mine by e-mail, unexpectedly. I clicked on it to open the file, and then sat there with my hands over my face, too scared to look. Husband sat on the spare bed in my office/spare room and laughed at me, then coaxed me to peek through my fingers.
“Is it okay?” I asked.
“I think so,” he said. “But how would I know?”
He had a point. So I had to look.
And I… didn’t know what to think. Immediately I knew, objectively, it was a good cover. It was suspenseful and beautifully designed, in delicious colours which would look fabulous with my chosen website design. The cover positioned the story well in its niche and, best of all, I immediately knew exactly what scene they were depicting, and it was a perfect picture of it.
It was a good cover. A great cover. But still I found myself looking at the heroine and thinking, “is that Jenny?”
The different elements were right. Hair, complexion, eyes, build… it was all just as described. But somehow the whole wasn’t how I saw that character, and I fretted about it. It made me feel ambiguous about the cover as a whole. It just wasn’t Jenny to me.
Then I had a bit of an eye-opening thought.
It doesn’t matter.
Nope. Doesn’t matter. Not a bit.
Why? Well, it boils down to this: my mind’s eye picture of Jenny only matters for the purposes of helping me write the character. If the basics are right (and they are) then that’s all, as an author, I need. Far more important for the cover to be eye-catching, true to the story, and grab a reader’s interest.
Every time a reader picks up that story, they’ll develop their own mental picture of my courageous, passionate, unbreakable Jenny Waring. And that’s one of the most exciting thoughts I’ve had about this whole publishing process. Soon – well, soon in publishing terms! – Jenny won’t belong to me any more.
Now I look at that cover and grin. That’s the Jenny that readers will get to know. And I can’t wait for them to get to know her!
So tell me, writers and readers – when you’re judging a book by its cover, does the look of the characters influence your buy? Ever been really put off by a mismatch between ‘cover’ character and the ‘story’ character?
http://annalouiselucia.com
RUN AMONG THORNS – Available June 2008 from Medallion Press
In a crisis moment of her life, Jenny Waring did something exceptional.
She killed three armed men.
Anna, your cover is great! Has anyone told you the woman on it looks like you?
I’ve read a book with a cartoony cover and the book wasn’t light. That kind of shook me. Not that the story or the writing was bad, but when you expect one thing and get something else, it stops you.
So many books don’t show the heroine and hero. They show body parts — the back, the legs, the hips. But Liz’s book shows the faces. And now yours. I wonder if the publishers are getting back to that.
omg, Edie, I’ve never seen that before! But yes, in some lights and from some angles, there’s a resemblance.
That’s just wierd!
I’ve seen plenty of straight historicals and mainstream romances with those ‘body part’ covers, and sometimes I think they work really well. There’s always the danger, with faces, that a reader won’t like something about them. But it’s known that many readers like to be able to see the face of the character, particularly the heroine, to make a connection…
Interesting, isn’t it?
Anna: Congratulations on the cover! Some of the other Medallion authors (not me, of course, grin) teased you on our author loop about the young woman on the cover being a bit of a “babe.” Ah, we should all have such “healthy” bodies! (I’m smiling.) I think your cover looks suspenseful, which is the point!
I’m probably weird here, but I’m rarely influenced by a cover. I mean that I usually seek a book on purpose, because I tend to buy/read most paranormals. Even if the cover is awful, if the book is on my list, I’ll still buy it (although I’m not fond of cartoony covers).
My cover for “The Vampire Shrink” wasn’t anything like I expected — nothing I would’ve requested. But it certainly seems to be eye-catching. Even if someone doesn’t like it, she’ll likely pick my book up off the shelf and take a closer look. Yay to the marketing department!
Discovering how little say authors have about covers was educational!
I think yours is lovely.
Hugs,
Lynda Hilburn
Anna, I think you’re right about readers connecting with the character on the cover. There’s a reason Harlequin has been putting people on their covers all these years. I’m sure they do a lot of research on this.
Lynda, I’ve heard a lot of people saying that about cartoony covers, but publishers keep putting them out. I wonder if it’s instant identification. Readers see the cartoony cover and they know what kind of book it will be.
I just went to Medallion Press to look at the cover for The Vampire Shrink. Congratulations on the really great reviews!
Ah, now The Vampire Shrink cover is pure class. Beautifully done! Thanks for popping over, Lynda!
Talking to friends at other publishing houses makes me realise just how much say Medallion gives its authors – but you’re right, Lynda, in that it feels very strange having this cover… appear. Mind you, I don’t particularly WANT a lot of influence over my covers, becase I’m not a marketer, and I’m not a graphic designer. I want to write the story, tell them what’s key about the story, and what its audience is… and let them make magic!
And yes, Jenny-on-the-cover is rather, I like to say, well bra’d…
I think you may be on to something there – a cartoon cover is short-hand for the style of book, maybe?
Anna, your cover is beautiful! And, reading your blog reminded me of the first time I saw mine. Hubby was standing by me, and it appeared on the screen. Well, good thing I had a tissue box handy. I’ll never forget the connection, nor the feeling. I was lucky, and I love it.
Much luck to you on future covers!
Ah now Edie has something that I and the rest of my family have thought for awhile — the woman on the cover does look like you. And it is uncanny.
The cover fairy certainly blessed your cover.
From what I understand from discussions with my editor (HM&B) — one of the most important things a cover conveys is the MOOD of the story. Although people identify with the characters on the cover, the publisher is definately trying to come up with a mood. One of the interesting things for me has been seeing the different covers appear around the world for my books.
I too have come to the conclusion that it is up to the reader to come up with the character in their mind’s eye.
Thank you, LaDonna, and I’m glad I reminded you of that special moment!
Oh no, not you, too, Michelle! I honestly had never seen it, but now I do. Well, a bit.
I have access to large scale pictures of the cover… and I’m sure the cover model would NOT be flattered!
I think you’re right about the cover needing to convey mood, Michelle, and that’s one of the things I love most about mine! It’s no accident, I think, that when I was describing what I wanted for a website, I concentrated on the mood I want to convey – and that my cover goes so well with my website!
Anna, I already told you that I think your cover really speaks to the potential reader. It just screams MYSTERY, SUSPENSE and edge-of-the-seat reading. And yes, after seeing your picture, I can say, she does look like you. How cool is that? Medallion does fabulous job with my covers, too, and yours just proves that this is not a fluke. I wish you abundant sales and much success with your debut novel.
Anna, fabulous interview, cover, etc. Medallion does do a wonderful job, and I love the concept of your book and can’t wait to read it! Well done.
Thank you, Marge! I love your Medallion covers, too – aren’t we lucky?
Whoops, I missed Donnell there, for a moment… Thank you very much, Donnell! I’m so chuffed that other people are as excited about reading my story as I am about having written it!
Hey, Anna! Great post. I don’t mind if the cover doesn’t rep the story. So long as the story keeps me turning the pages it doesn’t matter. But I love a good cover!
And speaking of covers, yours is an eye-catcher. I liked it the first time I saw it.
Thank you, Karin! I’m with you, really, the cover doesn’t matter too much, it’s the story that counts.
But I do know books that would never have caught my eye without a strong cover, and others I would have missed becasue their covers made me assume it wasn’t my kind of read, until friends recommended otherwise…
I never browse in b&m bookstores anymore, so I don’t know whether covers would catch my eye. I just order the books I want off Amazon or from the ebook retailers, sometimes with the cover sight unseen! I used to browse back in the day, but I was reading sf/f then, not romance.
Anna, your cover is fab, and I also thought the heroine looked like you the first time I saw it
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Can’t wait for your book to come out.
I’m a sucker for a good cover. I have loved books with bad covers, but to me, it enriches the whole experience to have a wonderful cover as well as a good read.
Gorgeous picture! And hey, the cover’s not bad, either.
I’ve tried not to let bad covers influence my book buys, but sometimes it’s difficult. That first, visceral reaction is something that just happens and it can affect our buying decisions. I’m lucky to have had good covers, but I have to say that yours is extraordinary.
And yes, well bra’d is a good description. LOL
OMG! This blog is so right on. You’re right. It doesn’t matter what your cover looks like (ultimately), because what you pictured your heroine to look like, isn’t what the reader is going to see. I’ve been so lucky with my covers because the artist worked with me and somehow found the exact feel I was looking for.
Yes, that cover does look like you. What a terrific compliment.
Anna,
I tend not to pay much attention to covers, however if there is a picture of a person on the cover representing the hero/heroine that is who I see when I’m reading the book.
Regardless of the authors description I always see the person on the cover, that face/body becomes the personification of the character.
so I can see why authors would get upset if the pictures on the covers don’t resemble the descriptions they’ve so carefully crafted of their hero or heroine.