I love talking to authors. Our experiences are so similar, yet so very different, that every one of us has a new story to share. Everyone says that the moment you get your cover it really hits you – you’re an author. The cover is your story – and you – packaged for the world. So the process of the cover reveal can be slightly panic inducing. Does it fit your story? Is it what you hoped? Will it sell? With this in mind I put together the CRAP (Cover Reveal Anxiety Phase) Interview.

Today’s guest for the CRAP is Kristin Nilsen, author of Worldwide Crush which releases today

Did you have any pre-conceived notions about what you wanted your cover to look like?

Definitely! I obsessed about it! No matter what your teacher told you, people definitely judge a book by its cover and it felt very make-or-break to me. Especially because my story may appear to be one thing on the outside (fluffy first crush, celebrity-style) but deliver something very different on the inside (humor! a quirky grandma! poignant coming–of-age arc!). I was so afraid the cover wouldn’t sell the story properly. 

I also have very strong opinions about cover art for middle grade books right now – there’s a trend that is so strong, it makes every book look exactly the same. I won’t say what that trend is because I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus, but I will say I was terrified of getting one of those covers. And I was prepared to say “We are underestimating middle grade readers. They are attracted to more than one thing.”

Did you have any input on your cover?

I had input, yes, but it came with boundaries and I was very nervous about overstepping those boundaries. Which I did. And then I got a call from the publisher which felt very much like getting called to the principal’s office. Being able to say “no, I don’t like that” was both a blessing and a curse. 

How far in advance of the reveal date were you aware of what your cover would look like?

Since I’m a debut author, the only person waiting for my cover reveal with bated breath was me. And the people and animals who are within arm’s reach of me. This makes a reveal announcement a little awkward; it felt less like a public event and more like a personal one. So a reveal date, per se, was not set for me (because no one was watching except maybe my mom), and I was free to reveal the cover when it was officially finalized.

Was it hard to keep it to yourself before the official release?

I felt the opposite actually; I was free to reveal the cover when it was complete – but I couldn’t. I wasn’t nervous anymore because we did, indeed, arrive at that place where I was like YES! THIS! But releasing it to the world felt wobbly. I wasn’t ready. I needed to cradle it in my arms a little longer. So while it was revealed on the publisher’s website, I waited to announce it on my social channels until the two of us had truly bonded. 

What surprised you most about the process?

Two things: first, how I longed to be a part of the process and then actually hated being a part of the process. Okay, I didn’t hate it but it was sooooo STRESSFULLLLL. For a brief moment, I wished I had never been asked for my input because getting to perfection seemed out of reach but I couldn’t stop trying. And I knew I was the thorn in someone’s side. I pictured people rolling their eyes every time they saw an email from me. 

And second, it revealed how much of my book lives inside my head; what does a celebrity crush mean to you? It’s different for everybody. When I say celebrity crush, I picture something specific but the designer pictured something else entirely. We had to come to an understanding about what a celebrity crush means for this book, without our personal interpretations interfering.

Any advice to other debut authors about how to handle cover art anxiety?

No, I really don’t! Although I’m ecstatic about how my cover turned out, I’m still licking my wounds a little bit. I have butterflies just writing this sentence! And I’m sure I will have the same anxiety with my next book. Because it’s that important! 

For me, I think I will work on my communication about the tone and style of my story and also provide quotes from the book that describe my characters fully so the designer will know what the reader is expecting. But for those who don’t have that kind of input, my advice would be… be a good person and manifest hard!

Kristin Nilsen is an erstwhile librarian, a collector of crush stories, and the author of Worldwide Crush (July 2023), a middle grade novel inspired by her own childhood crush on Shaun Cassidy. She co-hosts The Pop Culture Preservation Society, a weekly podcast celebrating the cultural nuggets of the classic Gen X childhood. Kristin lives in Minneapolis with her Gen X husband, her Gen Z son, and their rock and roll goldendoodle, Axl Rose Nilsen.