Cover Talk with Liz Coley

Todays guest for the CRAP (Cover Reveal Apprehension Phase) is fellow Katherine Tegen imprint author Liz Coley. Liz's debut PRETTY GIRL-13 is releasing in Slovakia and the Czech Republic today, and to celebrate that, Liz is going to share her experience as a debut author with foreign editions... including foreign covers!

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

At the risk of making myself look totally lame, yes, I did. I love to mockup covers for my WIP, at least I did until my agent told me I had crazy ideas about covers and asked me to take them off my “aspiring author” website. My preconceived notion, inspiration piece if you will, was my computer desktop background for a long, long time. With attribution to the London Science Museum and photographer Gaetan Lee, here it is:

How far in advance from your pub date did you start talking covers with your house?

Talking? What is this talking? Fourteen months before release (Jan 2012), I met my US editor in person in for the first time and she had the cover art, literally wet off the printer, to show me. “Do you love it?” she asked. After I questioned one aspect of the coloring, I realized that the correct response to this questions is: Yes. I love it. Totally and completely.

Actually, I did love the imagery, the reflective quality, the suggestion of a portal. It felt like the artist had read the book and captured the significant metaphors. The “bleeding cowboy” font took me by surprise, but I’ve received great feedback about it.

Was there an official "cover reveal" date for your art?

My publisher isn’t big on staged reveals, so I actually got the news that the cover was out in July 2012 from an Australian book blogger who had seen it on Amazon. So that was the reveal. 

What surprised you most about the process?

I was surprised and yet not surprised at how little input the author has in the process. Having self-published a novel, I knew how many design decisions are required to put a physical book together. In traditional publishing, these decisions are largely made for you or you enter the scene only to give the final blessing. I just trusted that the professionals in marketing have way more experience than I do and would make good choices on my behalf.

You’ve got international editions coming out. Tell us about your foreign covers.

One of the coolest aspects of international publication is seeing how different cultures interpret and represent your work in the cover art. Don’t expect ANY input here. Just love each cover for what it tries to say about your story to a different audience. My UK cover emphasizes the idea of the innocent girl preserved/hidden/locked in a safe (but kind of spooky) place. The French cover seems to suggest the innocence of thirteen before anything goes wrong. The Russian cover, the darkest and most haunting, shows a live model in bondage. While her coloring is unlike the protagonist’s, it totally doesn’t matter. The helpless, lost look in her eyes tells the story.

Today, I’m thrilled to reveal the Czech Republic and the Slovakian covers. These editions are releasing today. They’ve used the same art as the US edition, but how can you not love Liz Coleyová as a byline?

One more unexpected aspect to international publishing is that the title translation is completely up to the foreign publisher. I didn’t even know, until I received cover art, that in France, my novel goes by ANGIE 13 YEARS, DISAPPEARED, and in the Czech and Slovakian editions, the title is RETURN 
FROM DARKNESS.

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

I’d suggest asking your editor explicitly what their roll-out philosophy is and let them know that you want to hold for a coordinated reveal if that’s your plan. Then relax and trust the people who’ve done this hundreds of times. Unless there is a huge disconnect between your vision and the artist’s or a factual error (historical inaccuracy, for example), the correct answer is: Yes, I love it. When can I show everyone?

Cover Talk with J.R. Johansson

I love talking to my fellow 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 (Cover Reveal Anxiety Phase) is my fellow Friday the Thirteener J.R. Johansson, author of INSOMNIA.

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

Not really. It was more of a feel that I wanted. I wanted it to look creepy, but still cool/compelling/interesting. I wanted something that would convey the feel of the book and draw people in at the same time. I think they did a great job with accomplishing that.

How far in advance from your pub date did you start talking covers with your house?

It was in July, so about 11 months before my pub date.

Did you have any input on your cover?

A little, but not much. On the first version, his face had much smoother skin and I asked for them to make him a little more masculine and rough. They did a great job with that.

How was your cover revealed to you?

Haha, my editor sent me an email with the subject line, “OK, brace yourself” I think the cover is a little shocking at first glance, so it was oddly appropriate.

Was there an official "cover reveal" date for your art?

No, my editor told me that once I had my final copy I could set up the reveal when/how I wanted. He doesn’t know yet that I can’t be trusted with that kind of freedom. ;-)

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

I just saw the first version of it near the end of October, so I guess almost eight and a half months.

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

Yes and no. It’s been fun to show family and close friends, but I kind of liked keeping it private for a bit. Now I’m really excited to have it out there for everyone to see. I love it and am happy to have it out there representing me and my book.

What surprised you most about the process?

How fast it went from the first version to the final product. I know it isn’t that way with every author/publisher, but for me it was super fast. The publisher had a meeting first. I guess they had a few different cover options to consider, but their vote was unanimous on this one so I never saw the others. Once they gave it to me, I gave some feedback, they made a couple of changes and got the final back to me less than a week later.

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

My advice is to realize that every cover has people who love it and people who hate it. Yours won’t be any different, so don’t expect it to be. It won’t (hopefully) be the last cover you have, so learn from the experience. The author doesn’t have a lot of control or power most of the time, so make sure your opinion is known, your voice is heard, and then sit back and try to enjoy the ride.

Cover Talk with Cat Winters

I love talking to my fellow 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 is Cat Winters, author of In The Shadow of Blackbirds.

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

There are two scenes in this book in which my main character, Mary Shelley Black, poses for a photographer who claims to capture the spirits of people’s loved ones in his pictures. I was really hoping one of those two ensuing photographs would appear on the cover—which is exactly what happened. The book’s designer, Maria T. Middleton, said that as soon as she finished reading the original manuscript, both she and my editor, Maggie Lehrman, agreed that the cover had to involve a sprit photograph. 

How far in advance from your pub date did you start talking covers with your house?

Around June 2012, ten months before the pub date, Maggie told me I’d probably see a cover by the end of the summer. She didn’t say what would be on the cover at the time, but I knew the design was going to be in the works. In July, she sent me a behind-the-scenes peek of a photo shoot, and I went running through my house with my laptop, screaming, “They’re doing a photo shoot! They’re doing a photo shoot!” My husband worried something horrible had happened because of all the shrieking. It was absolutely surreal to see a team of talented people recreating an image that had originated inside my own head.

Maggie also sent me a link to the website of the photographer, Symon Chow, and as soon as I saw his sample photographs, which all have an eerie, vintage vibe, I knew the cover was going to be amazing. 

Did you have any input on your cover?

My agent, Barbara Poelle, put a clause into my contract saying that the publisher was required to consult with me on the cover, which they did, although I honestly didn’t have any suggested changes. I thought the photo shoot sneak peek looked perfect—the cover model shared my main character’s eye and hair color, she was dressed like my main character, down to the goggles around her neck, and she was an actual teenager, not a twenty-five-year-old woman pretending to be sixteen. I definitely gave my approval at that stage, and when I saw the sample cover treatments, I was one-hundred-percent in agreement with the cover that everyone at Amulet Books liked best.

How was your cover revealed to you?

On August 9, my editor sent me an email containing five cover treatments. All of them contained the same photograph and lettering, and only the borders and the color of the font varied in each sample. I loved three of the five options, including the design that was chosen. 

The biggest surprise for me was the font Maria used. I was expecting lettering that would be a run-of-the-mill Gothic historical font. What I got instead was bold and edgy and perfect for my 1918 time period, an era that marked the beginning of the 1920s art deco style. I believe there may have also been an American Horror Story influence.

Was there an official "cover reveal" date for your art?

No. Amulet Books doesn’t really work that way. My editor sent me the final cover on September 26 and said I was free to share it. I immediately sent out teaser tweets and Facebook posts saying I would reveal the cover the following morning at 5:00 AM Eastern Time, and I prepared a post to go live on my site at that time. When I turned on my computer the following morning at 7:45 AM Pacific, I saw nonstop tweets about the cover. Even though it was a spur-of-the moment reveal on my own website, I felt it went really well.

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

Seven weeks.

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

Yes, definitely. I shared it with my mom and sister with emails that strictly stated, “Do not share this ANYWHERE online.” I had dinner with authors Kendare Blake, Marta Acosta, and Lisa Desrochers during their summer book tour in August and snuck them a peek at a printout of the cover. Their jaws dropped when they saw it, so I knew I’d struck gold with my designer. 

What surprised you most about the process?

How easy it was. I had heard so many awful stories about authors who hated their covers and had no say in them, plus most authors typically watch their covers undergo several alterations before everyone decides on the best design. Mine was a case of “Here are the cover samples, and here’s the one we like best,” and my agent and I were in complete agreement. We didn’t even ask for any minor tweaks. I don’t think that happens often, and I feel really, really lucky. 

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

Ask your agent to put a clause in your contract that allows you to have a say in the design, which will give you peace of mind when you’re waiting. And don’t read too many cover design nightmare stories. Those scenarios don’t happen to everyone.