KayLynn Flanders On The Importance (Or Not!) Of A Cover Reveal

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 KayLynn Flanders who has a degree in English Language and editing, and has been a freelance editor and book designer for over ten years. Her debut novel, Shielded, a YA fantasy, will be published by Delacorte (Penguin Random House) July 21, 2020.

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

Yes! I’d been keeping a folder with covers I liked for several months before I got my cover art. The folder was mostly filled with cloaked figures not facing the reader, daggers, and epic landscapes. And blue—for some reason, I’ve always been drawn to blue covers. One thing I was sure I didn’t want was a face on the cover. But I was proved wrong on that one, because my main character’s face is on my cover, and it’s more epic than anything I ever imagined for my book! 

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

The first time we talked about covers was when my editor sent me concept art. It was about fifteen months before publication, and the concept art was so stunning I yelled, “No way!” out loud and startled my kids. 

Did you have any input on your cover?

Yes! While the concept art was pretty set, my editor was really open to any feedback I had. Further along in the process, I had a few concerns about some of the finishing details, but we went back and forth until everyone was happy.

How was your cover revealed to you?

By email! Because there was so much back and forth, the final wasn’t a surprise, but the tagline was! It was one I hadn’t seen, but I’m really happy with it.

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

I actually didn’t have a big “cover reveal” for SHIELDED. I saw my cover on Goodreads one day (that was a jolt to my heart, let me tell you), and revealed the cover through my own social media a few days later in November of 2019. The response was phenomenal, though, and I was actually glad I hadn’t stressed about organizing a big reveal. One thing I love about my cover is it creates an emotional response, so it was easy for me to post it and see people’s reactions as they hit like and share. 

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

I saw the final cover about two months before the reveal to everyone else, and the full jacket a few weeks after the reveal. 

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

Yes! I wanted to splash it everywhere, yet there was a tiny voice that wondered if others would like it as much as I did and wanted to keep it to myself instead. It’s been the lock screen on my phone ever since the reveal. 

What surprised you most about the process?

I was surprised at how much input I got, and how much back and forth there was. I know that isn’t the case with every publisher, but I appreciated having a little bit of a say in things. 

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

Don’t worry too much about fancy cover reveals. The cover comes out really far before the actual book, with plenty of time to build good publicity—your book’s success doesn’t hinge on the reveal. Also, if you’re given the opportunity to give feedback on your cover, spend time talking things over with your agent so you can know what to focus on asking. Your agent has a really good perspective on publishing, and has probably seen way more covers than you have.

Shannon Doleski: Cover Advice for Debut Authors

Today’s guest for the CRAP is Shannon Doleski who was born and raised in Cazenovia, New York. After graduating from Niagara University with an English Education degree, Shannon was an English teacher and swim coach in New York and Maryland. She and her family live in West Texas. Mary Underwater is her debut novel.

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

I kind of had in my head that I wanted a very plain cover that was navy blue with a small submarine online in white. And that was it.

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

In June 2019 (so a year from when I sold) my editor sent me the sketches for my cover. She said that because my cover artist would be doing paperwork (cutting out paper and taping them to a background to be photographed) they wanted my input earlier than usual. I loved the sketch and paper colors the artist and designer sent. I asked for some additional sea creatures mentioned in the book – a crab and jellyfish. The artist added them. I really enjoyed how my designer and artist used aspects of my novel (one of my characters creates stop motion animations, and they wanted to make the cover feel like that).

Did you have any input on your cover?

I was really lucky to be able to make additions/suggestions to my cover once I saw the sketch. I know that some authors put together examples of covers they like before the cover design, and that was not my case, which I was grateful for. I would have picked too many covers and designs from all over with different styles. It would have been a disaster. I trusted the design and marketing teams to know more than I did about upper MG covers.

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

In July, I received the email with the cover art. My pub told me I could collaborate with a blog for the reveal or do it myself once preorders went live. But then marketing decided that the title font didn’t fit with the seriousness of the story, so it was postponed. In September, they presented a new font that they thought fit the tone of the book, and I was allowed to do the reveal right after that. I chose to reveal the cover with preorder links myself, instead of working with a blog. I think it’s a personal choice. I liked having control over the reveal. I think it depends on how comfortable you are, as an author, with social media and all its aspects, like creating graphics for different sites. I also got to do a lot of fun countdown stuff to the reveal. 

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

I saw the sketch in June and the final in July, but then with the font changes, it was revealed in September. 

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

Hahahahaha, yes! Those two months where they changed the title font were difficult. In person, I did share with my close family and friends unofficially beforehand. 

What surprised you most about the process?

How different the process can be from house to house!  Other friends and members of my debut year had totally different experiences. 

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

I think we build up the cover so much because it makes our book feel so real. And it can be really hard to give up creative control of our babies. My advice would be to know that that kind of self-inflicted pressure is normal, but we need to trust our cover artists and designers. But if there’s something nagging you about it all, speak up. Use your agent to facilitate if necessary. Your team wants the author to love the cover as much as readers!

A Debut Author Gets Her Cover... And Is Thrilled

Today’s guest for the CRAP is Amanda Sellet, author of By The Book. She has a B.A. in Literature from New College of Florida and an M.A. in Cinema Studies from NYU. After a series of odd jobs (au pair, horse-sitter, barista), I worked as a reporter for 10 years, writing about theater, music, and movies.

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

I was hoping for an illustrated cover as opposed to a photographic one, partly as a personal preference but also because I felt that would better capture the spirit of the book, which is more about oddball characters and whimsical situations than strict realism. In my secret heart I also hoped it would be “cool” and “artsy” (pretentious, party of one!). Since I knew it would fall within the conventions of YA rom-com covers, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t wind up with the ubiquitous black snake or something in the style of “woman in skin-tight pants looking over her shoulder.”

Mostly I didn’t want the cover to give people false expectations, so no one would shake their fist at the sky and feel duped when they started reading.

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

About 18 months pre-publication, which was only a few weeks post-deal. The design team was already working on covers for Spring 2020 at that point (fall of 2018), so my editor wanted to get them a jacket direction form as soon as possible.  

Did you have any input on your cover?

My wonderful editor asked about my general preferences, and whether there were any current covers that were “singing to my soul.” I immediately sent her approximately twenty zillion different examples that had nothing in common except that I liked them all, because I’m helpful like that. 

How was your cover revealed to you?

It was the last day of the school year, and I had been running kids around town and having adventures in drive-through meals for what felt like hours. When I finally got home, I saw the email from my editor with the cover attached, which drove all thoughts of onion rings from my mind! It was extra fun having an audience of tween girls to share it with.

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

My editor let me know when they would be releasing the cover in-house and asked if I wanted to do a “reveal” that day. I wasn’t sure whether it made sense given my less-than-robust online presence, but my agent and some wise author friends told me to go for it. And I’m very glad they did!

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

I saw the cover on May 23 (school gets out early in the Midwest) and did the reveal June 12, so not too long at all.

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

Like most introverts, I’m all about my small circle of family and friends … and I may have covertly shared it with certain interested parties before the official reveal. Although my grown-up brothers are probably not the target audience for pastel rom-com covers, they’re still excited for me about every step of the publishing journey.

What surprised you most about the process?

The first thing that surprised me was how much I loved it. I’m a critical person by nature, and prone to second-guessing everything, but somehow seeing my cover short-circuited all those impulses. I was immediately smitten with the art, the lettering, the palette, and the design. Beyond that, it just felt right. And although I can’t draw to save my life, I did spend quite a few years haunting museums and galleries as an art critic, so on a purely aesthetic level I was incredibly pleased by the quality of Monique Aimee’s charming illustration.

The second surprise was how much other people liked it. As someone with a tiny social media following, I didn’t expect anything like the reaction it got on Twitter and Instagram and then Goodreads. It was incredibly fun to get all of those notifications, and feel like people besides my mother, my agent, and my editor were excited about my book!

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

If you pay attention to cover reveals the way I have over the past year, you’ll notice that pretty much everyone is over-the-moon about their cover. Maybe we’re in the middle of a golden era, or maybe that’s just how it goes: You fall in love with your cover the way a parent does with their child. As an added bonus, you can brag about it without feeling vain, and stare at it without obsessing over the zillion little tweaks you’d like to make, because you didn’t create it … unlike, say, your manuscript.

It doesn’t matter if your publisher is hosting a big fancy reveal or you’re doing it on your own. Embrace the joy of seeing the book that has lived inside you so long translated into visual form for all the world to see.