Cover Question

That's a shame, CaroGirl. It's always difficult to envision how your cover will look, but it would be nice to like it.

Were you given, or does your contract allow for any input on the cover? My sense is, if they are already displaying it, they likely won't pull it for revision. But it might be worth asking.

Well, will it attract readers? does it represent the 'tone' of the novel?


If your really , really unhappy fair nuff, give them a bell, but otherwise, I'd do nothing. but then that's me (ie books are that which i want to sell, period.)

Do you have an agent? Because that's the first person you should go to about this.

If not then . . . ask yourself some questions before broaching the subject with your editor.

What don't you like about it? Does it represent your work? Does it look like it fits in with the genre your publisher is marketing to? How does it compare to other covers from the publisher? Sometimes we might not like the look of a cover, but it actually fits brilliantly into a marketing trend so we just put up with it. Sometimes, though, the cover sucks.

If you truly feel that this book cover is going to compromise sales (and trust me, I know of authors who have been very aware and savvy enough to know their cover would do just that), then you need to send a very professional very calm email to your editor. In it you need to explain why the cover doesn't work, and I'd suggest making suggestions on what needs to change. Most preferable would be suggestions that augment the existing cover, but if you want something different then do your research. Send cover examples from books that you like and that are in your genre. Show you've done marketing research on the subject.

This is a very touchy subject, and I'll be honest, most authors don't actually have that great a sense of design nor marketing. But that doesn't mean that you are wrong in not liking your cover. I have a friend who was given a horrendous cover by one of the big six, and sent an email (via her agent) with said content I listed above, and they changed the cover to something beautiful.

However, you should note they might not respond positively. Not all publishers do. My other friend has a cover that actually hinders book sales (it makes the book look like it's a totally different genre), and despite pleading with her publisher to change it, they didn't.

In the end, they get the final word.

I am rather curious about the cover, and feel like I've got a good eye (I visit designer blogs a lot, and have designed covers in the past). Would you like to PM me the link and have me share my thoughts with you? No worried if not, just a friendly offer.

+1 on toothpaste's comments. the general vibe does seem to be 'we decide the cover, so bugger off'. but again, as toothpaste says.

Is this a dust jacket?

Hey, if it becomes a best-seller it will go through several additions, and they'll changed the jacket from time-to-time. (How's that for looking on the bright side?)

Thanks, Paul .

It might be the vibe, but when people say "pick your battles" this is one I'm very passionate about fighting. Covers can make or break a book. I myself had an unfortunate cover for my first book in the UK (that they changed in the paperback edition) that made it look like it was for much younger children. I managed to get them to change a few things, but not enough, and in the end, well . . . anyway.

On the other hand another publisher who wanted to change a totally awesome cover to something less so for my paperback totally listened to my arguments why that would be a silly idea, and in the end kept the original cover.

I think publishers fear authors having cover opinions because many authors aren't savvy enough to understand what is a good cover as far a selling goes. I have seen threads where some authors have suggested certain cover images for their books and have been very happy that their publisher chose to go a different way.

That being said, we're not all the same. And we are all different people with different backgrounds. And some of us get design and marketing etc.

Further, not all publishers, even the big six, are evil and dogmatic about covers. My own just last month sent me a sketch of my latest cover for my thoughts, which I thought was awesome. I have had enough positive responses from professional interactions about my covers that I know an author who knows what she's talking about and does it in a professional manner can be listened to.

CaroGirl said:

Caught a glimpse of my new cover on my publisher's website. At first glance, I don't think I like it. I might grow to like it, but I'm definitely not In Love like I hoped I'd be. This is my first novel and I really wanted to fall crazy in love with my cover.

Should I talk to the publisher about it or sit tight and hope it grows on me? If I talk to the publisher, how specific should I be? Should I give suggestions?

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I feel your pain, amigo.

When one of my publishers was first 'kindly' asking me feedback on what I'd like to see for the cover of GREY DOGS:ZOMBIE SURVIVAL, I was pretty clear about what I wanted.

No. Zombies.

I wanted it to be artistic, and all that crap. It was bad enough at the time that I had to cut down the title from my extremely deep "GREY DOGS AND THE WILLOW." I'm being sarcastic, in case your sense of humour is broken today. But seriously, that was the title.

In any case, my publisher sends me the cover sample.
There's a great dirty, noseless, rotting zombie staring me back in the face.

Was I happy at first? Not in the slightest.

Did it grow on me? Absolutely.

Now, it's one of my absolute favourite covers I've ever seen from that publisher, and that's not just cause it has my name on it to boot.

Advice? Let them know you're perhaps not as pleased as you could be. If it's a matter of the cover not looking professional or well done, aka looks like it's an abortion with MS Paint driving, tell them outright. If it's a matter of taste, unfortunately you're not behind the wheel anymore. You can tell them, but be prepared for the cover to remain the same.

Either way, its your writing in the pages, be proud of it!

Congrats again on being published!

You didn't see it before release? While the publisher often has last word, they normally do seek author input.

What I'm curious is what would the cover experts here would say if you don't like your cover, recognize it may be brilliant from a marketing perspective, but just don't think it reflects your work and writing as well as a less-marketing-inspired cover might?

Maybe I'm just jaded, but I never choose books by their covers, because from all of this kind of stuff and what I see on shelves, I can't help but feel they're made to cash in on marketing trends before actually reflecting the story and writing inside. Am I wrong?

I was curious and looked the cover up. It's fairly basic. Not bad, not great. IMHO.

I suggest you get a copy of The Unstrung Harp; or, Mr Earbrass Writes a Novel, and read the section on Mr Earbrass's reaction to his cover.

Yeah, I'm a little surprised you saw the cover so late. I always see jPegs (these days) and often a cover mechanical (reproduction on good quality paper) while there's still time to make changes. Because sometimes a pub will give away something on the cover you want to be kept under wraps, or get a character's look totally wrong, or something else you can legitimately (politely, professionally) object to.

I'd advise any author selling a book to either make sure their agent keeps track or else, if unagented, politely ask the editor if you can be kept in the loop while the cover is being designed. If nothing else, to reduce the possibility of expensive changes down the line.

James D. Macdonald said:

I suggest you get a copy of The Unstrung Harp; or, Mr Earbrass Writes a Novel, and read the section on Mr Earbrass's reaction to his cover.

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I need to re-read that book. (If only I can find the box it's packed in!)

CaroGirl said:

Yup. Even if they don't change it based on anything I might say, it's not terrible and I absolutely could grow to love it.

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FWIW, I hated the cover of my first book so much I cried. Something happened when I had the physical copy in my hand. The ugliest cover in the world looked like the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The cover was (is) still hideous, but there's something about seeing your name on the cover that gives you a different perspective. My book cover is 10000000000000000000000000000000000000 times worse than yours. My cover is plain ugly. Yours isn't ugly at all.

I did a quick google search for the cover. I’m going to be honest and say I’m not a fan. It’s ok. Not great, not awful.

Do you have anything specific that bothers you about it – things that are fixable?

For what it’s worth, here’s what bothers me about it:
1) The white bar at the top of the cover. I think it would work if it were a neutral color, like gray or a similar blue to her shirt, and had a mirroring bar lower down. It’s too stark.
2) Both top of graffiti and bottom of one of her feet are cut off. They are leading my eye off the page.
3) I can’t tell what she’s holding.
4) The door behind her is flat and has no texture. The rest of the cover (excepting the white bar on top) does.
5) The colors they chose to highlight aren’t eye-catching (honestly, I’d ditch the color on the door – it’s leading off the page again, best not highlight that). The colors aren’t complementing one another.

On the other hand, I like the picture of the teen on the doorstep, and love her pose and expression. I think they reflect the story well (or what I can read of it). I think the book sounds interesting, and I don’t think the cover is going to break it.

The girl looks kind of interesting, the white bar was the only turn off for me. Looks just a little self-publishy.

... good suggestions, above.

And if you choose to let things stand as they are or it it turns out that the cover is a done deal which can't be changed, at least you'll be prepared next time around and be aware of what steps you might take beforehand. That's how things often go.

Sales are what ultimately matters along with a good readership. I'm sure you'll have both. So don't sweat it ;-)

All I can say is, I wish I had that problem!

Sometimes we authors have a vision for our covers, but publishers who focus on 'selling' a product knows what the public wants to see in order to pick up the book. And when they get it wrong ... they change the cover.