cover art....

i'm sure this has been covered, oh, a hundred times or so... so here it goes again.

i've read where you shouldn't send your own artwork in with your ms, and ultimately the decision is generally out of reach (though my understanding is sometimes a clause can be added into the contract whereby the writer has approval rights for any artwork), but can you suggest to the editor the type of art you'd prefer on your cover? would they even listen, or are they more open to that than i've read?

for those published, were you happy with the artwork you got?

If you're as interested in your artwork making it to as many readers as your writing, may I suggest taking a serious look at the medium of graphic novels?

If you're already familiar, forgive me. But if not, it's definitely something to think about. For those entirely unaware, I recommend Watchmen by Alan Moore, and The Dark Knight Returns (It's about Batman) by Frank Miller, in that order.

Otherwise, I would refrain from making an ultimatum to include artwork with a novel. Publishers are the gatekeepers, and they know best of all that you can't tell a book by its cover. (And you know how well readers are already aware of this fact) Conversely, publishers also know how to make a cover tell about a book so it will sell. My two cents: Leave the cover to publishers.

Children's stories are altogether a different matter. Sometimes the artwork alone can bring a book a seat to the big table.

Cheers!

PS- If they want your STORY enough, you can always work in a little deal for your cover art in the negotiating...after you've got them eating out of your hand.

maybe a few authors can get away with ultimatums, but probably so few as not to create the standard. nah, i'm not a graphic artist or anything. i guess a better way of phrasing the question would be how receptive editors are towards author's art input? i'd seen artwork that was very generic and seemed to have little to do with the story, and that's one of those things i look at when i pick up a book. maybe i place too much emphasis on the idea that the cover art should be represenative of the material. (that's sarcasm, btw.)

the first thing that grabs me is the title, then the cover if there's much to look at. if it can interest me enough to commit the herculean task of raising my arm up and expending precious energy grasping a book, next is the back matter and the first few paragraphs of the book. a few random glances in the book seals the deal if those are any good.

they must have specific designs they tend to use for the type of book you've got, though i wonder about the effects of straying off the beaten path (within reason).

Well, (By this I don't mean you, preyer) i think if a person is drawn to buy something based on the pretty picture on the cover, then they shouldn't be in a bookstore. They should be in a museum gift shop.


And also, just to elaborate, graphic novels don't involve graphic artists. Another term for a graphic novel is "a very long comic book, that may or may not be R-rated." As in, if you like to draw, sketch, or what-have-you, and you feel passionate about your artwork, it is a medium to look at. And it's not a small medium by any means. For instance, the author mentioned above, Frank Miller, wrote the original story for the new Batman movie coming out next year. And he's getting a nice check from the movie company as a result.


But that's all off topic for the forum.

To directly answer your rephrased question, if you can convince the publishing company that you have something to offer, some important input as to how the cover should look, they will listen to you. They want to make money even more than you do. But you have to convince them. The same way you pitch your story idea to them, pitch your cover idea. Sell them on it. Otherwise theyr'e going to say, we'll leave that to the marketing department(the professionals), as they generally should, b/c most authors don't know lick about asethetic layout.

Write the story and sell that first. Then worry about the cover.

Cheers!!

No, you should not send your own cover art along with a manuscript. It's unprofessional. (I assume we're talking here about a normal novel, not some graphic novel that's artwork mixed with prose)

Of course, after your book is sold, you can immediately let the publisher know that you have a good cover idea and send it in. It will be given consideration. That's perfectly acceptable, and the publisher may like your idea.

After you've sold the novel, you and your editor will have a lot of long, heart-to-heart chats.

You can mention cover suggestions then.

The art department will then do as they jolly-well please.

What Jim Said

True, so true. As always.

>>though my understanding is sometimes a clause can be added into the contract whereby the writer has approval rights for any artwork<<

Yes, though for most writers this doesn't actually mean approval--it just means the publisher shows you the art at its various stages of completion (i.e., you don't get a big surprise the day your authors' copies arrive) and goes its merry way no matter what you think.

- Victoria

I've found the editor and the art department will sometimes listen when you have suggestions about cover art, but in the end, as James says, they do as they wish.

And why shouldn't they? It's what they get paid to do, and they probably know a lot more about what kind of cover art will help sell a book than you do. Except when they don't.

But by and large, writers should write, and leave the cover art up to those who get paid big bucks for getting it right.

that's rather how i figured it went. i've seen so many book covers before that sometimes i wonder if any thought at all goes into most of them, like romance covers. when shopping for a book, i allow myself to be willingly lured by provocative covers. if neither the title, author name or artwork entices me, i'm not likely to pick the book up and will just move on.

it being such a visual medium, and most writers are pretty observant people, there are probably quite a few writers who would make very good amateur cover art designers. i mean, don't most of y'all at some point in the book imagine what you'd like the cover to look like? i sure do. now, if only i could convince marketing to put pizza hut coupons in the back, i'd be happenin'. hey, when the book literally pays for itself, you'd be a fool *not* to buy it.

damn, i'm a genius.

*ponders*

I don't know how things work in publishing, but the art department where I work as a graphic artist/illustrator doesn't get to do anything without marketing saying so. We can come up with a beautiful and spiffy design, and the boys in marketing will still shoot it down. If there is more autonomy in book publishing, I'm totally switching sub-career paths.


Preyer: I think that a writer might be able to convey their idea well, but I think in most cases, letting them design the cover is a Bad Idea. (Actually, even many fine artists can't design--and trust me, there's a difference between being able to paint a smashing illustration and laying out an attractive cover.)

>>We can come up with a beautiful and spiffy design, and the boys in marketing will still shoot it down.<<

Marketing has a lot of say in publishing too. Frankly a lot of the rationales (at least, as explained by my editor when I expressed concerns about the cover of my last book) sound to me like casting runes or reading the future in chicken blood. But when marketing speaks, everyone listens.

Sure, I have my own ideas about cover art, but I would not want to be responsible for cover design. I know even less about the runes than the marketing people do.

- Victoria

marketing

Marketing has a lot of say in publishing too.

I figured it did.

I've never seen the marketing people actually cast runes or dip their fingers in chicken blood and entrails--I'd probably find them more interesting if they did. But we do have a lot of rules about image use, font sizes and choices, and legally required copy, and if we don't get it right, the marketing folk usually come back to us with good reason.