Authors and cover art.

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shroud

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Just as every monkey with a word processing program is an author, every monkey with photoshop is a graphic designer. My primate self falls into both categories. I've always been artistic, and the vision I have for my book includes not only the text, but the cover art as well.

What I'm interested in learning is how much say a new author has in this. No track record of impressive sales, just a pure and bright vision (imagine an angelic choir). Would I be consulted on this, able to express my desires, even if they're overruled? How about if I offer to pay for the artist I have in mind?

Hope springs eternal.
 

James D. Macdonald

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You're talking about a commercial publisher?

Even as a start-up novelist I was able to give suggestions to the art department via my editor. Some were even taken.

But the art director has to hear those angelic choirs too.

Can you convince your favored artist to submit samples to your favored publisher's art department?
 

RedWombat

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Well, if you're a children's book author of a certain sort, you may even do the cover yourself! (cough)

On the other hand, assuming you're not in that field, I think it depends a LOT on the individual house, the individual art director, and even to a certain extent the artist. Back when I did cover art for very small presses, author input ranged from "none" to "for the love of god, shut the author up and let me work, we have three days left and they've asked for a complete tear-down twice already because apparently I am supposed to be a telepath." (That last, sadly, is sometimes a sign that the art director is falling down on the job.)

You'll probably get some input, but it's gonna depend on your house how much.
 

Becky Black

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You'll probably be allowed some input, depending on the publisher. But the publisher will have the final say. They are unlikely to take you up on an offer to pay for your preferred artist yourself. They will have their known and trusted cover artists either in house or who they commission.

And they are the people you should trust to do it. They generally know what they are doing. Okay, there are dishonourable exceptions, but on the whole they are ones who know what kind of cover sells books. Like in my genre we tend to complain about "two headless torso guys" covers. But guess which books sell best? Yep, torso guys! :D The cover isn't only art, it's marketing.
 

sheadakota

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Both my publishers allowed , even encouraged input. I told them what I envisioned and they gave mock ups to choose from. For one book I have a friend who really is a graphic artist who made me a cover I fell in love with. My publisher loved it too and used it. So for me I had quite a bit of say.
 

seun

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I think it depends on the publisher. Speaking for myself, Musa seek author input on the cover; I gave them a few ideas and loved both results. On the other hand, Dark Fuse came up with the cover themselves and I loved that, too, so it worked out quite well.
 

Jamesaritchie

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I never even question the art department. They know art, and more important, they know marketing, and what the writer likes is not always what actually attracts readers. I do my job, which is writing, and I let them do their job, which is marketing.

I'm a whole heck of a lot more concerned with title than with cover art, and this is where I demand input.
 

jkenton

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I think it depends on the publisher. Speaking for myself, Musa seek author input on the cover; I gave them a few ideas and loved both results. On the other hand, Dark Fuse came up with the cover themselves and I loved that, too, so it worked out quite well.

Yet another reason I'm rather taken with the notion of working with Musa.

Yes, I know that I have to actually get published before I worry about cover art. Yes, I know that Battle Thongs sell... but the woman's in a freakin' hostile environment hardsuit.

I think I fret about cover art issues largely because I'm an artist, which is what led me to writing in the first place. Telling the story behind the image glaring across the inside of my head and all that.
 

OJCade

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I think I fret about cover art issues largely because I'm an artist...

I can understand that.

I, on the other hand, have all the artistic skill of week-dead roadkill. By coincidence, I happened to sign my first book contract today (yay me!) and to be honest, I'm relieved beyond belief to be able to pass the cover along to someone who knows what they're doing.

I mean, the contract says I get input, and of course I'll do my very best to be helpful, but it might be best all round if they smile politely and ignore everything I say.

Hell, for years I could only find the car in the parking lot because I'd memorised the number plate. I was fairly sure it was either blue or silver, but couldn't fix the look of it in my mind, even seeing it every day, so you can imagine the disaster I'd be let loose on something as important as a cover.
 

SkyeOhWhy

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Agree with everyone who says it depends on the publishing house. I'm debuting this year so I don't have much experience yet, but the process has been great so far.

When I first met my acquiring editor last August, I brought along a printed sheet with some of my favourite covers in the same genre (YA fantasy) and we nutted out a few ideas together.

Over the following months, she regularly emailed me cover roughs (from a freelance designer) and asked for my thoughts. Of course, I understood that it was ultimately a marketing decision and the publisher would have the final say, but I still felt as though I had a voice in the process.

You'll probably be allowed some input, depending on the publisher. But the publisher will have the final say. They are unlikely to take you up on an offer to pay for your preferred artist yourself. They will have their known and trusted cover artists either in house or who they commission.

And they are the people you should trust to do it. They generally know what they are doing. Okay, there are dishonourable exceptions, but on the whole they are ones who know what kind of cover sells books. Like in my genre we tend to complain about "two headless torso guys" covers. But guess which books sell best? Yep, torso guys! The cover isn't only art, it's marketing.

Yup, this is exactly how I look at it. :)

I, on the other hand, have all the artistic skill of week-dead roadkill. By coincidence, I happened to sign my first book contract today (yay me!) and to be honest, I'm relieved beyond belief to be able to pass the cover along to someone who knows what they're doing.
Ooh, congrats on signing your contract! I'm in the same boat when it comes to artistic ability, so it was super exciting to watch a professional lend his skill to the project.
 

jkenton

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I can understand that.

I, on the other hand, have all the artistic skill of week-dead roadkill. By coincidence, I happened to sign my first book contract today (yay me!) and to be honest, I'm relieved beyond belief to be able to pass the cover along to someone who knows what they're doing.

I mean, the contract says I get input, and of course I'll do my very best to be helpful, but it might be best all round if they smile politely and ignore everything I say.

Hell, for years I could only find the car in the parking lot because I'd memorised the number plate. I was fairly sure it was either blue or silver, but couldn't fix the look of it in my mind, even seeing it every day, so you can imagine the disaster I'd be let loose on something as important as a cover.

Congratulations on that contract!
 

WeaselFire

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My publishers have sent me the final cover and asked how I liked it, does that count as having a say? :)

There are a number of things to remember about cover art. The first is that it's a sales tool. If you do not understand graphic design for marketing, you're not really qualified to design the cover.

Second is that whomever pays for the cover gets final say. Don't throw a tantrum because the publisher decided to go a different way. I've seen that destroy relationships for authors.

And last, think in general terms, not specifics. Suggest cover colors, feelings and so on, not font sizes and placement. The designers get paid to translate a concept into workable, and effective, art. Remember that everyone knows what a dragon, fairy or the Devil looks like. But nobody has the same look as everyone else.

Jeff
 

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you will be allowed input, and as you can see a lot of folks had suggestions the publisher agreed with and used. The only thing I'd be leery of is taking this to the mat if they didn't like it. I've always been leery of the idea of home-schooling my kids because I am a biologist, and a good one, and I write fairly well, but honestly, I have no fucking business teaching history or algebra or even physics.....cover art is sort of like that--I may have an idea, but if a team of highly trained marketing folks with a record of selling books says "no, bad idea" I'm really not in a good spot to let ego take over.

Know what I mean?
 

CaroGirl

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I published with a small press. I didn't like the first cover design and responded with a suggested revision. The publisher agreed that, as the author and first-line promoter, I should love the package my novel comes in. They used the revision and we're all much happier with the result.

I think most pubs are willing to work with authors, within reason, to make sure they're happy with the final product.
 

SeaSerpent

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It all depends on what is in your contract. If it matters a lot to you then you should try to negotiate more input. But usually the publisher will have the final say.
 

eqb

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The only thing I'd be leery of is taking this to the mat if they didn't like it.

Just a general observation... In most cases, yes, the publisher does know better, but there are times when they screw up. As with anything else, an author has to pick which hills to die on and when to let it go.
 

Siri Kirpal

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Yes, it depends on the publisher. In both cases, I provided the artwork for my covers and the publishers did the cover design. Separate skills.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

jpoelma13

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I'd be happy having a say in it. Honestly, I don't know a lot about marketing book covers, and am content to let them do it, but I wouldn't like it if they did something really tasteless, like stuck my protagonist half naked on the cover. I'm writing fantasy novels not porn.
 

Drachen Jager

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Just as every monkey with a word processing program is an author, every monkey with photoshop is a graphic designer. My primate self falls into both categories. I've always been artistic, and the vision I have for my book includes not only the text, but the cover art as well.

What I'm interested in learning is how much say a new author has in this. No track record of impressive sales, just a pure and bright vision (imagine an angelic choir). Would I be consulted on this, able to express my desires, even if they're overruled? How about if I offer to pay for the artist I have in mind?

Hope springs eternal.

I know an author whose debut was a black and white photo with gold-highlighted text across it. She got to choose whether the text was bold red, or orangey-tinted red.

Does that help?
 

JoNightshade

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I dunno if this is the norm, but my contract actually had a little clause in it that said I got to consult on cover art. I think most publishers allow you a bit of a say just out of courtesy.

But frankly nobody is going to appreciate it if you come at it with the concept all sketched out, saying "I want it to look just like this!"

The better tactic is, I think, to think real hard about what you do and don't want... specifically what you don't want. What I did was put together a gallery of covers (of other books) that I did like - not just random, but books with similar tone and content. I then specified what I really DIDN'T want to see.

One of the things I specified was that I didn't want faces on the cover, because my characters were not attractive and nobody wanted to see them. As you can see from my avatar, the designer clearly took that instruction and decided to go a little tongue-in-cheek with it. And I totally love it. It's exactly something I would have done, had I been given the same set of instructions, and it totally fits the book.
 

Jason2

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Just as every monkey with a word processing program is an author, every monkey with photoshop is a graphic designer. My primate self falls into both categories. I've always been artistic, and the vision I have for my book includes not only the text, but the cover art as well.

What I'm interested in learning is how much say a new author has in this. No track record of impressive sales, just a pure and bright vision (imagine an angelic choir). Would I be consulted on this, able to express my desires, even if they're overruled? How about if I offer to pay for the artist I have in mind?

Hope springs eternal.

It would difficult to convince the commerical ad department - I would say 0%-30% of chance given how big the publisher is.

If you are able to hire a freelancer designer for your cover and submit the cover along with your manuscript, it might be a different story.
 

Anne Lyle

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I dunno if this is the norm, but my contract actually had a little clause in it that said I got to consult on cover art. I think most publishers allow you a bit of a say just out of courtesy.

My publishers have the same clause. It means that at a bare minimum you may be asked to provide character descriptions etc to help the art director and cover artist. That was how it worked on my first book (see signature below), then for books 2 and 3 I actually briefed the designs in detail and got pretty much what I wanted. There might be the odd detail not as I'd want it (the cover of The Merchant of Dreams is too dark, IMO), but it's damned close.

As has been said, it totally depends on the publishing house, editor and art director, and to some extent on the writer. I'm sure there are other AR authors who just let Marc (my editor) get on with it, but I like to be more hands-on :)
 
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