Can I design my own dustjacket/cover...?

You will get 1% input into your bookcover and even then it might be rejected. Publishing companies have scores of people with years of education in marketing behind them who know the markets inside and out and they know what turns a browser into a buyer. The cover that you think is arresting might be a total turn off to a book buyer.

Depending on where the book is sold it will have a different cover. It's not just for fun that covers in the UK, Canada, and the US are different. Or that hardcover covers are often different from the paperback edition. Different things sell differently and the people in marketing/dustjacked design know what they are doing. So, I'm sorry, but you'll probably have no input, especially as a first time author.

I'd go to Lulu and get one printed up. If it's really that good, you might want to use it for submissions.

Julie Worth said:

I'd go to Lulu and get one printed up. If it's really that good, you might want to use it for submissions.

Click to expand...

Actually, you really shouldn't send covers in with your submissions... (sorry, Julie )

As Nevada said, you really won't have input on the covers. If you really, really hate the cover they present you with, you can request to see something else, but in general it's you write the book, they handle the cover.

Neither agents nor editors want to see a cover with a query or submission. It only detracts from the story, and says that you don't know how publishing works.

Barbarique said:

Hmm... You mean the whole book and the cover? I didn't know you could that. But wouldn't it cost a bundle?

Click to expand...

You don't want to send in a finished book as a submission. Always follow the submission guidelines -- standard format, loose double-spaced pages with one-inch margins, no extras like artwork or your plans for tie-in merchandise.

If you do this, your submission will stand out, but not in a good way.

My first book I had zero input. The cover was hideous. The paperback cover was much better.

My editor on this one actually asked for my input, bless her, and the artist did indeed incorperate something I thought was vital, in his own style. I even emailed photos to show what I was talking about. The cover still needed to conform to their house style, but I couldn't have been happier with the finished product.

Normally all of the above is right. There are some exceptions, for example the YA author Stephenie Meyer designed her own cover for her debut novel, Twilight. Even then though, she didn't get to design the next two in the series. Usually you do have some input, but rarely total control! (But it does happen sometimes!)

swvaughn said:

Actually, you really shouldn't send covers in with your submissions... (sorry, Julie )

Click to expand...

I meant putting the cover on a paperback and sending that in with the requested MS. I've yet to do that where the agent didn't email me, saying how convenient it was, reading it on the subway or wherever. And like any ordinary reader, an agent will be influenced by the cover--at least to the point of picking it up and reading a few pages. (I've heard of meetings where editors congregated around the new lineup, holding the finished books for the first time, marveling over the covers.) In any case, I don't say I'm submitting a cover, I say I'm submitting a reading copy with the MS, which they may find useful. Nevertheless, I always put some fetching cover art on it, along with the words "reading copy" so they don't get the wrong idea and think it's been published.

Barbarique--you can get a 400 page book with full color covers for under $13.

Julie Worth said:

And like any ordinary reader, an agent will be influenced by the cover--at least to the point of picking it up and reading a few pages. .

Click to expand...

And like any ordinary reader, if the agent doesnt like the cover, he wont even read the material included. So you've killed your chances before he's even read anything. Follow the format the agent wants. Pages, font, everything. Yes, occassionally someone who breaks the rules will get picked up. But the percentage of that is so small, it really proves the fact that following the agent's rules works better.

nevada said:

And like any ordinary reader, if the agent doesnt like the cover, he wont even read the material included.

Click to expand...

I doubt that will happen, if they also have the MS in standard format. But you're right, you have to know what you're doing artistically, or you haven't helped yourself. Anyway, I'm suggesting this to Barb as a way of submitting a cover surreptitiously.

For my third novel my editor asked me for suggestions. I suggested a woman in a sari standing in water, with an Indian temple in the background. She loved the idea but whenthe hardback came out it was very different - and nobody liked it.

imagine my surprise, then, when the paperback came out and it looked like this!

So, I would talk to your editor when you get one. Now is not the time.

[/IMG]

I wouldn't even bring it up before the book sells.

But that's just me. I've got a jinx phobia like you would not believe.

A lot depends on the publisher.


If you're working with an e-publisher or a small press, your cover preferences are more likely to be heard, though they may not be acted upon.
And you can make your suggestions at any point after you sell the ms.



If you're working with a large print publisher, however, you are dealing with a bureaucracy.
Your editor and the marketing person who makes decisions about the cover may never sit down and talk about cover design, face-to-face, at all. Your editor may have very little input into cover design.

What you can do to make your cover suggestion heard ...

1) ask your agent if it will be possible to negotiate a clause in your contract that calls for author input and, hopefully, approval for the cover blurb, (a good idea anyway,) and author input for the cover.
You may not get either, but see what your agent thinks about trying for them.

2) After the contract is signed, talk to the editor about your ideas for a cover ... recognizing that the editor is likely to defer to marketing on this.

The best time to submit an actual cover concept is probably when you send back your corrected ms.
That's the stage where your editor sends the ms, author bio and photo, synopsis, etc., to Marketing.

The Marketing folks who will decide on your cover cannot do it before this point.
This is the first time they've heard of you.

Ideally, you want your cover concept to arrive along with the rest of the packet your agent zips over to Marketing. It should exist in both hard copy and a computer file. If you have 'photos' of what your characters look like, that can be part of your concept package.


As to sending a bound 'book' as part of the submissions packet ...
(shrug)
you have an agent; take his advice.

Including a bound, self-printed book in the submission
-- look, this is only IMO and I'm respectfully disagreeing with posters above --
but I think it yells 'amateur'.
It's 'kittens on the letterhead' stuff.
This is not how the business works.
If agents and editors wanted bound books included in the submission, they would ask for them.

'Amateur' is not a huge mark against you in a market where there are many fine writers who are, for the moment, novices. But it's not really a mark in your favor.

aruna said:

... I suggested a woman in a sari standing in water, with an Indian temple in the background. [/IMG]

Click to expand...

That's a lovely cover, Aruna. How wise of you, and
Congratulations.

I get some input on my covers. They send them to me and ask, "what do you think?" Sometimes they listen to what I say, sometimes they don't.

For fun I have made my own bookcover just to get a visual of where I'm going. It came out pretty good if I say so myself and I could always put in my input...but who knows what will happen or not. It could give the publishers an idea.

For me, though, I just don't want some cheap looking cover for a book I've been working on for a long time. Artwork that does not fit the story......how does that all work?

I imagine the influence you can have will depend on how good the idea is and how receptive the publisher is. Once the manuscript has been accepted it can't hurt to send in your ideas IMHO.

Now I'm just working on getting a great novel finished and then accepted and THEN I will talk about covers.

job said:

That's a lovely cover, Aruna. How wise of you, and
Congratulations.

Click to expand...

Yes, I love it! And the nice thing is the embossed parts of the water so it is actually shiny - but just a very little bit. I almost fainted when I saw it!

The only thing "wrong" is that the "temple" is the Taj Mahal, a mosque, and the woman in the story is born Hindu! But I don't think anyone notices or cares.

Anyone else really curious to see the OP's cover?

aruna said:

The only thing "wrong" is that the "temple" is the Taj Mahal, a mosque, and the woman in the story is born Hindu! But I don't think anyone notices or cares.

Click to expand...

(cough)
I noticed that.

You're quite right. Almost nobody will know this, and a Hindi temple would not be recognizable as such to a Western reader, especially in outline.

I'm a graphic designer, and so is my husband, and as you can imagine when my deal came down the first question out of my mouth was "Can I submit cover concepts?"

My editor, who is a doll, said sure. So we put together some great concepts and sent them off in time for the cover conference, where the designers receive allthe input they need to go away come come up with concepts of their own.

My editor made a point to explain that they pay a lot of talented people to become expert in designing for what the market will respond to. To me that was a nice way of letting me know the art department at Berkley/Penguin will reign supreme when it comes down to designing the cover. I am prepared to accept the fact that few or none of my ideas will be used.

But I am excited to see what the end result will be. This is the cover of a book my editor just put out and I think it is very nice. I would be happy with a cover of this quality:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/042521558X/?tag=absolutewritedm-20

I don't think it makes a difference, at least not at Penguin, or probably any of the big houses. From what I hear, authors get very little input. That might be different at smaller houses.

My book is coming out as a trade paperback.

My agent has also prepared me with the fact that the publisher will not change anything just because you don't like it. You have to have valid reasons for making changes to the approved cover art i.e. in my case, since I write historical fiction, they might make changes if I see any horrible historical innaccuracies.

Their aim is to sell books. And I'm sure that they know better than me in that regard.

Barbarique said:

When it comes to designing the dust jacket/cover of a novel, how much (or how little) input is the author allowed?

The thing is, I have a very precise concept of what my cover should look like, and my spouse, a graphic artist, has whipped up several beautiful variations on the theme. So my question is: do publishers ever accept such ideas, or is an author pretty much at their mercy when it comes to cover design? I have seen far, far too many uninspired/bland/dull/forgettable/hideous covers, oftentimes on perfectly wonderful books, and I'm determined to avoid that horrible fate. I want my cover to be arresting enough to stop book-store browsers in their tracks.

All you published pros, what's the story?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

From what I know (and since I haven't reached this part in the process, it's not much, to be sure) I don't think you have much input. HOWEVER, I do know that your encouraged to at least offer up the idea to your agent, so he/she can go to a publisher and say "hey, here's this cover art..." etc.

And about if you don't like your cover art....
I do know that several authors have complained about covers and worked with publisher's to change them. The key is to be professional. Don't tell them you hate it, just point out key points you think should be chagned, and convince them on a marketing level that what you're saying makes sense.

I've got some further reading on the matter, if you'd like it. I found these sites scattered around the 'net.

The "I Hate My Cover Art" Series:

I Hate My Book Cover One

I Hate My Book Cover Two

I Hate My Book Cover Three

I Hate My Book Cover Four

I Hate My Book Cover Five

I Hate My Book Cover Six

I Hate My Book Cover Seven

Jonathan Lyons Blog Posts on the Matter:

Cover Issues - The actual post just links the two people I did above, but he answers a question about cover art in the comments on this post, so scroll through them to see it.

A Quote from The Comment by Jonathan Lyons:

Contractually, an author can usually get consultation over the choice of cover art. This means the publisher will discuss you the cover and listen to your concerns, but is not obligated to get your approval.

Click to expand...

The story is, agents don't want to be bothered with such things, but once a publisher buys your book, they appreciate any input you can offer on covers, selling points, etc.

Just don't mention any of this to your agent until after the book is sold; it will only give her a headache.