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I want to introduce you to Lori Brighton, the author of Wild Heart, which is coming out now in November 2009. Thank you Lori so much for this lovely guest post.
Check the details in the end of the post for the giveaway. I will draw winners next Wednesday and email Lori the winners. So remember to leave details if they are not in your profile.
*Since Blodeuedd is located in Finland, I thought it would be interesting if I discussed overseas sales and how they happen, along with comparing examples of book covers from around the world. But I quickly realized I didn’t know a thing about overseas sales. Nope, nothing at all. I asked on my author loop. Sadly, no one else seemed to understand overseas sales either. In fact many people don’t even realize they’ve sold to another country until their book pops up or a reader mentions it. So I ditched that idea, but realized there was no reason I couldn’t still talk about book covers.
For an author, when we receive our book cover it is one of the most important moments in our career. We get to see our hero and heroine as the reader will. I still remember the moment my editor, very excited, sent me as an email attachment the cover of my book. Honestly, I was so nervous I had to wait a good five minutes before I opened it. Finally, heart pounding, I clicked on that file. The picture burst before me…beautiful, sensual…and totally, utterly wrong.
As are many women, I’m a dark-haired hero kind of girl. Yet, when I wrote Wild Heart, I knew Leo, my hero, had blond hair. Think Brad Pitt in the movie Legends of the Fall. So imagine my horror when I opened my book cover file and found Leo, my dear, wonderful alpha Leo, had dark hair! It gets worse. Ella, my heroine, who was supposed to have brown hair, had blonde! It was too late to change the cover. I could either leave it as it was, or I could rush through my manuscript and change the coloring in the pages. I didn’t feel right not having the picture match the descriptions and so I combed through my book and gave Leo dark hair and Ella blonde.
For an author, when we receive our book cover it is one of the most important moments in our career. We get to see our hero and heroine as the reader will. I still remember the moment my editor, very excited, sent me as an email attachment the cover of my book. Honestly, I was so nervous I had to wait a good five minutes before I opened it. Finally, heart pounding, I clicked on that file. The picture burst before me…beautiful, sensual…and totally, utterly wrong.
As are many women, I’m a dark-haired hero kind of girl. Yet, when I wrote Wild Heart, I knew Leo, my hero, had blond hair. Think Brad Pitt in the movie Legends of the Fall. So imagine my horror when I opened my book cover file and found Leo, my dear, wonderful alpha Leo, had dark hair! It gets worse. Ella, my heroine, who was supposed to have brown hair, had blonde! It was too late to change the cover. I could either leave it as it was, or I could rush through my manuscript and change the coloring in the pages. I didn’t feel right not having the picture match the descriptions and so I combed through my book and gave Leo dark hair and Ella blonde.
Somewhat depressed, I went to my author loop to discuss my options. Guess what they said? It happens all the time. And there have been worse. Take the infamous Christina Dodd book cover of a woman with three arms. Yes, three arms. Can you find them? Ms. Dodd didn’t even realize her heroine had three arms until a reader pointed it out. But instead of being horrified, she was thrilled that her infamous cover helped her sales.
With all these mistakes, does this mean authors have no say in their covers? Not debut authors. That’s between the editors (who will often fill out forms describing characters) and the art department. But for the most part it depends on the publisher and how established the author is. I’m sure there are many NY Times Bestselling authors who do get to fill out that infamous form describing their characters. But in the end, it will still be up to the editor and art department because they know what sells.
If you think authors are left in the dark about many decisions, you’re right. Overseas sales are even worse since most authors don’t even realize when their book is sold in another country. It’s safe to say most authors don’t have any input in the covers overseas. Still, its fun to compare countries. Many authors will post their original covers as well as overseas covers, if you’re interested. They’re usually quite different as you can see from the examples I’ve brought with. I’m sure a person could do a study on how book covers differ country to country and what that says about each culture.
Once the artists come up with some sketch ideas for the cover, they call in the models. Yes, that man you’ve
been drooling over on the cover of the book you’re reading is real. And yes, it’s probably the same male model used on that other book by another author you just read. As great as those romance covers are, they do tend to have a similar feel. My personal favorite is that all too familiar hero grasping the heroine from behind. See my cover. The truth of the matter is that to save money, publishers often reuse book covers. They might change coloring, or scenery here and there, but if you look closely, you’ll see many similarities on your favorite covers.
If you’re interested in reading more about the book cover process, I found this wonderful article by author Stephanie Bond:
With all these mistakes, does this mean authors have no say in their covers? Not debut authors. That’s between the editors (who will often fill out forms describing characters) and the art department. But for the most part it depends on the publisher and how established the author is. I’m sure there are many NY Times Bestselling authors who do get to fill out that infamous form describing their characters. But in the end, it will still be up to the editor and art department because they know what sells.
If you think authors are left in the dark about many decisions, you’re right. Overseas sales are even worse since most authors don’t even realize when their book is sold in another country. It’s safe to say most authors don’t have any input in the covers overseas. Still, its fun to compare countries. Many authors will post their original covers as well as overseas covers, if you’re interested. They’re usually quite different as you can see from the examples I’ve brought with. I’m sure a person could do a study on how book covers differ country to country and what that says about each culture.
Once the artists come up with some sketch ideas for the cover, they call in the models. Yes, that man you’ve
been drooling over on the cover of the book you’re reading is real. And yes, it’s probably the same male model used on that other book by another author you just read. As great as those romance covers are, they do tend to have a similar feel. My personal favorite is that all too familiar hero grasping the heroine from behind. See my cover. The truth of the matter is that to save money, publishers often reuse book covers. They might change coloring, or scenery here and there, but if you look closely, you’ll see many similarities on your favorite covers. If you’re interested in reading more about the book cover process, I found this wonderful article by author Stephanie Bond:
As Stephanie explains the art department knows what they’re doing. We might think those covers are redundant, we might not understand why they use a certain color, but they understand. They know what shades sell (green, for instance, is supposed to be a bad color), they know what hair color sells, what scenery sells. And those suggestive covers that define romance novels… well, I assume they wouldn’t do them if they didn’t make a lot of money.
The good news is that lately I’ve noticed publishers are really stepping up when it comes to producing amazing book covers. Kensington, which is a smaller publisher, has produced some top notch books lately.
*So, do book covers matter to you? Are you embarrassed by overly seductive covers?
Does the hair coloring of the hero and heroine have to match the color inside the book? Leave a comment! Three people will win a signed copy of my debut book Wild Heart!
Ends: November4th
The good news is that lately I’ve noticed publishers are really stepping up when it comes to producing amazing book covers. Kensington, which is a smaller publisher, has produced some top notch books lately.
*So, do book covers matter to you? Are you embarrassed by overly seductive covers?
Does the hair coloring of the hero and heroine have to match the color inside the book? Leave a comment! Three people will win a signed copy of my debut book Wild Heart!Ends: November4th
WANTON…
Leo Roberts is next in line for an earldom and the power and fortune that come with it, but he is uncultured, unrefined—and completely untamed…until governess Ella Finch arrives upon the scene. Can so young and inexperienced a woman tutor him in the manners and mores of his class? Leo’s mysterious past has rendered him an outsider, too wild for polite society. But he finds her innocence most intriguing…
Leo Roberts is next in line for an earldom and the power and fortune that come with it, but he is uncultured, unrefined—and completely untamed…until governess Ella Finch arrives upon the scene. Can so young and inexperienced a woman tutor him in the manners and mores of his class? Leo’s mysterious past has rendered him an outsider, too wild for polite society. But he finds her innocence most intriguing…
WILLING…
What manner of man he may be, Ella does not know. Yet he fascinates her and she must know more. Capturing Leo’s reckless heart is about to free her in ways she never dreamed of…and his sensual touch releases the deepest yearnings of her body and soul …
What manner of man he may be, Ella does not know. Yet he fascinates her and she must know more. Capturing Leo’s reckless heart is about to free her in ways she never dreamed of…and his sensual touch releases the deepest yearnings of her body and soul …
