I’m sure most of you are aware by now that I have a new release coming up later this year. It’s called Once Confronted, and it’s a contemporary drama about a young woman who endures something horrible and has to find a way to recover from it and work through all the problems that life throws at her as a result. I’m both excited and nervous about its release, which is a pretty normal way to feel about it!
One thing that is always a dilemma when a new release is coming up is what to do with the cover of the book. Every author (and reader) knows how important a good cover is. It can be the difference between someone deciding for your book or against it. Good cover art can make someone pick up a book they would otherwise have left on the shelf.
Also, different covers appeal to different people. I discovered that with The Heir. While many people have said that its cover art attracted them, others have said that they read the book in spite of it, so clearly it’s not to everyone’s taste. Finding a cover that appeals to everyone is just about impossible, so the challenge is to find the cover that will be the most effective.
My publisher will soon put together a cover for Once Confronted. With this in mind, I made sure I gave my protagonist long blonde hair, in case she decides to use a picture of a woman for this cover. I remember from last time how hard it was to find many images of young women with short brown hair, as Sarah Fenhardt has in The Heir. The photo above was the best I could find to represent her, and eventually this image was used in the book’s second trailer, which can be seen here. It’s amazing how much difference the look of your protagonist has in terms of what you find to use on the cover.
Ultimately, I’m sure my publisher will decide on a cover that works for most people. It’s always a difficult line to walk, but I think she does a stellar job with all her covers, especially since they can be the most difficult decision made about any book.
Are you an author? What do you think of the covers of your book/s? Did you have a say in them, design them yourself, or did you just accept what your publisher gave you, even if you didn’t like it?
Are you a reader? Can you think of an occasion where the cover changed your mind about buying a book? Let me know in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
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