Published August 16, 2011 | 
Lately the request for book covers has dominated my workload. I thought it would be interesting to talk about how authors can get what they want out of their covers. I’ve been a cover designer for 6 years, and during that time I’ve read through hundreds of cover art requests from authors. Every one has been unique and inspired me differently. The cover art form is the single most important piece of information an author can give an artist. Providing examples and images is popular, and sometimes helpful, but nothing compares to a detailed description of the characters and places, a copy of the blurb from the back of the book, and a quick excerpt.
A lot of times authors think some of the information being asked isn’t important, and don’t answer all the questions asked. Nothing is more frustrating to me than getting a questionnaire that doesn’t have the character’s hair color, or eye color, and then having that author later complain when the character doesn’t look like they described in the book.
Sometimes I get the opposite situation and get answers like his eyes were aqua, or turquoise, or onyx. LOL that one always makes me giggle. (I get that one a lot) Keep your answers straight forward, because you don’t want us to have to guess what you mean, and then guess wrong.
The answers to those questions are a cover artist’s only insight into your story and your ideas for the cover. We rarely read the book before making the cover. In fact, I don’t think I ever have read the whole book before making the cover. Usually the covers are done before the book is even finished being edited.
Here are some examples descriptions that stood out to me for some of my latest cover assignments:
“His long black hair would have looked good on a woman, but framing his rugged face and square jaw, it was gorgeous.”
That line stuck with me as a defining feature of the hero. I focused extra time on his hair, making sure it looked as she described.
For The Barbarian and The Witch by Sindra van Yssel coming out on Aug 23rd from Loose ID.
“Makhi is Strong, has the presence of a leader, bald headed or short cut hair, muscular and is African American.”
This description leaves no doubt about the feel you should get from her hero.
For Makhi by Mahalia Levey coming out on Aug 22nd from Liquid Silver Books.
A mystery romance. “Present day contemporary story, which takes place in the hottest part of July.”
This line affected every image used on the cover. Everything had to look hot and dry.
For Taken By A Killer by Miranda Stowe coming out on Aug 22nd from Liquid Silver Books.
Good, clear descriptions are the key to getting the most of your cover. It’s better to give more information than not enough.
13 Responses to The Cover Art Request
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Appreciate the insight very much, and your examples were fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing. I’ve been guilty of not filling in some of the questions asked only because I had no idea what I was doing. Now that I’ve read your post the next time I need to fill out the cover art form I’ll be better prepared.
Thanks for sharing. It’s good to hear from the cover artist perspective.
Thanks for the information.
I must say, the art is beautiful, such detail and exquisite color.
I love your covers, and I’ll have to be remember to fill out those forms with that much detail.
Janice~
The only time I leave empty places is when it seems the same question was asked twice. Well, it’s not really blank. It simply says the same thing an earlier question said. I’ve filled out forms from about a dozen publishers. Some don’t ask enough, IMO, and some ask repetitive questions.
The more information you can give an artist, the better. In fact, I find it helps to do things like scouring the art sites. If I find a face/body that is right but the hair is wrong (most good artists can change the hair on an existing picture), I put a link to it and say, “This looks like Steve, except…” If I find a mood or backdrop that matches the book, I give it as scene setting. That gives the artist direction and minimizes the chance that you will dislike what comes back to you.
Another important thing is to let the artist decide what works or doesn’t. A lot of authors have ideas for not only people but also things they want on the cover. It’s a cover, not a mash-up. Usually one or two characters with one minor element is sufficient and one more of anything is overkill.
Brenna
I think a book cover is sometimes the deciding factor on whether or not a book is even picked up. It has to stand out from the rest. I can name a dozen authors who said they had no control over the covers of their books. If a cover has a hero with black hair and then the novel has him with blonde, it kind of messes with the reader’s expectation and certainly can be an aggravation to the author. There is nothing like good design, but sometimes they begin to look alike, i.e. a woman running down a street with darkness all around, is sure to be a romantic suspense or thriller. How much control does an author have with the outcome of your designs.
Thank you for helping us help you. I wasn’t sure what descriptions I should use on my first book so I kept it look specific rather than giving insight to the book or characters all around. Set in the late 60′s, my heroine doesn’t look like I described her, but I’m ok with that because my artist portrayed the overall era so perfectly, and that is the important part. The character images were ghostly background.
I love your work! Thanks for sharing!
This is great! I’ve often wondered what cover artists pick up on and what they don’t; better to keep things factual? Try and describe the tone of the story? etc. I realize each artist is different, but this helps a great deal! I tend to over-inform, and always wonder if my artists just annoyed and wish I wouldn’t. *laughs*
JB
I was asked on a loop I post on to expand on what information I find most useful beside the physical descriptions of characters, and if plot lines were helpful. Here is what I told her:
What helps me most is a synopsis of the story, a detailed description of the main characters’ physical characteristic and personality, a description of the environment, such as saying New Orleans during Mardi Gras, or New York in winter, or a country town in the Midwest. I need things that create pictures in my mind that I can try to recreate. Also a description of what the author would like their cover to look like. But this is sometimes where we get into trouble.
A lot of times authors don’t understand how a cover is put together, and request things that are impossible in nature, and thus are seriously difficult to find images of. Such as dragons, winged men, and the widely coveted long blond or black haired Greek god of a man! lol So, though getting an idea of what the author would like their cover to look like helps, it’s not always possible to do it. I always try my best, but a lot of times I have to give them a twist on what they had in mind.
Something I’ve found telling that is never explained on the questionnaires is examples of past covers the authors have, because it shows the style they prefer, and it may not match what I originally had in mind after reading their questionnaire. I try to look up the author’s website and look at their book list to see their style, and take that into account before starting on their new cover.
Plot lines in the briefest sense are all I really need. Something like a fantasy romance set in rugged castle in medieval times, or a contemporary romance set in Los Angeles, or something along those lines.
Thank you for the compliments on my work, everyone. I’m glad I’ve been able to give some perspective from the other side.
Damn. Read this blog just a couple of weeks too late.
Just filled out two such questionnaires. I probably wasn’t as detailed as I could have been. Neither asked for my blurb–next time, I’ll supply it just in case the publisher doesn’t.
Thanks for sharing this. I’ll bookmark it for next time.
By the way–you do beautiful work. As a graphic designer by trade, I know what I’m talking about. LOL.
This blog is awesome and is hereby bookmarked under my favs. Your examples provided are excellent, and I love the images you provided to show how the author’s idea materialized through your vision.
You are incredibly talented and I’m so glad we had the opportunity to work together. You are definitely the go-to designer I call on when I need something done, and done right.
Keep blogging!
When I worked for a publishing company, the cover artists read drafts of the books. Now, they don’t get a chance to do that. That’s why being specific without being over-the-top in the cover art questionnaire is so important. Sometimes, though, the publisher gets involved and decides something entirely different than what the author wants. I’ve had covers that made me cry because they had nothing to do with the book. That was because the publisher wanted to market something that wasn’t a romance as a romance, and pushed the artist in that direction. We all got frustrated, and finally the publisher just said, “This is the cover I like” and I had very little say in it. I’ve also had cover art (like the cover for my current release, ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT, as Annabel Aidan), that I loved. It absolutely captured the spirit and tone of the book.
I can’t imagine why an author wouldn’t answer the questions. We work in words — one would think the least we could do is communicate our vision to the artist!