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.
Published June 10, 2011 | I’m designing trading cards for Mahailia Levey’s Makhi. A card for each of the main characters in her new book coming soon from Liquid Silver Books. Here’s the first of the three. What do you think?
Published June 3, 2011 | I just spent the last few days making this wonderful trailer for Luisa Bacio. I tried some new sound techniques that turned out nicely. Here it is:
The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf: A New Orleans Threesome
Published May 26, 2011 | I’ve been a busy bee the past few weeks. Here are some of the projects I’ve been working on.
Published April 29, 2011 | Ok, so Transformers 3 is coming out this summer and I already have shivers of anticipation. I’ve loved transformers since the 80s when they first came out, and have had a crush on Optimus Prime’s voice forever. Seeing my beloved transformers come to life has been a dream come true. We fall in love with characters and wish we could see them in real life, but it’s just wishful thinking usually. I know they’re just better drawn versions of the cartoons, but I can suspend belief and let my mind run with the idea that somewhere in the world they’re really driving around disguised as innocuous vehicles that could at any moment spring to life and kick some Decepticon ass. lol
The new trailer is so… awesome is the only way to describe it, that it had me and my three kids staring at it over and over, and started a heated discussion with my best friend over the acting ability of Sam’s new heroine, or lack there of, I should say. Seems the same person that suggested Megan Fox should have her lips filled with collagen and make herself look like a fish out of water, convinced Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, the new love interest of the series, to she mutilate her beautiful face as well. In the trailer there are images of her staring open mouthed off into the distance in shock multiple times, while the world crashes around her. It makes one wonder if the lack of dimension for the female characters has so much to do with the actresses as it does with the writers and directors having limited vision for them. The need more depth and it’s unlikely that she wouldn’t know anything about the robots at this point. They’re known all over the world by now, so her shellshock is just sad.
Beyond the introduction of a new main character, the new Decepticons that are threatening to take over the planet are Badass! And watching Optimus tear through them with his laser sword… it’s enough to give me palpitations. lol Huge new robots to fight. New secret government agencies revealing national secrets and calling on our beloved Autobots and the courageous band of elite soldiers to rescue us all from sure destruction. Buildings exploding and dropping from the sky with our heroes still inside, while gigantic robotic tentacles slice through it. It’s just awesome! lol I can’t wait to see it over and over. I just hope it lives up to my expectations, which are pretty high.
Check out the new trailer for yourself and tell me what you think:
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