Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers

Share the story of your book cover please!

I've seen some cracking good book covers being showcased by our new members and I'm nosy. :D So spill the beans and tell us all about it please! Who designed it, where the idea came from, etc., as much detail as you like. It would be interesting to know how what we see today came to life.

If you could add the picture of your cover too to your reply that would be helpful. :)

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Permalink Reply by Ashley Du Toit on September 7, 2011 at 12:39pm

My covers were designed by Best Legenz.

With my second book, I knew straight away that I wanted the main character on the front.

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Permalink Reply by Stacy Eaton on September 7, 2011 at 12:41pm

Ashely - Very nice.... I like that!

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Permalink Reply by Ashley Du Toit on September 7, 2011 at 12:51pm

Thanks Stacy, they did a fantastic job.

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Permalink Reply by Stacy Eaton on September 7, 2011 at 12:53pm

The troll kind looks mean - but sweet in a way too!

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Permalink Reply by Delphine Pontvieux on September 7, 2011 at 3:34pm

dear kay,

the problem is that most of the time, you can't expect the designer to read the book. their job is to make covers and they don't have much time. At best you can give them a detailed synopsis of the story but oftentimes all they want is your book genre, a quick summary of the story and anything that stands out in your characters, plot or locales that could make it on the cover

Kay Elizabeth said:

See, I think I'd be tempted to give the illustrator first stab at what their own idea would be to see what they would come up with. I wouldn't let them decide for me either, heck no! But I would like to see what their vision would be from the book alone.

Delphine Pontvieux said:

well, i definitely had an idea in mind for it. then i discussed it with the illustrator.

i would never let people decide for me (unless you sign with big publishers who reserve the right to design the cover however they please as per the contract). A cover is the first thing people see about your book. you have to put a lot of thought into it.

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Permalink Reply by Buster LaFrance on September 10, 2011 at 7:55am

When I first began working on my cover, I found that no matter what I did, it was just too cluttered. I tried to fit all the main characters into it, with the evil Myngor in the background. Eventually, I decided to go simple. Myngor's eyes on either side of a sword. I originally wanted the sword to be proportionate in size with the eyes, but I just couldn't make it work. The end result is actually what I settled on, but it has been getting nothing but great reviews. The blood spatter across the cover ended up being a nice touch.

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Permalink Reply by Stacy Eaton on September 10, 2011 at 11:38am

Buster - I love your cover. It is very intense and ominous!!

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Permalink Reply by Carlyle Labuschagne on October 28, 2011 at 10:55am

I love this! How brilliant and exciting

Well done!

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Permalink Reply by Sean Noonan on October 28, 2011 at 9:18pm

Hi Guys

Here is the second book cover. Its by Victor Guiza, an award winning artist from Mexico. I like the snowman myself and have never yet quite worked out who is in the picture on the wall.

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Permalink Reply by Sean Noonan on October 28, 2011 at 9:20pm

Great cover, looks quite intriguing, the kind of book kids who like adventure would buy. Cool!

Ashley Du Toit said:

My covers were designed by Best Legenz.

With my second book, I knew straight away that I wanted the main character on the front.

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Permalink Reply by JUDDIE PASSION on June 20, 2012 at 11:56pm

I designed this cover to show a robust angel on a serene background and environment. It is about how angels dwell with us.

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Angelsindisguise.jpg, 1021 KB

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Permalink Reply by Rosemary Gard on June 21, 2012 at 12:40am

My book Destiny's Dowry contains many original facts. It is fiction and a mystery, but the Dowry theme plays throughout the story.

The model on the cover is wearing a handmade ethnic costume of Croatia, which was part of my own Dowry.

The heroine of the story is red haired as is the model. The story takes place in Croatia in the early 1900s, so we went with an outdoor country look. I am pleased with the cover because it shows the strength of a Croatian peasant woman wearing a dress that was made from linen grown, spun, woven, sewn and embroidered by her and her family.

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