The Importance of Cover Art
by David W. Richards
Though as a writer I do consider myself a visual person, it really is in the camcorder sense. I hold a library of images in my mind that don’t have any artistic merit but rather serve as a backlog of sets that I can toss about on the stage of a story’s narrative to give the scenes a place. The rub of what I’m getting at is that I do not have the sensibility of a visual artist, or in particular, a graphic designer. And even more to the point, the specific graphic designer who worked on my cover art. Fortunately for me, we are friends.
When we sat down to discuss my thoughts I brought to the table a small list of very specific images that I wanted incorporated. But as certain as I was about the elements, I was equally vague and unclear about how they would all come together to form a cohesive collage. Back and forth we went as he generated mock up after mock up of a unified whole that I couldn’t picture in my mind but felt confident that I would recognize it in a magical ah-ha the moment I saw it.
Not completely in agreement with the direction that I was going, my friend would include other images that were far removed from my deeply symbolic motif in vain hope that he could lead me in a new direction. With each round of cover art my faith in the impending eureka waned, so I began to solicit the opinion of friends.
There were several contenders and each had at least one fan. After I tallied up the votes there were two that were, if not clear and away the crowd favourites, notably ahead of the pack. Interestingly, one was more of the deeply symbolic nature that I had been originally pressing for and the other was utterly out of left field. I pondered my choice for a few days until it occurred to me that the people who had selected the collage of symbolic imagery, and my personal favourite, had already read the manuscript. However, and this was the clincher, those who had not read “Pairs” had selected what came to be the cover. After all, who is it meant to be enticed, those who have read the book or those who have not?
D.W. Richards is a member of the Canadian Authors Association and beyond being a novelist he is also a script-doctor and freelance writer. An excerpt from Pairs will appear in the October 2010 issue of the international literary PDF quarterly Cantarville as a standalone fiction piece. In addition to creative writing, D.W. Richards has a Bachelor Degree in Psychology from Carleton University and is a Certified General Accountant. He divides his time between Venice, Italy and Ottawa, Canada.
Visit his website at www.pairsthenovel.com or connect with him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DW_Richards.
That was a great topic...how many of us love covers and cover art!! Thanks for sharing all those great thoughts with us D.W and best of luck on your new book...Pairs.
GIVEAWAY
Thanks to Mr. Richards I have one brand new copy of Pairs to giveaway to one of my readers. Open to US residents only, please leave a comment and link to email. A winner will be contacted by email Feb. 12, 2011
Book Synopsis- In grown-up fairy tales, even the happiest endings have complications. Kayley, the single mother of a psychically gifted four-year-old, squeaks out a living writing and creating greeting cards. Adam is a carpenter doing a favour at the request of a mutual friend. Alexandra is a former stripper making a place for herself in the "straight" world when she meets Adam's sexually ambiguous cousin Henry, a math teacher with nineteenth century values. In no particular order, spiritualism, home renovation, etymology, herbalism, psychic aptitude, quantum physics, Wicca, and Jungian teachings, are all braided seamlessly into a frequently humorous, sometimes outrageous, and often enlightening storyline that explores the nuances of romantic love and friendship between four very different yet equally engaging individuals.
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Great post!
ReplyDelete(not an entry)
Ok, I'm totally sold by this premise, and that cover is awesome! Fabulous feature, Tina! Please enter me :)
ReplyDeleteiswimforoceans at gmail dot com
I enjoyed reading this, the cover art on some books is really interesting. I have always wondered how much input authors have in it. I would love to read the book.
ReplyDelete[email protected]
I love this cover and I'm glad you were able to get some input into it! It came out great!
ReplyDeletemeredithfl at gmail dot com
I'm not eligible to win, as I am a member of the Pump Up staff, but wanted to stop by and say hi to David and wish him good luck with his book.
ReplyDeleteCheryl