Today on the spotlight I have author Stacey Joy Netzel author of an array of books including Dragonfly Dreams and the Renaissance Series. Today she will be talking about book covers in Indie publishing.
Welcome to the blog Stacey!
Book Covers and the Indie Author
by Stacey Joy Netzel
With social media and the Internet these days, writers and readers alike have heard the stories about how once a book is contracted traditionally, the author may or may not get to fill out a cover art fact sheet, and even if they do, many still pray like mad they get a nod from the Cover Art Gods and love the end result that may or may not come close to what they’d imagined.
It can be a bit stressful, even with the small press I started out with, where I did get to fill out the fact sheet and had a wee bit of input on the cover. (But as the publisher grew, less and less input beyond the initial cover art sheet was allowed. They’re running a business, I understand, but that doesn’t make it any better if you’re not happy with the end result.) One of my favorite things about being Indie published is I have full control over my cover art. I always have an idea of what I’d like my covers to look like, and am thrilled when my wonderful cover artist Tamra Westberry delivers.
The book I’d like to talk about today is DRAGONFLY DREAMS. Here’s the blurb so you know what the book is about and can judge for yourself the cover choices I made.
Tamra and I went through about 12 different mock-ups for the first cover before finally settling on this theme because an antique dragonfly brooch is a huge part of the story. Then we went through several different versions, and you can see all the little tweaks we made until it was just perfect.
Then I had a few people tell me it looked like a Young Adult book. That dampened my enthusiasm a bit, but once I thought about if from a business frame of mind, I realized that as much as I loved it, I would have to change it to avoid giving the wrong impression. Man, did that hurt. (Did I mention how much I love this cover??) But, that’s the beauty of being indie-pubbed. I’m not stuck with a bad business decision—I can fix it! And because we all know many of us DO judge books by their covers (guilty), I decided to commission a brand new one from Tamra.....................
It can be a bit stressful, even with the small press I started out with, where I did get to fill out the fact sheet and had a wee bit of input on the cover. (But as the publisher grew, less and less input beyond the initial cover art sheet was allowed. They’re running a business, I understand, but that doesn’t make it any better if you’re not happy with the end result.) One of my favorite things about being Indie published is I have full control over my cover art. I always have an idea of what I’d like my covers to look like, and am thrilled when my wonderful cover artist Tamra Westberry delivers.
The book I’d like to talk about today is DRAGONFLY DREAMS. Here’s the blurb so you know what the book is about and can judge for yourself the cover choices I made.
Can a family connection to the ill-fated Titanic bring new hope to sinking dreams?
With his antique shop on the brink of bankruptcy, Jake Coburn knows he shouldn’t buy costume jewelry at a price that won’t turn a profit. Then again, it’s Christmas, and he hasn’t been able to say no to Loral Evan’s since the first time she entered his shop.
Desperation is what drives Loral Evans to sell precious family heirlooms, but Jake’s offer of one thousand dollars for a dragonfly brooch she knows is fake stings her pride. If only she could afford to walk away from the handsome antique dealer. During a season of giving, Loral learns there’s a big difference between pride and dignity, and Jake’s determination to do the right thing brings rewards beyond what either of them ever dreamed of.
Tamra and I went through about 12 different mock-ups for the first cover before finally settling on this theme because an antique dragonfly brooch is a huge part of the story. Then we went through several different versions, and you can see all the little tweaks we made until it was just perfect.
FINAL
Perfect for me anyway. But...maybe not so much for my target audience. I was (and still am) in love with this cover—the sparkles coming out of the box, the happiness, the deep, rich colors...Then I had a few people tell me it looked like a Young Adult book. That dampened my enthusiasm a bit, but once I thought about if from a business frame of mind, I realized that as much as I loved it, I would have to change it to avoid giving the wrong impression. Man, did that hurt. (Did I mention how much I love this cover??) But, that’s the beauty of being indie-pubbed. I’m not stuck with a bad business decision—I can fix it! And because we all know many of us DO judge books by their covers (guilty), I decided to commission a brand new one from Tamra.....................
Here’s what we came up with instead!
This time, the cover fits not only the romance genre, but also the story itself. Frosted pine branches and winter wear to let the reader know the season, the couple tells the reader it’s a romance, and the dragonfly brooch is still front and center to go with the title.
Now, if you read the blurb you’ll know the book is set at Christmas, but in the end I decided to stay away from the full-on holiday cover I’d originally envisioned so that it wouldn’t ‘overload’ the eyes with too many things going on. I also tried like heck to figure out a way to work in a picture of the Titanic, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Again, too much to take in is not a good thing.
So, now I have a list of questions for YOU...answer one or all, either way your comment is an entry for a chance to win a signed print copy of my Stacey Joy Netzel Novella Boxed Set, which includes Dragonfly Dreams, as well as the paranormal If Tombstones Could Talk, and the high school reunion story Ditched Again.
1. Did I make the right decision with the new cover?
2. What’s one of your absolute favorite book covers?
3. What draws you to a cover and entices you to look at the book further? Bright colors, the people, no people...?
4. Have you ever bought a book based SOLELY on the cover?
And thank you Stacey for stopping by today and being a part of this event! You heard her readers, if you would like a chance to win this fun box set please just answer all or any of the 4 questions above. Winner will be announced at the end of the event......and since its just fun here are my answers.
1. I think you did the right thing changing the cover, I agree that the first ones felt very YA...(I love it too) the second one feels more adult and more romance.
2. I have tons of favorite book covers......this year so far my favorites have been The Selection, Grave Mercy and for Indie covers my favorite has been Beautiful Disaster.
3. I think color is what draws me to a cover first and then theme.
4. OH yes!!! I've been disappointed a ton of times as well, due to the story not living up to a cover and have been blown away by a cover not living up to its story......Ive tried to adopt the motto, never judge a book by its cover, but its hard to do, just go's to show covers matter!
1. I think you did the right thing changing the cover, I agree that the first ones felt very YA...(I love it too) the second one feels more adult and more romance.
2. I have tons of favorite book covers......this year so far my favorites have been The Selection, Grave Mercy and for Indie covers my favorite has been Beautiful Disaster.
3. I think color is what draws me to a cover first and then theme.
4. OH yes!!! I've been disappointed a ton of times as well, due to the story not living up to a cover and have been blown away by a cover not living up to its story......Ive tried to adopt the motto, never judge a book by its cover, but its hard to do, just go's to show covers matter!
GIVEAWAY
Boxset includes Dragonfly Dreams, Ditched Again and If Tombstones Could Talk
Find out more about Stacey on the Web
Loved this post! I currently work as a graphic designer, and designing book covers would be a dream job for me so it was fun to see some of the different versions you guys went though. I will say I agree the original cover definitely has a YA feel to it and the second cover seems more suited to a romance:) As far as favorite covers go, right now I'm completely in love with the illustrated cover for Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - I think it's stunning:) And yes, I have bought a book (many books) just for the cover. I can't help it!
ReplyDeleteI just checked it out--that is a very cool cover, Jenny. I hope you get to live your dream some day! Thanks for the comment. :)
ReplyDelete1. Yes, it looks beautiful.
ReplyDelete2. Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
3. The bright colors and people
4. Yes
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Girl of Nightmares is very striking. Thanks for mentioning it and for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteThis was an awesome guest post! I never really thought about cover control in indie publishing! Definitely a huge advantage.
ReplyDeleteAnd I do prefer the second cover. The first is beautiful but it reads YA paranormal. The second is so much more appropriate to the actual book!
Oh, it must be so difficult to decide on cover art. As much as I'd love to have a job doing it, producing something that illustrates the novel perfectly would be hard. I agree that the first cover looks YAish, and the second is a much better fit for a romance.
ReplyDelete1. Yes
2. Aussie edition of The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
3. Simplicity
4. YES! Many of the books on my shelves sit there, still unread, but I just had to have them because of the gorgeous cover!
Tina, it just dawned on me to check out the book covers you mentioned--I love them, too! I may have to pick up at least 2 of those books.
ReplyDeleteMelissa-I'm glad you enjoyed the post. I still struggle with covers. What I envision doesn't always translate well and trying to get things just right can be so hard. :) But in the end, I still enjoy it!
Missie--I'm not sure if I found the Australia version of that cover, but I did like both versions I saw.
Thank you all for sharing and commenting!
1. Did I make the right decision with the new cover?
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I love the original cover too but the new one does seem to be more in keeping with the actual storyline of the book.
2. What’s one of your absolute favorite book covers?
No idea, there are so many beautiful covers that i could stare at all day! I did really like the original covers for the wicked lovely books, and the luxe series by anna godbersen has really pretty dresses.
3. What draws you to a cover and entices you to look at the book further? Bright colors, the people, no people...?
Something pretty, usually a dark cover with shiny writing, (like need pixies series) there's a lot of books with girls in dresses that are quite eye catching (like fallen, or die for me).
4. Have you ever bought a book based SOLELY on the cover?
Loads! That's terrible isn't it? I'm afraid I'm a real sucker for a pretty cover though :)