{"id":1610,"date":"2014-04-26T09:35:49","date_gmt":"2014-04-26T16:35:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/?p=1610"},"modified":"2019-04-17T07:48:39","modified_gmt":"2019-04-17T14:48:39","slug":"the-challenge-of-book-covers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/writing\/the-challenge-of-book-covers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Challenge of Book Covers"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was writing A Cry From The Deep<\/em><\/span><\/strong>, I never gave any thought to a book cover. That\u2019s not unreasonable given that I had to write the novel first. Mine took longer than most because I chose to write about subjects that I didn\u2019t know much about. Also, since I had fully expected to go the traditional route of finding an agent for it, and then a publisher, I figured the publisher would come up with a cover when the time came. I never thought I\u2019d have to figure one out for myself.<\/p>\n

So, after realizing I was better off self-publishing, I began to seriously look at what constituted a winning book cover. I looked at bestsellers\u2014mostly romances, since mine is a romantic mystery. I also watched A TED presentation of designing book covers<\/a>.<\/strong> And I recalled what I\u2019d learned from one episode of the TV series A Work of Art<\/strong>, where artists had to design a cover appealing to readers. It couldn\u2019t be too busy; it had to give some sense of what the book was about; and it had to be eye-catching. You\u2019d think after all that study, choosing a cover would be easy, but it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

As my protagonist, Catherine Fitzgerald, is an underwater photographer who is bothered by a spirit underwater, I knew I wanted water on my cover.<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>

From 123f.com<\/p><\/div>\n

I gave my short synopsis to Jun Ares<\/a><\/strong>, a book cover designer, whose work I\u2019d admired. He had designed some wonderful covers for my friends, author Martin Crosbie<\/strong> and author, Karen Dodd<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ares came back with two images, both of which I liked. A great start, I thought.<\/p>\n

I showed them to my family and friends and found that each cover had its supporters; in fact, the likes were evenly divided between the two.<\/p>\n

That was fine, but their comments concerned me.Some said, the woman on the shore looked like a Harlequin novel, not that there\u2019s anything wrong with that, but my book wasn\u2019t that type.<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>

From istockphotos.com<\/p><\/div>\n

And the other image, of a contorted woman underwater, suggested a murder had taken place – wrong again.<\/p>\n

When my filmmaker grandson suggested finding an image that would fit my story better, I did a search and found one I love on a photo site.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s perfect, as the spirit in my story has red hair, and is beckoning, much as she does in my novel.\u00a0 I bought the photo and sent it to Ares, who had the brilliant idea of adding the Claddagh wedding ring which figures largely in my story. So, I\u2019m a happy camper. Whether it appeals to readers or not, it\u2019s too early to tell, as A Cry From The Deep<\/em> won\u2019t be available until fall. I’ll show you the one I’ve chosen the next time I post.<\/p>\n

Even though it\u2019s been said (by\u00a0 author, George Eliot<\/a><\/strong>, in 1860), \u201cdon\u2019t judge a book by its cover,\u201d most of us do, as a cover gives some hint about what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n

As an author, have you been happy with your cover(s)? If not, are you thinking of getting a different one? Some authors have printed two different versions, just to ensure a wider readership. And as a reader, how much does a book cover influence your book buying decision? I\u2019d love your thoughts, so please leave a comment.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I was writing A Cry From The Deep, I never gave any thought to a book cover. That\u2019s not unreasonable given that I had to write the novel first.… <\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[14,4],"tags":[609,604,78,606,605,597,9,601,43,608,607,5],"class_list":["post-1610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-art","category-writing","tag-a-cry-from-the-deep","tag-book-cover","tag-diana-stevan","tag-jun-ares","tag-karen-dodd","tag-martin-crosbie","tag-novel","tag-romantic-mystery","tag-self-publishing","tag-ted","tag-work-of-art","tag-writing-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1LuVB-pY","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1797,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/writing\/giving-birth-to-a-book\/","url_meta":{"origin":1610,"position":0},"title":"Giving Birth to a Book","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"2 \u0416\u043e\u0432\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, I met with my friend, Karen Dodd, the author of the delicious suspense novel, Deadly Switch. She\u2019s been marvellous, coaxing me along, encouraging me, telling me that my book is more than ready. \u201cIt\u2019s well overdue,\u201d she said. She\u2019s right. My novel, A CRY FROM THE DEEP, has been\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Deadly Switch","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Deadly-Switch.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1593,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/writing\/jumping-into-the-fray-of-self-publishing\/","url_meta":{"origin":1610,"position":1},"title":"Jumping into the Fray of Self-Publishing","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"5 \u041a\u0432\u0456\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It's spring! What better time to jump into the fray of self-publishing. It's a time to blossom, so I'm going for it. Yes, I\u2019ve decided to self-publish my book, A Cry From The Deep, a romantic mystery. I resisted at first, because it\u2019s a hell of a lot of work\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Magnolia Blossom by Diana Stevan","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/IMG_0295-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1817,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/writing\/many-paths-to-a-dream\/","url_meta":{"origin":1610,"position":2},"title":"MANY PATHS TO A DREAM","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"15 \u0416\u043e\u0432\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s book launch day! Okay, so I\u2019m excited. What I need are some fireworks, a parade, and a paper bag over my head to\u00a0keep me from smiling non-stop. Yesterday, two boxes of books arrived. Some are gifts, others for Coho Books, an independent book store in town and others still\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_6374","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/IMG_6374-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1638,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/writing\/cover-reveal-for-a-cry-from-the-deep\/","url_meta":{"origin":1610,"position":3},"title":"Cover Reveal for A CRY FROM THE DEEP","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"23 \u0422\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043d\u044f, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve neglected my blog for the past month, as I\u2019ve been figuring out when to publish my romantic mystery, A Cry From The Deep. If you've been reading my blog, you know that I've rejected a few book covers for one reason or another. The one I've chosen illustrates a\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"a cry from the deep-ebook cover","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/a-cry-from-the-deep-ebook-cover-672x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2597,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2016\/writing\/book-cover-wins-gold-star\/","url_meta":{"origin":1610,"position":4},"title":"Book Cover Wins Gold Star","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"23 \u041a\u0432\u0456\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Winning Cover I'm thrilled that the book\u00a0cover for THE RUBBER FENCE has won a\u00a0\u00a0Gold Star from Joel Friedlander of the BOOK DESIGNER. When I submitted the cover for their monthly contest, I wrote, \u00a0\u201cAs this story takes place largely on a psychiatric ward, I thought that Jun Ares\u2019s book\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"writing world","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/TRF-OLD-POSTER.jpg?fit=417%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6505,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2024\/books\/celebrating-a-cry-from-the-deep-with-a-sale-on-its-10th-anniversary\/","url_meta":{"origin":1610,"position":5},"title":"Celebrating ‘A Cry from the Deep’ with a Sale on its 10th Anniversary","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"9 \u0416\u043e\u0432\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"My Debut Book Launch It was a dark and stormy night\u00a0in October, 2014, when I launched A Cry from the Deep, my debut novel, at the local library in Campbell River on Vancouver Island. It wasn\u2019t a night to be out. The wind howled, as it does across Discovery Passage,\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Welcome","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/cropped-Coho-Bestseller3.jpg?fit=940%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/cropped-Coho-Bestseller3.jpg?fit=940%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/cropped-Coho-Bestseller3.jpg?fit=940%2C427&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/cropped-Coho-Bestseller3.jpg?fit=940%2C427&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1610\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}