[This is part 8 of a summary of Spookygirl’s journey toward publication. Use the Progress tag to access all related entries.]
Back in part five of this series, I mentioned I expected to see Spookygirl's final cover design soon. Dutton totally delivered. All I knew was that the final version would be close to the placeholder design, but with changes to the necklace and the title. Let's check them out side by side:
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| Placeholder on the left, final version on the right |
I seriously love the final design. The pendent is Violet's favorite color now, which makes a lot more sense than the random green stone. I adore the changes to my name -- font, color, placement, everything. I also like the slightly warmer tones, especially in Violet's hair.
(If we were going for total story accuracy, Violet's necklace would be black tourmaline, and her hair would be black. However, that would result in an awful lot of uniform darkness. The splash of purple is more eye-catching.)
Overall, this design captures the book just about perfectly. The story is dark in places; it deals with supernatural themes and the loss of a family member, so the overall darkness of the cover and the ominous stormclouds behind Violet are appropriate. But we also have Violet's trademark smirk front and center, which is a great representation of the narrative's tone and attitude.
...Can you tell I'm pretty thrilled about this cover?
In addition to the final cover design, I also got a copy of the galley PDF, which I had a week to review. Last I heard, the galley was supposed to go to print at the end of last week. Here's hoping that means I'll have a copy in my hands soon.
I think your cover is awesome. I do think the hair change is a HUGE advantage. Most goth/ghost stories or anything related to the dark side :) have people with black hair. Seeing someone with brown hair makes your MC more appealing and easy to relate to. Also, I agree that the smile tells us a lot about the tone of the book. Sure it's going to be about ghost and her but with that smile now we know it's going to not all be dark; there will be humor. YES! You have to have the mix. Anyway near perfect book cover. Can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteTony O.
Thanks, Tony! The cover definitely conveys that Spookygirl is more than just a straight-up scary story, and I'm thrilled about that.
DeleteI think the cover is great!
ReplyDeleteCover/Title says to me that the novel is about a specific girl--supernatural but not necessarily horror.
Thanks, Bobbie -- you nailed it with "supernatural but not necessarily horror." I usually compare the story to movies like Ghostbusters or Beetlejuice -- they're ghost stories, and they have their dark moments, but they also have a sense of humor. So glad Spookygirl's title and cover convey that.
DeleteWell.... I've never judged a book by its cover, but I have been judged an awful lot by my own cover! ;)
ReplyDeleteThe cover for your book looks great, Sis!
To answer your questions... Yes, I have a favourite cover - but I'm not telling what it's from! And, yes, it does drive me nuts when the cover doesn't match the story.
I'll stop stalking you now! ;)
And now, back to the regularly scheduled nap which is my job!
~me
Heehee! Thanks, Sis. Now you've got me all curious about that favorite cover of yours!
DeleteI liked both covers and I think after reading your blog posting I favored the final. However, when I first saw them, my eye was drawn to the placeholder on the left (though I didn't care for the color of the necklace). But I think both look great, and if the final one is what you have in mind for the story, then that's even better. I truly hate it when the cover doesn't match the book.
ReplyDeleteI really look forward to reading it.
M
Thanks, Michael -- I'm the same way about covers that don't match the story, especially when the cover art depicts the main character(s). I'd rather form my own mental image of how they look. Before I saw Spookygirl's cover art, I hoped the design wouldn't depict Violet at all. However, it's almost freaky how much the girl on the cover looks like the image in my head.
DeleteJill, been reading all your blog posts about your experience. It's awesome. Thanks so much for taking the time to really talk about it, point by point.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading the book.
Thanks, Tawny! Glad you've been enjoying the posts.
DeleteI don't like book covers to give things away, and I don't like when they deviate too much from the nature of the story itself. However, after spending months designing my own covers for my ebooks, I think it will be a relief to let someone else take care of that. I figure by the time I get published traditionally, I'll be so happy to not deal with the headaches that I'll just say, "That's great!" after seeing the first draft.
ReplyDeleteI kid. I'll probably have a little more input than that.
It sounds like they gave you quite a bit of say on your cover, which I really like. I've heard of entirely too many authors who had no say whatsoever, and I don't think that's necessarily fair. I mean, "author" doesn't necessarily equal "graphic designer," but I think I'd feel miffed if my opinion didn't count at least a little.
I've spent all morning reading your ABNA posts, and am looking forward to checking out the rest of your blog. Thanks for sharing your ABNA experiences. It's been encouraging and inspiring.
Thanks for reading, Liz! I know what you mean about designing covers yourself. At one point I considered self-pubbing Spookygirl, and the main thing that kept me from taking the plunge was that I couldn't come up with a cover I liked. I'm very happy someone else ended up doing it for me. ;)
DeleteI didn't have final say on the design or anything, but I did let my editor know how much I loved the placeholder. Whether that truly made a difference, I have no idea.