Keris Stainton's May novel has a cover that is filled with chat! I had to ask her how it came about.
"The original title was Della Says: OMG! WTF? I wasn't a fan of this title and, as it turned out, neither were the retailers, so the WTF was dropped. Oddly enough--considering how opinionated I am about other people's covers--I didn't have an idea for mine. It took me such a long time to even realize it would be getting a cover (doh!) and then, once I realized that, I couldn't even begin to picture it.
"My editor asked me if I had any ideas and I said, 'Oh no... I'm sure it'll be fine,' and she looked startled. But my mind was completely blank.
![Dellasays[2]-1.jpg](http://static.squarespace.com/static/53482f88e4b0b891fcd5a71e/5350081be4b048f0b406808a/5350135ce4b048f0b408d60f/1397756764350/Dellasays%5B2%5D-1.jpg?format=original)
"When I first saw my cover, I was horrified. As it turned out, it was just a 'cover concept,' but still. It was so PINK. And while I love pink it just didn't work for me. It looked like a textbook rather than a novel (right).
"My editor let me make comments. I'm a bit worried about sounding like Joey from 'Friends,' but the IM chat in the background was my idea.
"Now, I actually really love the cover. I love the pink and the green and I like the chat in the background and even the two colour spine. I particularly loved that it was mainly black. I was excited because there were hardly any black covers and I thought it would stand out.
"Of course, that was before all the vampire books appeared..."
Thanks, Keris! I definitely prefer the slick black final to the pink mockup, and I also think dropping WTF from the title was the right move (see the cover with WTF below). What do you guys think of these covers?
