First, I want to say that I am bummed about the news of slowing book sales, so I want to ask everyone to buy at least one book as a holiday gift this year (copying editorial ass's inspiration)! That may be a part of Win-It Wednesday... hmm.... You can enter the titles of the books that you buy here and add some good book karma to the world!
Also, I'm going to make my above request even more fun. If you buy one of the Violet books as a gift this year, I'll send you an autographed bookplate signed for the recipient. Just email me and let me know where to send it--and do it soon so it'll arrive in time!
Now, on to the story behind Violet in Private. I didn't send a ton of inspiration images like I had for Violet by Design (story here), but I did send this one image (left) because I think the position of the model's legs make her look kind of "private" and vulnerable, which is Violet's mood in this book. Plus, I love these vintage book covers and this one is totally seventies in a very good way--check the glasses. Obviously, no one paid attention. Haha. But that's okay. I did really express that I wanted Violet be on a college campus because this book is set largely in that world.
When I saw the original cover design, I was shocked to see Violet's face! I had gotten used to not seeing what she really looked like, though I was acquainted with Molly, the model who poses as Violet on the covers (look forward to an interview with her very soon!). I liked that she had sunglasses, though, which covered her eyes and keep her a bit of a mystery. I loved the deep purple coloring, and I adored her button-down shirt and lush-looking scarf, not to mention the killer heels. Totally honestly, I didn't like the skirt. But I understood that the silhouette was a striking one, and that's what the art department was going for--and is very good at!
Also, this cover obviously has a city background. I know the team at Penguin wanted the books to look very "glam," which people tell me sells well, but I really felt strongly that I wanted Violet to be in a more grounded atmosphere, so I brought that point up with my editor. I also suggested that Violet have a book in her hands.
My editor went back for round two, and was able to get the background changed. They also played with Violet having a book in her hands, but I was told it looked awkward, so they nixed that. Ah well! I was really happy with the background change, especially because this building looks very much like Main Building at Vassar, where Violet lives in the book.
Overall, I am really happy with the three covers for the series. What do you guys think? (Don't be shy because it's me! I really want to know if you like the Violet covers--or not.)
Like I said, I'm going to interview Molly, who poses as Violet for these covers, later this month. She is super cool and has lots of interesting stories. Happy Monday!