Cover Stories: 4 at Unabashedly Bookish

Just a heads up on a few Cover Stories that have been published over at Unabashedly Bookish for Barnes and Noble.Stay by Allie Larkin (that's Allie's dog on the cover!). Joe, the dog in the book, was inspired by my dog, Argo. I offered to take some pictures of Argo, to see if we could get anything usable. I took over 1,000 pictures of Argo in our backyard on a Sunday afternoon, and sent the best ones along to Dutton to choose from. Read more... Falling Apart in One Piece by Stacy Morrison. "They came back to me with three cover concepts, and I remember opening the email and just holding my breath. It's crazy how in love with your book you are at the end, and how seeing the cover for the first time is just SCARY. I opened the first image and... my heart sank." Read more... Winging It by Jenny Gardiner. "When I first saw the cover I loved it! I liked the starkness of it, loved the humor in it--itty bitty parrot mug shot LOL." Read more... Just Like Me, Only Better by Carol Snow. "When I saw my cover, I thought, 'Oh, my God! Another woman with something stuck on her head!' This is three in a row." Read more... Happy Tuesday! PS-I recently did a fun interview with Hannah at Book Wonderland, and you can win a copy of Lovestruck Summer + one other book over at her blog.

Cover Stories: Kiss It by Erin Downing

Erin Downing has written a bunch of fun romantic comedies, and now she's edging into a new space. KISS IT, which is out tomorrow, is a story about True Lust. Sign me up!Here's Erin to talk about how the Cover inspired the story. Crazy, love it. "The strange thing about KISS IT is that the book's cover image was in place long before a single page of the book had been written. I had just finished writing my third Simon Pulse Romantic Comedy (Drive Me Crazy, below right), and my editor, Anica, and I began talking about what I was going to write next. I was pretty dead-set on getting away from light, 'fluffy' romantic comedies and really wanted to write something totally different from my first few books. Anica randomly told me there was this image that she and one of Simon Pulse's designers, Cara, had been in love with for a while--but they hadn't found the right book to use it on yet. She thought maybe I would be the writer who would know what to do with it. That seemed a little backward to me, but Anica has a good gut for this kind of thing, and I was really intrigued by what had them gushing about some random stock photo. "So she sent me the image (below, right)--two creepy white ceramic/porcelain (I don't even know) bunnies kissing on this sugary pink background. I remember Anica commenting about how funny she thought it would be to have this sweet image wrapped around a very not-sweet book. The image immediately cracked me up, and I sat down that night and wrote the prologue for what would eventually turn into KISS IT (the prologue content involves bunnies mating...so I definitely ran with the irony). From that prologue my main character just jumped to life and I knew it was going to be a very in-your-face sort of book about female sexuality. How I got that from porcelain bunnies kissing, I don't know, but somehow it seems perfect. "While I was writing the rest of the book, my editor and designer were vetting the cover through sales and marketing. We were all a little worried that it might get nixed for a photo-real teen girl cover, since that was really what was selling in the genre. I will admit that part of me--the cautious part--hoped a little bit deep down that maybe sales would vote no on the bunny cover. It's scary publishing a book that looks so different from everything else in the market. You always want your book to sell, and would this weird cover doom KISS IT to failure? But the reality is, the book itself is pretty risky in its content, so when it did get a big thumbs-up from the powers-that-be at Simon Pulse, I knew everyone was on board with a risk and it helped me push the content inside the book even further. "When I eventually saw the first real design of the cover, the pink background was gone. They ultimately felt like the pink and the bunnies together made the book feel way *too* sweet, and the orange background edged it up a bit. Apparently, they'd tried a million different ways to design the cover, but the version they finally showed me is what we ended up going with--though I did ask them to make my name just a weensy bit bigger than it was in the first pass. I had also asked them to try making the heart more symmetrical on the cover (I'm kind of tidy, and crooked hearts sort of bug me), but they told me it would look even more like a little kid book then. They were totally right...it had to be a little imperfect in order to keep it aged up and fit with the story. "I've been really happy with the cover since before I even started writing the book--a simple image inspired a story and a character I didn't know I had in me. My only concern is that I've seen some comments on blogs that people feel like KISS IT looks like a middle-grade book! That worries me, since the content inside is intended for readers 14 (or even 16) and up! Hopefully, the copy helps make it clear to readers that it's not a sweet little animal story or something!" Thanks, Erin! I actually think that at very first glance it looks young, but then immediately you can see it's a quirky-cool cover with those bunnies and the tagline. I think it's a unique cover that will stand out in a sea of real-girls. Any thoughts, guys? Does the cover look young to you, or unique, or awesome, or silly? Happy Monday!

Cover Stories: Faithful by Janet Fox

Janet Fox is here today to talk about the cover for her new book Faithful, which I can't stop ogling. It's almost like a Vogue photo shoot -- the greens, the blues, the spirit of adventure in the air. And, oh, that dress. Here's Janet to tell us more:

"While I was writing in the early stages, I had no idea about a cover; but as I revised I began to have a vision of it, and most of the images that came to my mind reflected my research. I loved the vintage photographs of Yellowstone and carried around in my mind an image of a girl looking at Old Faithful geyser, but with a vintage feel.

"My editor asked me for advice! I was pleased and surprised. I don't know that it's common to ask. She wanted me to send her some of the photos I'd collected, especially photos with clothing details of the period and photos of girls I thought looked like Maggie (my protagonist.) And she asked me what I thought the cover should look like, so I wrote a narrative paragraph. I mentioned the cover of HATTIE BIG SKY (by Kirby Larson), which is close to the same period although a different social set, and I sent along a vintage photo taken at Old Faithful (below).

"When I first saw the cover, I was stunned. It was so beautiful I was speechless. I couldn't believe how closely the designer represented what was in my head, and yet how different in subtle ways - and those differences made it work. I'd been thinking vintage (sepia tones) but the colors and contemporary photo are arresting and much more appropriate for the audience. Really, the cover is completely beautiful. And I want to add, the designer's name is Jeanine Henderson, and I hope some day to meet her and thank her in person.

"I had only one comment, and that was about the nature of the dress that Maggie wears on the cover. I thought it seemed a little bare for the period and for her position - she probably would wear something similar to a ball, but not out in public in the daytime.

"They took my comments to heart, and we had a very cordial discussion about the dress but in the end everyone felt that putting sleeves on the dress or a shawl over her shoulders, for example, took something away from the beauty and simplicity of the moment, or made the cover feel too young or too old. I bowed to the greater wisdom of the art department - and I'm glad I did, for it's truly a winner.

"I believe that it's a combination of stock photos and modifications made by Jeanine. For example, the color of the dress - that green - figures in the book, and I think she colored the dress and the girl's hair to match Maggie's.

"I love it. Really and truly. I think it enhances the story; it sets the story; I think it sets the period, even though the dress is a tad modern; I think it sets the romance, the longing, and it describes in a subtle way both the loneliness of my character and her growth into herself.

"Oh, and I (along with many other people who've commented) really want that dress! I'm thinking that I might just have that dress made..."

Thanks, Janet! Let me just join the crowd and say: I want that dress! This is a gorgeous cover. What do you guys think?

PS-Here's the trailer. Can't wait to read this one.

Cover Stories: Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Tera Lynn Childs, who shared the scandalous Cover Story for her Oh. My. Gods. books, is back with an awesome, colorful cover and the story behind it. Take it away, Tera!"I had no cover in mind as I wrote Forgive My Fins. Which is weird, because I'm a very visual person and I usually make a mock cover for every book. But I was completely blank. "My editor asked if I had any great ideas (which, as I said above, I didn't). I gathered together a collection of images that resonated with me, especially the movie poster for Aquamarine (right) and the Evian mermaid ad (below). I only knew that I wanted a realistic cover, with a real girl. A real Lily Sanderson. Mermaids are fictional enough already, I didn't want a cartoon to make my characters seem even more so. "When I first saw the original cover (right), I had mixed emotions. I thought the design was gorgeous, and I absolutely adored the girl and the colors and even the font. But in the first draft there was some sort of texture applied to Lily's skin that made it look, well, like it was flaking off. In the book her skin is very fair and freckled, so I really hoped that would change. (Note: the draft I've attached is a version before the one I saw, and you can see my name is spelled wrong! They fixed that quickly.) "After the semi-debacle of my Oh. My. Gods. cover (some bookstores didn't carry it because of the "naked dude" on the cover) I was hyperaware of every detail. I sent it immediately to my friends at Blue Willow Bookshop for their bookseller perspective and then sent on their suggestions with mine. The art department at Harper absolutely took those suggestions to heart. They were extremely committed to making the cover as perfect as possible and worked on every little detail. "The basic design stayed the same, but details changed. The weird flaky skin disappeared, leaving only beautiful fair, freckled skin on a girl who looks exactly like I picture Lily. They added more curlicues on the title font, tweaked the magic bubbles/sparkles flowing from Lily's lips, and adjusted the overall colors a bit. And, once we got the amazing quote from Alyson Noel, they nudged things around a bit to get a piece of it on the cover. As far as I know the cover was shot with a model, but it was contracted out to a photographer. (I may be making that up, but I think that's true.) "In the end, I. Ah. Dore. It. I think it captures the essence of the story, of Lily's character and the magic of the mer world. My favorite part is the dotted circle of waves in the bottom left of the cover. The mer folk in my world all have a mer mark, a special tattoo at the base of their neck, that identifies them as mer. I describe it as a circle of waves around a stylized kelp flower. I love that they put the circle of waves on the cover! It makes it all the more magical." Thanks, Tera! I die for this cover, as Rachel Zoe would say. From the minute I saw it, I've wanted blue lipstick. The book is out this week, so pick it up and let it face out on your bookshelf! What do you guys think?

Cover Stories: Sleepless and The Unspoken, both by Thomas Fahy

This Cover Story is by request from Travis of Inked Books! If you've got a request, just let me know and I'll do my best to dig up the story behind the cover.Thomas Fahy's on Sleepless has a creepy cover, to be sure. Here's the premise: Emma Montgomery has been having trouble sleeping. Whenever she closes her eyes, all she can see are horrible nightmares ... nightmares of gruesome murder. And she's not alone. All of the students in Dr. Beecher's secret society have been having terrible dreams and sleepwalking. Now, as their classmates start turning up dead, Emma and her friends race against the clock to keep themselves awake and find out what is causing them to kill in their sleep--before the next victim dies. And here's Thomas to talk about the cover: "Unlike some of my other books (where I had plenty of time to think about possible cover art), the cover for Sleepless is the first thing that my publisher decided on when I presented them with my book idea. My editor told me that when the staff at Simon & Schuster was discussing my book proposal someone in the room came up with the idea for the cover--a young girl wearing a sleep mask with blood oozing out beneath it. "Apparently, everyone loved this visual image. By the time my editor called to ask me to write Sleepless, the press was set on that cover (which he described to me on the phone that day). I have to admit, I really liked the idea. It suggests one of the scariest aspects of the book for me--the epidemic of sleepwalking that causes a group of teens to do terrible things in their sleep. They only come to realize the things they've done through horrifying dreams ... snapshots of what happened while they were sleeping. "Whenever friends see this book in my living room, they pick it up and say, 'Wow, you wrote that? Looks scary!' I guess the cover does a good job of selling the book! "In my experience, presses don't really want an author's opinion on cover design. They feel that their marketing department knows best. I've been very happy with the artwork on the covers for both my teen books. My previous teen book, The Unspoken, actually has two covers. The cover for the hardback edition shows a church with five creepy ghosts above it (right). The book is about several teens that are haunted by their childhood memories of growing up in a cult and the prophecy that they will die from their worst fear in five years. I thought this was a good, scary cover. "Then the press changed it for the paperback (left), which I didn't realize would happen. The new cover shows a hand clawing through the ground. I like this cover as well. Literally, it shows someone who has been buried alive and is clawing to the surface (which does happen in the book). Since the book is also about buried secrets and the things we're afraid will surface, I think this cover works great for that, too." Thanks, Thomas! All the covers totally creep me out, which is a very good thing for the stories. The Sleepless cover is so arresting, I think. I would have to turn it over to sleep at night! What about you guys?

Cover Stories: Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols

The lovely Jennifer Echols is here as part of her Girlfriend Cyber Circuit tour! Her book, Endless Summer, is a repackaging of two previous books -- The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer. Look for a sweet and hot love triangle with the Vader Brothers next door during Lori's summer at the lake. Here's Jenn, and she's got a whopper of a cover change to show!

"At first I had a cartoon cover. I thought it was adorable like my other cartoon covers, but I had heard the look of the books might be changing in the future, and I wished they had changed mine. I think covers have moved away from the cartoon, and it now looks younger than my books really are.

"And then they changed it! And we all loved the new cover (below). In fact, the sales department loved it so much that they moved up the release of the book from August to May.

"I grew up on a beautiful lake in Alabama, and Endless Summer is based on my experiences there. And I have to say, this cover is a little eerie--in a good way, because it looks awfully familiar. In other words, it's perfect, I had no changes to suggest, and I couldn't ask for more."

Thanks, Jenn! I love that they combined both books into one -- reader bonus! And I think the new cover is gorgeous with all that blue sky and the red title treatment. I agree that it makes the book look much older (and, uh, sexier).

What do you guys think?

Cover Stories: This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas

I read an early copy of This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas (it comes out tomorrow!) and I highly, highly recommend it (so does Little Willow). It's a disturbing page-turner with so much heart, warmth and depth. You'll be hearing a lot about this book this summer -- read it now so you can join in the conversation.Also, it's got a great cover. Here's Donna with more on that: "Because This Gorgeous Game is both so dark and so personal, at first I was at a complete loss as to what image might represent it -- I almost wouldn't let my mind go there. But when I did, because eventually of course I would, there were two images I kept thinking about. The cover would be of a girl and only a girl -- even though This Gorgeous Game is about a girl who is stalked, I absolutely, positively did not want any hint of the stalker on the cover, I cannot express that strongly enough. "The first image idea was of a girl walking down the street looking over her shoulder, almost looking behind her, but also at the reader, and the would seem anxious. The other image idea was a photo of a girl who looks trapped -- which I know is kind of vague. But I'd seen a photo on Getty of a girl who is curled up in a ball and she is literally inside a series of boxes -- a box inside a box inside a box, etc., and inside the smallest box at the center is the girl. It is a very disturbing photo, haunting and unforgettable. I knew it was a bit too much for the actual cover, but the idea was as close to the feeling I was going for as it gets. "[My publisher] FSG and the designers at Macmillan were so unbelievably sensitive with regard to consulting my opinion on the cover. They not only invited me to submit photo concepts that I saw on Getty, but they spent so much time on the phone and even had me into the office several times for conversations. It was incredible and kind of them. "I gave them the basic input I discussed above, but the biggest thing I begged was: No Stalker Man on the Cover, please. I wanted the cover image to be my protagonist, Olivia Peter's and hers alone. The idea of featuring the man who stalks her was unbearable to me, and the designers at Macmillan, my editor, and everyone there were so amazing about listening to that need of mine. "I couldn't imagine a more perfect cover, honestly. It is inspired. I think it is truly a beautiful photograph, the purple in the background is stunning on the final book, the model is perfect, and ohmigosh, the way she is posed -- curled up and cowering in the corner, or is it that's she's glaring? I love how one minute you look at her and think she might be frightened, the other, angry and glaring. Maybe she is looking up and out at you, the reader, or perhaps at her stalker. Or maybe she's not cowering, but getting ready to spring and fight back. "Macmillan went through so many versions. Let's see -- there were five total. The first two were extraordinarily different from the final version. The very first cover they did was really early on and even the title of the book was different back then -- my working title was originally Confessions. The second cover, after the title changed to This Gorgeous Game was also very different from the final one still: a photo from the waist down of a girl dangling, almost perched on an invisible swing in the sky, her arms and legs bare. I thought the second cover was pretty wonderful. "Then they did the photo shoot and the possible covers they showed me from the shoot totally blew me away -- including a very film noir one that I love because it's cool, even though it doesn't really work for the book (right) . The designer let me pick my favorite of all of them, and from that photo they did three different covers, each a bit different, trying to get it right. The third cover they did is on the first version of the galley (left). Then they redid galleys with the fifth and final cover, so there were actually two different covers circulating on the galleys for This Gorgeous Game. "For the first two versions they did of the cover they were going to use stock photos, but then, for the final cover you see they decided to do a photo shoot and they let me pick the model. It was really cool. The girl you see on the cover was my first choice for Olivia -- they had me pick several models and rank them. "I love the cover, I can't overstate this. And there is definitely hidden meaning -- lots of it, too. Look what they did to the type. See how the word "Gorgeous" goes straight across the girl's body, like it's labeling her as gorgeous, which Olivia is supposed to be. Then the title of the book itself has multiple meanings -- "This Gorgeous Game" -- which is taken from the book's epigraph, a quote from the famous writer-Trappist monk Thomas Merton -- the way the placed the entire title across her body, as if she is marked, as a hunter would mark her as his "game." Lastly regarding the type: do you see how it forms a cross? It's subtle, but once you see it there you can't un-see it. Olivia's stalker is a Catholic priest, and so it's as if she's penned in by the cross. "The cover the designers came up with is so symbolic and true to the story I wrote. I think the image evokes so much of the feelings embedded in the story and Olivia's voice, the way it makes her feel to be pursued, how haunted she becomes, how tiny and curled up, but also how angry and defiant. I am grateful to them for their vision." Thanks, Donna! It's so much fun to see all the images. And I LOVE the hidden meanings. I hadn't seen the cross in the text, and now -- you're right -- I can't stop seeing it. I also think the myriad of emotions on her face are very effective -- anger, fear, sadness, impatience. I think the final is definitely the strongest choice. What do you guys think of the final cover and the other incarnations it had along the way? PS-Update from Tamar! She put this image below in the comments and says, "I think I know the image Donna talks about when she says 'a photo of a girl who looks trapped' with the boxes. I found it on the UK version of Laurie Halse Anderson's SPEAK (left)." Thanks, Tamar!

Cover Details: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Lauren Baratz-Logsted is like a book machine! She's got two new books out, and she's on a huge blog tour. Yesterday, she was at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers talking about altering the ending to a classic! Tomorrow she'll hit NomadReader and discuss the Sisters 8's magic and talents. For her stopover here, I asked Lauren to pick one thing in each of the two new covers that she didn't notice at first after looking at her covers lovingly (as authors tend to do!).

Here's Lauren:

"For The Education of Bet: The girl on the cover is seated in front of a wall of similar-looking books. It wasn't until you asked this question that I squinted hard enough to see that the books say, Halsbury's Laws of England. Google informs me that it's the definitive encyclopedic treatise on the laws of England -- there are 56 volumes in the set! This makes me feel very good since, Bet so wanting to get a proper education, it would be disappointing if she were seated in front of the Victorian equivalent of a bunch of Danielle Steel titles. On the other hand, Google also informs me that Halsbury's Laws of England was first published in 1907. So unless Bet's a time traveler and I just don't know it, the scene depicted here could never have happened since The Education of Bet takes place in the 1800s!"

"For The Sisters 8 Book 5: Marcia's Madness: OK, this one will expose me as being really lame, but before we get into that, I need to explain somthing about The Sisters 8. The eight sisters in the Huit family are octuplets, their names being: Annie, Durinda, Georgia, Jackie, Marcia, Petal, Rebecca and Zinnie. The sisters in turn have eight gray-and-white puffball cats, one for each sister, whose names are: Anthrax, Dandruff, Greatorex, Jaguar, Minx, Precious, Rambunctious and Zither. Without giving anything away, let me just say that the cats are uniquely connected to their little mistresses. And getting back to that cover: When I first saw it, with Marcia standing in the foreground, the other Eights behind her and her cat Minx by her side, I went back and looked at the previous four covers.'Isn't this amazing?' I said to one of my coauthors, 10-year-old Jackie Logsted. 'The artist puts the cat on the cover that goes with each featured sister!' Jackie gave me a look that might have been withering on a less cheerful child, as if to say, 'Really, Mom? You're only noticing this for the first time now?' See what I mean - lame, right? So how the cover makes me feel is: 1) amazed and grateful that our illustrator puts so much detail into every cover; and 2) lame, really lame."

Ha! I loved having Lauren take this in-depth look at two very different covers. Check out these two new books, and let me know what you notice. Have you ever really studied a cover and discovered some extra cool detail? (Yes, you know I'm cover obsessed.)

Happy Friday!

PS-Read Lauren's Cover Stories for The Sisters 8's first two books and Crazy Beautiful.

Cover Stories: 3 at Unabashedly Bookish

I had a magazine event last night (I spoke on a panel for ed2010.com -- anyone who wants to work in magazines, you must be on this site and getting their newsletter! Go!), so I didn't get to cook for Dave and show you a new cooking mishap like last week's.But I do have something to share: Three Cover Stories that were posted at the Unabashedly Bookish blog on Barnes and Noble's site. Yay! Here are some excerpts. Click through for full stories: Scars by Cheryl Rainfield. "Going as far as showing her own arm on the cover, author Cheryl Rainfield has drawn on her own personal experience of self-harm to offer an insider perspective in Scars. 'It's a book I care deeply about,' she says. 'It's so important to me to help break the silence, and offer some hope.'" Read more... Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce. "My comments were just 'OMGOMGOMGOMG' and other thoughtful, articulate things. I suggested they not even put my name or the title on the book cover, since it's like a piece of art. But Marketing insisted that the title and my name be on the cover." Read more... Falling is Like This by Kate Rockland. "I wanted to see a cover with a jpeg image of a woman on it. Now, I know there's been a lot of controversy with feminists about women's novels that have a picture of a woman on it. Sometimes they don't show her face, or they only show parts of her body, leaving the viewer with a somewhat strange feeling, like the female character isn't being seen for her true self, she's chopped up, she's hiding." Read more... Thanks for making Cover Stories fun for me on this blog, so much fun that the franchise is expanding! Yay! Happy Tuesday... PS-Jackson Pearce just did this awesome Writer's Block video to Ke$ha's "Tik Tok." This is totally how my day goes.

Cover Stories: Sea by Heidi R. Kling

Heidi R. Kling's debut novel, Sea, comes out next month. It's the story of a girl named Sienna (Sea) who travels to Indonesia after the tsunami with her psychiatrist father's relief team. See more about the book in the trailer below.For now, let's get to the story behind that cover. Here's Heidi: "I'm one of the lucky ones and my editor did ask my input on the cover for SEA. I suggested an under water image or a young couple riding a motorcycle or motor, as they say in Indonesia. The under water image I came up with was that famous shot of a sea turtle taken from below... I thought that would look cool because so much of the theme in SEA is about being underwater both literally and metaphorically. "My editor, Stacey, took my suggestions to heart and let the design team know. They liked the underwater concept but wanted something more romantic than the turtle, which made perfect sense to me. They created some mocks, which Stacey then showed me. There were three beautiful images. Two were couples silhouetted in an embrace, and one was a couple holding hands. My first choice, Stacey's and the design teams was the image you see on SEA now. It was a win-win all around. "I believe all the images are from stock photos and I love what they did with the color. How the yellows, greens and purples are swirling around in the water image, and how the layering effect of the pattern really brings out the color. Initially, the title font was more standard fare, and I love the upgrade to the more exotic air-brush font. The choice of yellow for the title and orange 'A novel,' play a significant part in the story as well. "As you can probably tell, I'm so pleased with my cover! I think it's an evocative image that is so true to the story. I'm so thankful to the art design team at Putnam and glad SEA's future readers like it too. :)" Thanks, Heidi! I am a big fan of water covers. This one has such great layers of light, and the pattern that's woven in gives it extra depth. It reminds me a little of Aimee Friedman's Sea Change (probably just because of the water and the colors). Such a dreamy feel. What do you guys think? PS-The original title font is here on a book trailer Kepler's Books so made for SEA (I agree with Heidi that the final font is more fun and elegant). Check it out and learn more about the book here: