Cover Stories: Being Friends With Boys

Terra Elan McVoy has been here before to share her adorable covers for Pure and After the Kiss (read those Cover Stories), and now she's got a new book out just in time for summer: Being Friends With Boys. How great is that title? Here's more about the cover, from Terra: "I never have any idea about my covers; I’m so lucky to have been assigned to such smart, clever, amazing people at Simon Pulse to work on them. This team does such an incredible job, and I figure it’s best to leave that work in their capable hands!

"Admittedly, my very first thought when I saw the cover was, 'But there aren’t any coffeehouses in the book! They never drink coffee!' Very quickly though, I realized that was a pretty lame and limiting response.

"My editor was incredibly patient with me and let me just sit on my first reaction until I came to my senses and realized this was perfect.

"The cover did change, in one important way. Originally, the background was red (right), which I loved – though I wondered about it fitting in with the colors of the other books. After some back-and-forth though, it was determined that red might be a little too Valentine-y, and the background color got switched to this incredible, deep navy blue that it is now.

"In the end, it’s not so much how I feel about the cover that stands out –though I totally love it and it just screams 'Charlotte,' to me in every way -- but more how other people feel about it. I feel like I’ve been blessed with these incredible covers for my backlist, but so many people are commenting on this one, saying it’s their favorite of all. There’s just something highly attractive and perfect about it, which means a lot to me, again, because it just has this very 'Charlotte' kind of feel: homey and comfortable, but also really sharp and alluring."

Thanks, Terra! It's an incredibly clean cover and I'm a huge fan of that simple aesthetic. I love both the red and the blue--maybe paperback will be red, released around V-Day 2013? In any case, I can't wait to read it!

Cover Stories: Second Chance Summer

Guys, Morgan Matson is here! You know I love her, and she has a new book out, so we must read it asap. Also: The Cover. Here she is to tell its tale: "I had absolutely loved my cover for Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour [read that Cover Story here]. I wasn’t worried about how the cover for the second book would turn out. I was still in the midst of writing the first draft of the book when my editor asked me what I had been thinking about for the cover.

"I mentioned that since the book takes place in a summer lake community, with a dock being a very important part of the story, maybe there could be a dock featured somewhere.  An initial idea I’d had was two sets of bare feet on a dock, or hanging over the edge and skimming the water.  And then I basically just gave her vague, summer-conjuring words – pine trees! Mountains! Lake!

"By the time I saw the first cover proof, we’d actually been going back and forth a lot on the title.  I tend to pick long, not-particularly-evocative-titles, and then cling to them stupidly.  The original title of Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour was Amy & Roger Discover America.  Which now seems so not to fit the book at all! When I was writing the first draft, I had been calling the book The Summer of Second Chances.  My editor had suggested Second Chance Summer, but I wasn’t totally on board with it yet.  But that all changed when she sent me the cover proof.  I adored the cover, and I loved the way that the title fit on it.  Which is probably a strange way to settle on a title, but ever since I saw the cover proof, I knew that was the book’s title.

"And I just adored the image.  It captured the book so perfectly, and the mood of it – the sun setting, the dock, the trees across the lake.  And I love the detail of the girl wearing a pink bikini.

"One thing I’m also grateful for is that my UK covers are so different.  They give much more information to the events of the book.  In the UK cover (right), you can see all the little details that make up the story.  So I love having two versions – one evokes what the book will be about, and one that gives you concrete details of the story."

Thanks, Morgan! Here's what I love: The colors. I mean. That sunlight, so muted and soft and dreamy, like sunset or even very early morning. And I'm with Morgan on the title script--it flows perfectly, becomes part of the image. Total summer, with tinges of sadness and hope.

What do you guys think?

Cover Stories: In Honor by Jessi Kirby

I had the chance to hang out with Jessi Kirby in Houston last month, and I can confirm that she is fantastic and fun and smart and all the things she seems to be. Also, her new book, In Honor, apparently contains a Tim Riggins type. SOLD. (Read a review from A Book and a Latte.)

Here's Jessi to talk about the cover:

"My publisher asked for input before they got to work on the cover, and I said 'It’d be really great if you could somehow include the car, (which is a 67 Chevy Impala), and Honor in her dress and red cowboy boots.'

"When I saw the cover, I absolutely LOVED it.  Truly, madly, deeply loved it. From the font, to the car, to the boots, it was EXACTLY what I was hoping for.

"My editor is always open to comments and suggestions, as is the art department, who goes above and beyond to try and keep everyone happy. With this, the one thing that we asked was that there be some reference to Honor’s brother being a Marine.

"The art department actually went back in and put a set of dog tags dangling from Honor’s hand, which I thought was subtle and just perfect. That was the only change.

"I believe it’s a stock photo, and I definitely think it captures the feel of the book. In the end, I feel like I did the very first time I saw it—I am head over heels for it."

Thanks, Jessi! I am SO excited to read this one, for so many reasons. The cover is certainly one. Such a small town, summery feel that I just adore. Also, I had never noticed the dog tags but now I see what a perfect touch they are!

What do you guys think?

Cover Stories: See You at Harry's

Today, Jo Knowles is here to talk about her latest novel, See You at Harry's. (Read a rave review on Stacked, and note that it just got a star from Kirkus!)

"I think I imagined [the cover as] an image of the restaurant described in the book [as I was writing]. Or the family posing for their annual Christmas card. But… nothing really concrete. I was just hoping whatever it was, I would love it.

"My publisher didn't ask for input. But I gave a few suggestions when I was arguing to keep the title, which is another whole story. :-)

"When I first saw the cover, I felt... Relief! I thought the image was perfect. I liked that the background was blue, not pink. I liked that it wasn’t an image of a sad or lonely girl. I loved that the empty dish had two spoons, not one. I felt that the image captured the mood of the book just right, without giving too much away.

"I had some tiny comments about the font and size of the title, and they worked on those.

"But a big bookseller chain that shall remain nameless wasn’t wild about the original cover (right). My publisher tried a few other mock-ups in reaction to the feedback, but kept coming back to the original concept. So, they embellished the original and came up with what I think is even more perfect. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

"It is partly from a stock photo, and I still love it. I see a lot of hidden meanings, but if I shared them, I would spoil the story."

Thanks, Jo! I cannot wait to read this one, and the cover is really excellent. I like the final better than the original--it feels more finished, somehow. But the overall concept is fantastic and I'm glad they stuck with it!

What do you guys think?

Cover Stories: Keep Holding On

Susane Colasanti has shared many Cover Stories here, including Waiting For You, Something Like Fate and So Much Closer (on that post you can enter to win a copy of the paperback until Wednesday--go!). She's back now with a new book that fits right in with her signature cover style.

Here's Susane:

"Keep Holding On focuses on the consequences of bullying. A lot of the story takes place at school. So I love that this cover features a school setting. The photo shoot took place at a high school in New Jersey. The male model, Ryan Haagen, contacted me after I posted the cover on my blog. How awesome is that? He’s even going to share about the photo shoot for an upcoming feature I’ll be posting before the book comes out on May 31.

"There were two visions I had in mind for the cover of Keep Holding On. I imagined the two main characters, Noelle and Julian, sitting on a bench outside the coffeehouse they went to on their first date. I pictured Noelle leaning against Julian in a way where you couldn’t really see their faces. I also pictured pink lights in the trees on either side of the bench and the coffeehouse window behind them. The second vision was Noelle and Julian in front of her locker. I saw them sitting on the floor leaning back against the lockers. Julian was turned to Noelle, hugging her, and she was looking down. So again, you couldn’t see their faces.

"When I saw the initial cover design, I was happy to see that they went with the school setting. And that there were lockers! It’s always fun to visualize your ideal cover and then have part of it come true. You can’t see the models’ faces on my book covers, so I was a bit concerned by how much of the girl model’s face you can see on this cover. But I think it’s just enough to give readers an idea of what she looks like while allowing for some imagination. I love my readers to be able to imagine the characters in their own way.

"My favorite part of this cover is her purple Converse. Those sneakers were plain at first. I asked for them to be written on because that’s what Noelle does with her sneakers (and what I did with mine in high school). I also asked for locks to be put on some of the lockers. The photo shoot took place right before school started, so the lockers didn’t have locks yet. Which didn’t look realistic. The orange star patch on Julian’s bag is another detail I asked for. His bag has that star on it in the book. I thought including it would make the cover even more authentic. And Julian’s glasses were white at first, so I reminded my editor that they are actually black. I know that’s a tiny detail, but I’m all about the details.

"In the end, this cover totally captured the tone of the book. I think it’s absolutely gorgeous!"

Thanks, Susane! Gorgeous enough to kiss, naturally.

I am HUGELY into details as well, and I'm the kind of person who flips back to the cover as I read, so I appreciate that attention when the cover gets it right. I'm also into the cool blues and greens here. It reminds me of a retro cover somehow, as lots of Susane's covers do, and I like that.

What do you guys think?

Cover Stories + Win: So Much Closer

Last week's winner of Unbreak My Heart is... Aly! Send me your address, A, and thanks to everyone for sharing library love.

This week, just comment on the Cover Story here to enter to win a copy of Susane Colasanti's new paperback release of So Much Closer! Susane was here last year to talk about the original hardcover (pictured below) and now she's back to discuss the brand spanking new paperback version (left):

"Can I just say how much I adore the shiny new paperback cover of So Much Closer?

"This is the first time one of my book covers changed from the hardcover to paperback edition. I loved that the photo shoot for the So Much Closer hardcover was done on the High Line. The High Line is my favorite place here in New York. It plays a big role in the book and has a really unique energy. But my publisher received feedback that the original cover (right) was too street.

"The photo shoot for the paperback cover took place in Hudson River Park, another setting from the book. Ironically, Hudson River Park is right near the High Line. The cover designer toned down the urban vibe by blurring all the buildings in the background. Those buildings are actually in New Jersey – from this vantage point, we’re looking across the Hudson River.

"Aside from the setting, what I love most about this cover is how the designer creatively hid the models’ faces. That umbrella idea was totally brill. I hope you love it, too!"

Thanks, Susane! I think these covers both have a very similar feel that's true to the book, but I am a SUCKER for umbrellas (not to mention cute rain boots) so the paperback has a slight edge for me.

What do you guys think? Comment below for a chance to win the paperback!

Cover Stories: Belles

Jen Calonita shared a fun Cover Story here a while ago, for Reality Chick, and she's back with a new series, yay! The first book in the Belles series is, well, Belles. Here's Jen to talk about the cover:

"Designer Tracy Shaw has worked on all my Secrets of My Hollywood Life covers and did Sleepaway Girls as well so to be honest, I wasn't really worried about the design--I knew she'd come up with something beautiful.

"The team is always nice enough to tell me what they're thinking, and I figure they know best so go with it! The only concern I had when they were doing this cover was who the cover model was going to be. I had hoped she'd resemble one of the two protagonists--Mira or Izzie. This cover definitely feels like Mira to me--a true Southern belle. There will be four books in the Belles series and each cover will feature a different girl from the series. Hopefully Izzie will get her turn at some point! The Winter White cover (Belles 2, out this October) features a girl who looks like Savannah, Mira's best friend (well, best friend when we start out in book one!).

"The girl on the cover is a real model! I know that because she actually friended me on Facebook and told me this was her first photo shoot. I actually have to drop her a line because I want to make sure she got a copy of the finalized book. She is the perfect image of Mira so I couldn't be happier with her or the cover.

"When I first saw it, I thought it was the prettiest cover I had ever seen. Just so girly and soft and I loved the font they used for the title. I feel so honored that it's my book. Really! I will tell you a funny story though--at the NYC Teen Author Festival Book of Wonder event a few weeks ago I was seated next to Barry Lyga whose new book is I Hunt Killers (right). His cover is covered with blood stains. Next to Belles it looked hysterical. He actually took a picture of the covers next to each other it was so funny.

"I love the soft pastel colors and the design of the wrap-around cover--it reminds me a little bit of the Secrets covers--and I love that they photographed a real girl. I think the coolest thing about this cover is the air of mystery to it--you can only see part of the girl's face, but when you take the wrap off the cover you see her full appearance and those beautiful flowers. The ARC that went out looks just like the finalized version. I just feel bad for any reviewer who received the ARC because the final version is so much prettier with the actual wrap around. Plus, they can see the full-length photo under the wrap, which you couldn't do with the ARC. I almost wished the ARCs had disclaimers on it that said: FINAL VERSION IS EVEN PRETTIER THAN THIS ONE! YOU GET TO SEE THE WHOLE GIRL! (left)

"I love knowing that all four covers in the series will relate to this first cover. Both Mira and Izzie will have a chance to be 'cover girls' and other important characters, like Savannah, will get their day too. The Winter White cover is just as pretty as this one. It has a lovely lilac hue to it. What I try to do in each book is write in the flower used on the cover. It's sort of my little nod to the Secrets series because with that one I always wrote in a handbag for Kaitlin to carry that looked like the cover. In this series, the flower the girl holds on the cover will be written into a party scene. For 'Winter White' the flower is a hydrangea and that flower figures promptly at cotillion (hint, hint--plot for book two!)."

Thanks, Jen! I love that you write details from the covers into your books -- I do that too, mainly because I'm a little obsessive about the details and the image on the front. This series sounds right up my alley! I miss North Carolina and my belles!

What do you guys think?

Cover Stories: Take a Bow

The fantastic Elizabeth Eulberg is here today to share the story of her latest cover. Take a Bow is told in four points of view (so hard!) and I've heard only raves about how awesome this book is (MTV's Crush gave it a standing ovation). YES! Also, the cover is blindingly eye-catching, no? Here's Elizabeth: "I usually don't start thinking about the cover until I'm almost done with the book. I didn't really have a clear idea of the cover until I had the title (the book was untitled for awhile). Then once we settled on Take a Bow as the title, I automatically envisioned a cover very similar to the final cover. It's really freaky how in sync the book designer (the fabulous Elizabeth Parisi), my editor (David Levithan), and I are. We've been on the same page for all of my books. Just the other day, I told David my thoughts on the cover for my next book and they were already mocking up covers with the exact same concept - scary! The only difference between my idea for Take a Bow and Scholastic's was that I was picturing four people "taking a bow" to reflect a key scene in the book, but I think the one person is more dramatic and personal.

"I really don't like having faces on covers of books, it's just a personal preference I've always had. So when David called me to tell me their idea for the cover, my first thought was 'that's exactly what I was thinking!' but I only wanted to see the back of the head. When he said they were going for a side view, but in shadow, I was a little hesitant. But then I got to have an opinion on the model who'd be on the cover, which was a huge treat. And, OF COURSE, David, Elizabeth, and I all picked the same person. There was a photo shoot with the model we selected. She really is perfect and I've only seen two photos from that shoot, but can only imagine all the amazing shots they got.

"I LOVED the cover when I saw it. I realize how extremely lucky I am to have loved all my covers. Back when I was in publicity, I got to be part of the jacket committee so I know how many opinions, rightfully so, go into deciding a cover. So I do always hold my breath when I open up a book cover for the first time. I loved this one right away. The first version was a little different than the final version, the character had on a different outfit and the shot was further away. In the end, we decided to go with a different shot of her closer up, so it felt more personal. When I opened up the second cover (which ended up being the final cover), I was really nervous since I liked the first cover so much. But I think the second one is so much better.

"I should probably mention that my nickname is 'Two Cover' Eulberg, because for some reason, I always have two covers for my books, the first cover always ends up changing. And, without fail, I get nervous when the cover changes and then I always like the second one better. I can't even look at the original cover of The Lonely Hearts Club anymore. That was another instance where I was a nervous wreck about the cover changing, then I suggested using Abbey Road as inspiration (but no faces!) right at the same time Elizabeth Parisi walked into David's office and recommended the exact same thing.

"David's great about asking me my opinion on the covers. The only comment I had on the final cover was that I thought my name placement was weird. It really threw me when I first saw it because it wasn't on the bottom, where it had been for my first two books. I don't know why this one thing caught my attention, but after sitting with it for awhile, I didn't mind it at all. And I know having your name above the title is a compliment to the author, but I guess I wasn't expecting it!

"I have all my covers up on the wall where I write. As soon as I got the final cover, I hung it up on my wall and would look at it often. I'll even admit to hugging it a few times (because I'm a nerd like that). I really think it perfectly captures the book. Especially the pressure these characters face competing for different performance spots and the feeling that they are always auditioning or performing."

Thanks, Elizabeth! You know, I wanted a girl's back for my first Violet on the Runway cover (here's that Cover Story), but they insisted front-facing was the way to go and I ended up loving it. This side profile, though? Awesome in so many ways. You can see her nerves, but also her poise; her performance hair, but also her personal style. I love it.

What do you guys think?

Cover Stories: The Julian Game

Adele Griffin's The Julian Game was released in 2010 with a raucous cover that I always meant to share here. Much belatedly (my fault!), she's showing some early cover options for that book and a bit about the story. Also, I'm psyched that she's got another book coming out this year (All You Never Wanted, October).

Here's Adele:

"I had no cover ideas at all. For one thing, the original title of the book was MELLEN IN SPRING which gives me such big shivers of Terrible Title-ness. What was I thinking? It sounds like a strange, Little House on the Prairie story. That early draft was so different. Mellen was short for Mary Ellen, who then became Ella. And the story was more like a 'bad influence' type, with Mellen getting Raye to do awful stuff for her. So, no cover had jelled. Maybe: two girls in a red convertible? More shivers!

"My publisher went into the bat cave slash think tank, and came up with a lot of options. I loved so many of them. It was during the summer, and my family was on vacation in Fire Island, so we printed them up and put them on the kitchen table. And people would walk by and say--'I love that one! No, that one!'

"Penguin's art department is, in my mind, very 'mad genius in the lab'-- and my last cover with them was for my middle grade 'Vampire Island' series. I'd been over the moon for their choices there. All I'd said on VI was 'What do you think about making the vamps sweet but streetwise?' and they came back with pure gothy delicious. So I was prepared to be bowled over. And I was!

"I got to make suggestions for the cover, which was fun. I didn't bring much-- really all I brought were the crayons. I knew the book so well, and I owned that blue wig (Halloween costume!) So I said: how about bright blue hair and bright green the gloves on the black-and-white, dominatrix image-- that was the one I thought was the sexiest. And then the bathroom scene was a later draft chapter, so we checkered the floor, a la Fulton's bathroom.

"Then Nancy (my editor) came back and said-- but Raye never wears those gloves. So we edited a couple of scenes that motivated her to put them on once. For logic.

"We had one little back-and-forth with a cursor button. Like that arrow that shows you where your mouse is? It was on the edge of the title, as if you could click the title. I wasn't feeling it, and even though it was popular within the departments (editorial, art, marketing), they very graciously took it off. I was so appreciative; because I knew I'd always be staring at that cursor, like a paint scuff or something.

"The cover was a stock image. I used to collect my jackets because they were almost always original art. Now it's the rare exception. But it's amazing how much emotion can be packed into covers, I love walking along the bookstore table and seeing so many visual stories.

"The book is about cyberbullying, and I've come to see the blue wig as representing a person who is more guarded, defensive and careful about her cyber-presence-- while the gloves belong to the aggressor, the manipulator."

Thanks, Adele! I love being able to see and show so many versions of this cover. The final has all the best elements: blue hair, green gloves, black-and-white checkered floor. It makes the image more 3D and has that extra pop. I'm into it. And this cover definitely is a double-taker, as in, "Whoa, what is that book?"

What do you guys think?

Cover Stories: The Poison Diaries

The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood is based on a concept by The Duchess of Northumberland. See? I'm already enchanted. Here's the effervescent Maryrose to talk about that cover: "[As I was writing], mostly I was thinking about plants. Plants and more plants! But there are already quite a few book covers out there with plants on them. They seem to skew toward spooky tendrils, like the Beautiful Creatures cover, or close-ups of luscious blossoms, like New Moon. I knew The Poison Diaries needed a cover that would appeal to fans of gothic, supernatural and romantic YA, but would also communicate the uniqueness of the poison plant concept. Thank goodness it was not up to me to come up with a solution.

"While writing The Poison Diaries, I read quite a bit about the English Romantic poets. In fact, they’re one reason I chose to set the book in late 18th-century England (that and Wuthering Heights, of course!).

"My boyfriend and I went to see an exhibit of William Blake’s illustrations at the Morgan Library & Museum. There were all these amazing, trippy drawings, with terrifying winged angels and so on. The hallucinogenic feel of it was inspiring to me. (You can check out this exhibition online.)

"I remember sending my editor, Donna Bray, some links to those images. I’m not sure they were useful in her thinking about the cover, but I certainly drew upon some of that imagery when I was writing. People think writing is all about the words, but I find visual research very stimulating when I’m working on a book. Thank you, Google Images.

"There was a day-long photo shoot with photographer Gustavo Marx, a model and tons of props, which I think were mostly vegetative in nature. I wasn’t at the shoot, but both Alessandra Balzer and Donna Bray of Balzer + Bray were there. Apparently the craft services table was to die for.

"Before the shoot I was asked my opinion about what sort of dress the model might wear. Imagine! Wardrobe advice from me, who wears the same three tank tops in rotation until winter comes, and then adds a sweater! But we talked a bit about clothing styles of the period. There’s scene in the book where Jessamine puts on a beautiful dress that had been her mother’s. It’s described as having kind of a wedding dress feel. They ended up putting the model in a white dress that has lovely, simple, Regency-style silhouette. Perfect!

"The first, early draft of the cover was a full body shot of the model (right), semi-reclined on the ground and surrounded by greenery, as if she were in a garden. It was beautiful, but upon reflection it was decided that it seemed a bit too pastoral and sweet. The book is edgier and more mysterious than that. It’s about poison, after all! Not Herbal Essence shampoo. Although I do love my Herbal Essence. It’s the smell of my teen years.

"I loved [the final cover] but I was surprised, too, because the first shot I saw had been all about the dress and the props. In the end they used a tight close-up of the (gorgeous) model’s face, and you can barely glimpse what she’s wearing or holding.

"But nothing goes to waste. The Poison Diaries was conceived as a trilogy, and different photos from that shoot will be used for the other two covers (see the second cover, for Nightshade, left).

"The penultimate version had a slightly different type placement than the final. I thought was a bit hard to read. I asked them to have another look at it but they were already fixing it. That’s the nice thing about working with creative geniuses! They miss nothing.

"I love the final cover. I think it’s beautiful and mysterious and the poison-green color of the logotype is perfect: natural but slightly unnatural at the same time.

"I also really love the back cover copy and type treatment. The tag line for the book is, 'In the right dose, everything is a poison. Even love.' The idea of love as the ultimate poison is lifted from the book, but to turn it into a nice punchy tagline was genius!

"I also was tickled to find the UK cover online one day (right). It’s the same photo but with a totally different design treatment. I think this is a neat example of the amazing contribution cover designers make to a book, and how books are packaged differently to appeal to different markets."

Thanks, Maryrose! I love the way nature encroaches on each of these covers, even the very up-close final version. The leaf gives the whole cover a deliciously sinister feel.

What do you guys think?

Check out a past Cover Story from Maryrose Wood, too, because it's full of fairies and magic.

Check out the trailer too: