This post has been a long time coming and over the years I often wondered if I’d ever be published and get the chance to do a ‘Cover Reveal’. It was a goal that kept me motivated beyond rejections and the many months it took to shape my novel. To think that one day I could walk into Waterstones and spot my book cover on the shelf has been a dream that ThunderPoint will make happen when it’s launched this October.
For me, one of the most exciting parts of the journey to publication has been the cover design. I know as a reader how easy it is to dismiss a book on a fleeting glance and there are many examples of utter howlers out there. Be warned, click on ‘Kindle Cover Disasters’ and I guarantee that you will cringe! The importance of a great cover is well documented and Scottish Book Trust recently blogged about the ‘Death of the Book Cover: Do Covers Really Matter?’ They matter to me!
Reading this post sent a shiver down my spine. I wanted not to like my cover but to LOVE it! It had to be a striking image and one that in an instant made a statement about the contents. One of the benefits of being with a small independent publisher is that it’s a tight-knit partnership. There’s no faceless marketing department to deal with so that as each of the draft covers were up for discussion I was comfortable giving my feedback, knowing that ThunderPoint want me to be happy with the cover and proud to promote it (another cringe warning – I plan to be in lots of photos posing with the book!). I also feel lucky as I’m well aware that many authors who are signed by big publishing houses often get no input into their cover design and might not like the final result.
As the saying goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, and I desperately wanted to feel sure that the final design was THE ONE so I bounced ideas around with my pal Anne until finally, after several drafts, (thanks for your patience ThunderPoint!) we had the image of the poodle with sunglasses.
In the book, the main character’s gran has a poodle called Bimbo. The gran and her dog are like a comedy double act in this coming-of-age story. But the quirky image says much more than a direct link to a scene in the book. A key theme of the novel is ‘identity’ and how aged seventeen you need to explore who you are and sometimes have to fight against social expectations to explore your aspirations. It’s easy to hide behind sunglasses but you can also reinvent yourself to follow a new direction in life.
I hope you love the cover as much as I do and in the build up to the launch I’ll be sharing writing and book news on my new author Facebook page so please ‘like’ it if you want to keep updated.
What’s your favourite book cover? Do book cover designs influence your reading choices?
Helen MacKinven 