Now that the perfect cover for a book has been created, it turns out to actually be not that perfect after all. After seeing a draft of the artwork, the author might catch a few things that are off, or maybe the art director feels a different look altogether would have a greater impact with readers. That’s when the artist gets to work fine-tuning her masterpiece.

Ch-Ch-Changes: Do-overs and D’ohs!

April: Sometimes I get lucky and nail a cover in the first draft; proclamations of worship and promises of chocolate will find their way into my e-mail inbox with a hearty “Squee!” These are nice, and I never get enough of them.

Other times I get questions, comments, and request for changes, which are not as nice but, depending on the author and the feedback, may or may not make a better cover. It’s hard to predict.

The author having an art or design background, for instance, isn’t always a good predictor. One would think it would help in every case, but that isn’t so; sometimes it makes them nit pickier and hard to work with because they feel they know better than the cover artist about what looks good. Having a writing degree myself, I can sort of understand the psyche; there have been times I would read a book and think, “I could have done better,” but at the same time, I don’t go around telling people how to write. Do I?

The point is that it’s hard to tell if the changes will actually make a better cover. You just hope that the changes they request are sound.

Frauke: While I’m happy if I don’t have to change everything, some covers wouldn’t be what they are thanks to the changes requested by the art department and/or the author.

After

Before

The art requests I fear most are these where the author did her-/himself several cover art drafts and sends them to me with the request to do the cover exactly the way they did. These authors aren’t allowed to design their covers themselves and feel now stuck with a cover artist they don’t really want. Everything I do is damned to be changed from the start, because I have my own style and my own vision. Here I’m very happy that there’s an art director or managing artist who steps in as third party - otherwise such a cover would never get finished.

Changes of another kind are re-designs of existing covers. Usually authors come to me on a private basis - after haven gotten the ‘okay’ from the publisher to have the cover designed by an outside artist. This is then really like a ‘before’ and ‘after’ show.

Anne: I’ll be frank — without input from my really awesome art directors, some covers just wouldn’t have come out right. There’s always a detail I miss or something not-quite-right about the design that my eyes don’t catch after having stared at the computer screen for too long. This is one of my favorite examples of that:

The concept stayed the same in both versions, but the final is a totally different execution that captures more of the sexual tension and noir feel of the story. I’ve heard some nice comments about it, so readers agree it’s a powerful image!

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The Insanity of Being a Cover Artist - where *headdesk*ing can become an artform

Looming deadlines! Software glitches! More photos of semi-nude beefcakes than you can shake a cordless mouse at! The life of a cover artist is almost always hectic, with new projects every week keeping them busy. As rewarding as the job is, enough crazy stuff happens along the way to keep artists on their toes and glued to their computer chairs. To close off this weeklong tribute to The Cover Art, April, Frauke and Anne share some thoughts on the trade they love.

April: Covers are ultimately the primary advertisement for a book. Fortunately and unfortunately, it works a lot like advertising everywhere else.

I remember a run of memorable TV ads that Isuzu ran in the ’80s, which featured a sleazy but loveable character named Joe Isuzu. They were the funniest commercials at the time, and they really worked in helping me remember the Isuzu brand. However, someone told me that Isuzu’s sales actually went down during that campaign, so they stopped making them.

Covers are like that.

You could have the most beautiful and eye-catching cover on the shelf, or the cover that most perfectly captures the story in the book, but that doesn’t always translate into sales … while something along the lines of a “Head On” or “Go See Cal” ad is a license to make money. It’s enough to make you cry.

That’s the insanity and frustration of being an artist, any kind of artist really. The most popular or effective of my work might be something I’d cull from my portfolio, and the ones among my favorites might be the ones most criticized or ignored and forgotten. Some of my best work never even get seen.

Sad, isn’t it?

Frauke: I love books (especially Erotic Romances as I already told you), so not being of the writing kind, to be a cover artist and web & print designer for authors, was the best that could happen to me. I’m part of a wonderful community that’s as crazy as I am - sometimes, but in the end it’s always all about the books. I’m living my dream even if I want to shoot someone from time to time. LOL.

Anne: Being a cover artist is one of the best jobs ever, and I’m so lucky to not only be in the field, but to know such talented and wonderful gals like April, Frauke and Cris Griffin. Their friendship and advice has helped me keep all my hair, which I would’ve tugged out ages ago without being able to talk to them about the crazier side of being a designer. I love you, girls!

The absolute greatest thing about working as an artist is bringing to life an author’s characters and giving their story a unique ‘face’ for the world to see. Everyone knows that covers are important for catching the attention of readers, and it’s a fantastic feeling to know that maybe my art helped a reader discover a new favorite author they wouldn’t have tried otherwise.

But just like with any job, there are also some not-so-fun moments. The worst part is trying to make everyone happy: the author, the publisher, the readers…it’s definitely a challenge. As an artist, I can appreciate the way larger houses handle the process: freelancers usually work directly with only the art director. Authors don’t typically have a say in the design because the publisher is taking the initiative to cater specifically to the taste of the market…and that’s what matters to help sell the book.

As a writer myself, I think the generous amount of input ebook authors have in their cover is wonderful! This is great for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which is that the author gets what he or she wants — within the publisher’s guidelines, of course. In that sense, some authors can be spoiled. *lol* I don’t mind making revisions to improve the art, but the most off-putting thing an artist can receive is a two page long email with a list of puzzling changes. Or worse: reasons why the author absolutely loathes the art, phrased in not-so-polite ways. : ( Hours of time go into selecting models and stockphotos, and they’re always chosen because we artists have the best intentions in mind to help sell a book. Telling me something along the lines that even Steve Urkel would be a sexier choice of a model than the one I selected is basically saying, “Girl, your taste is God-awful and what the hell’s wrong with you?!?” I don’t have much of an ego, but at that point I’m feeling less than creatively enthused for the project.

About the Guilty Parties

April Martinez is a freelance artist and graphic designer, art director for Liquid Silver Books, and cover artist for Loose Id. Visit her website here.

Behind CrocoDesigns is one woman who loves crocodiles as much as her design work. She holds a degree in veterinary medicine and has worked in all kind of jobs related to publishing and book promoting. Design was a hobby that’s now a full-time job and she enjoys every minute of it. So if you can’t find her reading the latest romance novel, she sits in front of her computer working on the next project, but always it’s all about the books. Check out her website here.

As a cover artist and illustrator, Anne Cain freelances for several publishers. Whenever she’s not chained to the PC, writing a new story, or doodling away in a sketchbook, she spends too much time reading yaoi and watching anime. Stop by her gallery heeeeere.

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I’d like to thank these wonderful, beautiful peeps for coming by this week and spending some time with us, sharing their art. Sistas, you’re fabulous. Please come by again and show us more art, ya hear?

And you cover artists out there, if you’ve got a cover you’re particularly proud of, email me and we’ll schedule you for a Friday Showcase, ok?

Pimpage: Annie Dean is running a contest at the Liquid Silver blog and has posted a veeeery interesting article about the ever-evolving boundaries of the romance genre. Run over there now!

This entry was posted on Friday, October 12th, 2007 at 9:56 am and is filed under Guest Author, Show and Tell. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.