Part of the delay is me being picky with the cover. Though some say, the cover is not important, it's what's inside that counts, I tend to disagree. Being a visual person myself, covers are the first that catch my eye, giving me a clue of the genre; then the title and after that the pitch (text on the back of the book). If all three fit my mood, I'll buy. If I'm not sure, I'll sample.
So the cover is important, why else do publishing houses have a marketing team that also decides on the cover? I usually have a very clear idea of what I want. Unfortunately, I'm not designer and that shows when speaking to people who are supposed to translate my ideas into covers that swoon me. Difficult, as I'm a difficult client.
I drew the first few covers of the book in Paint. A hard job and took ages, but I was pleased as I was able to see my ideas form into something visible. Of course I wouldn't be able to use it when actually selling the book. Thinking back, I went through all kind of covers, some I liked a lot, some I didn't.
My almost final cover is this:
We will tweak it a bit more, but the girl's perfect. Celia is 32, funny and warm-hearted. The book's a light-hearted romantic comedy with a paranormal twist. A bit like Bridget Jones meet Charmed.
I hope you'll like the final cover as much as I do and find yourself lost in the story, forgetting for your daily troubles for a while.
You can read the opening here:
No Wings Attached will be avaible on kindle and smashwords and later via POD.
it's interesting, but IMO it is a strictly chick-lit cover, I'd never give it a second glance. But, that's me, and I don't do chick-lit. The important thing is that YOU think it accurately conveys the book to your desired audience ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right. And you also know how difficult I am. :-)
ReplyDeleteI know you're not into chick lit, you'd probably not like the book at all. But for those who like chick lit, romance and a bit of paranormal, it's perfect. The sequel is more paranormal, hence the cover will reflect that.
I like it a lot. I love the colors, told you that. And the girl is pretty. It draws the eyes in. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Violet. Seems this cover devides the readers. Some don't like it at all, some just love it. ;-) But as you say, it draws the eyes in.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover because the girl is insanely hot, but I don't know that it tells much about the actual story.
ReplyDeletecongrats on the "baby" soon to be born!
ReplyDeleteIf you are looking for some honest opinion: the lettering of the title (font) sucks. Get it (done) right. And your name should be higher up, it's almost falling of the page.
Hey, Bigger
ReplyDeleteWe're just working on it for the past two hours. Thank you for your honest opinion and yes, I prefer honest.
good luck! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, love. And as you can see, I was so tired, I couldn't even type the 'been' anymore. It was 4.30am in London when we finally put down the phone.
ReplyDeleteSteve, see? She's hot ;-)
Well if the story is about how her hotness melts hearts left and right, you got a winner! ;-)
ReplyDeleteShe does, Steve, but more because she's charming. She doesn't really know how beautiful and gorgeous she is. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh and she's funny, great come backs.