Behind the Book
Until I became an author, I assumed authors had major input into their books’ covers. I mean, didn’t the author control everything, from soup to nuts, about her book?
I thought I’d share a few truths about publishing with you. Most of these are based on questions I’ve received from readers in the past.
* Authors don’t have any control over their covers or the models used on their covers. We might fill out a cover art sheet detailing our wishes, but we’re lucky if the cover looks anything like we requested. I had more input with my small press published covers.
* Authors don’t usually write the blurbs (the plot summary on the back of the book). This is true with NY publishers. I wrote my own blurbs for my small press books.
* Authors don’t get to choose what format their books release in (ebook, mass market paperback, trade, hardback, etc). The publisher decides what format to release the book in and when. The publisher also controls the details behind the book such as font size in print books and enabling/disabling the ability to print an eBook.
* Authors don’t usually get to pick their own titles. This is one exception that hasn’t been true for me, yet. All of the books I’ve published so far have the titles I gave them. I’m sure that won’t always be the case.
* Authors don’t control what country/language their books are released in or when foreign editions are released. If foreign rights are sold, then the publisher decides when, where and how to release the foreign editions. The same is true of film rights. If film rights are sold, then it’s up to a film company to produce the film…and usually the author has no input on the film adaption.
So, what DO authors control?
I guess the most important aspect. Authors control the story behind the cover.
Were you surprised by any of these? What’s one aspect of publishing that you’ve learned that surprised you that I didn’t mention above?
Girl and a lion! Girl and a lion!
For the second series I got this breakdown: “Dear Ilona, you are getting a girl, a truck, a shot gun, a guy, and some magic sparklies.”
It is an awesome cover, but when I first read that description, I did a double take.
You were probably scratching your head thinking: How’s this all gonna work?
Scions:Resurrection: I asked for girl in a cave, looking at the shadow of a guy standing at the entrance of the cave with gun in his hand.
Scions:Insurrection: I asked for guy and girl standing together and him to have a necklace with a bullet slug on it.
Scions:Revelation: I asked for a girl with hair that had iridescent sparkles in it. I think I mentioned her eyes…
All my covers turned out great overall and I got some element of what I’d asked for.
Patrice, your covers belong to my favourites EVAH (that might be because the people look exactly like I imagined them, and that has never happened before or ever since). I think it’s interesting that they weren’t what you’d first envisioned, though.
I think the cover artists nailed Scions:Insurrection. It’s the closest the book cover came to my imaginings.
And I really loved the way Scions:Revelation turned out. In the bigger version you can see Emma’s eyes are cat eyes. Cool!!
And my favorite part about Scions:Resurrection was the colors they used and the fact my heroine looked like Naomi Watts. Gorgeous!
I LOVE the walrus and the Mythbusters!
I’d heard that about book publishing and it does seem so strange how little control a writer has over the packaging of their product.
Great job on staying sane (or pretending that you are sane??) Heh-heh-heh.
This can be a crazy-inducing business at times. LOL!
I was really surprised too, but at the end of the day…the publishers know what sells best cover-wise.
Covers – I said, “I want a girl with a tramp stamp!”
My editor – “You’re getting mantitty.”
I have mantitty.
Love the succinctness of the exchange. You should see the cover art form I was asked to fill out. Took a couple hours. Oy!
Can’t wait to see the mantitty!
Oh, that’s interesting. I didn’t have a cover art form — my editor just said, “send me notes”. I go kind of crazy with pictures and descriptions. I might have to post it sometime
You should totally post it. I imagine all the “side commentary” would be hilarious. Heh.
My #1 request is always: no mullets, please.
Shouldn’t it be “giant mantitty”?
I’ve gotten mostly what I’ve asked for every time on the cover … even if the first ones might have been a little pinker/purpler than I expected.
My editor has been really great about incorporating suggestions into the cover, and every we’ve changed the ‘look’ of the series, it’s been all about the marketing and finding the right cover to fit the audience.
But the rest of these points? 100% down the line. I have been lucky with my titles, though. I didn’t pick the first, but all of the others have stuck.
Yey on keeping titles!
I saw an interesting comment the other day about why authors don’t usually keep their titles and when I read it, I was nodding, YES, that makes sense. The comment went something like…
Authors often give their novels titles that, after having read the novel, make total sense to the journey of the novel. But what publishers want are titles that resonate up front. <—I probably totally decimated that explanation, but I hope the point comes across.
That totally makes sense. Because titles are, whether it (hehe) offends our artistic sensibilities or not, one of the first things a potential reader sees and an important part of the book’s marketing package. It needs to grab them so that they pick up the book, and it won’t grab them if you have to read the book first to appreciate the title.
one thing that has surprised me — how much work goes into being a writer, that isn’t really writing it all. :0\
Oh yes, that was a surprise for sure.
Maybe its because I read so many different blogs but nne of those really surprised me.
What’s interesting is that six years ago when I was first starting out, none of this information was available online. And if it was available, I’d have to really hunt to find it. With online blogs, reader’s blogs, reviewers blogs and social networks, things have changed so much the past few years!
I’m with Calila here – I’ve already known all those facts. I still think it’s a little unfair. I mean, if I (some day in the future) finish the story I want to sell (hopefully) and it is made into a book (maybe), I’ll be only too happy to have others write the blurb. I’d be okay with another title, too, for the same reasons Meljean mentioned (although it would bother me because I think my title is great!). But what would really bother me is when the cover looked absolutely different from what I’d want it to look like. I’m an artist myself and I’ve got pretty clear pictures in my head and I’d hate if they didn’t get realized. But, well, c’est la vie…
You never know, Lisa. Your book cover could turn out to look exactly like you hoped OR what’s even better is when the cover is SO much better than you could’ve ever envisioned it!
I’ve never heard of any of those…sometimes when I see a cover that I don’t like I blame it on the author…the story is great but the cover is awful or doesn’t go…NOW I know why!!! Same goes with movies
good to know!!! Thanks
I’m glad this is new info you found good to know.
I checked out your covers and alls I gotta say is WOW!!! Just by looking at them I wanna read ur books (which I am)
Btw I just fell in love with Andrei Claude
he’s GORGEOUS this is how I know God is a female 
LOL about God being a female, Nini.
I’m glad you like my covers and I hope you enjoy my books.
Andre’s a really nice and down to earth guy. You can read more about him here…er, and see more pics, here.
I always thought authors had control over the title. Or at least the power to veto it. DO you have (some) power to veto titles your editor picked? What if Magic Bites was called Slayer or Beast Lord or something like that?
Though I haven’t personally experienced this, I’ve heard some authors talk about how they went through a list of 30+ titles with their editor trying to come up with something that worked.
Cool that you get some input on your covers…I always wondered. Covers can have such a huge impact, especially to a reader unfamilar with the author. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve been swayed by a hot cover more than once. *blush*
I think many of us have been swayed by a hot cover!