Judge a book by its cover

Judge a book by its cover

Now that Book 2 of the Spy, Interrupted series, The Perfect Candidate,  is with the editor, I have the pleasant task of working with the cover designers. I know, I know, I am neglecting Book 3 for now…but I am half way through it, so I am not concerned. (Yes, there is a Book 3!)

Covers are very important because people do judge a book by its cover. Your publisher will push you toward a cover that will sell the book. Busty women, blood and gore, lots of drama, anything to grab “eyeballs”. Never mind if it does not reflect the nature of book. (Side note: One huge advantage of being an independent author is that you have complete creative control and can choose, even if it is to your own detriment, what the book should be both inside and out.)

With Book 1, the cover designers gave me two options. One was a flower draped house, like a Merchant Ivory movie on hallucinogens, to capture the romance aspect of the novel. It was completely over the top, even for a flower fanatic like me. The second option, to address the thriller aspect, was that busty woman I mentioned earlier. She was nothing like the Nina I imagined. A faceless man dragged her by the hand, presumably to escape the evil hordes. It didn’t come close to anything I had in mind. I vented at length about this in my previous post, Exciting Times.

With Book 2, I am again faced with two choices, and this time I like both. The designers took a cue from Book 1 and tried to capture the mood of the book and my personal taste, as well as elements from Book 1. The cover we chose strikes a fine balance (Sorry, Rohinton) between suspense, drama and aesthetics, and combines the best elements of the options created by the designers. You will have an opportunity to judge once Book 2 comes out!