I’ve always enjoyed strolling through Barnes and Noble to check out the vast variety of book covers. I’ll admit, often it’s the cover that prompts me to pluck a novel from the shelf and read the back cover. If that captures my interest, I’ll read the first page.
When my first book, Second Chance Romance was contracted by Harlequin, I wasn’t aware of the input they ask from their authors in the form of an Art Fact Sheet, to help with the cover design. After providing the publisher with a synopsis, theme, characters and three particular scene descriptions, the art and editorial department get together to create a concept for the cover. A few months later, a mock-up of the cover is provided for the author to catch any obvious errors, or to make suggestions.
I remember clearly the excitement when I received the email that included my first cover. As I excitedly clicked on the attachment, my first reaction was…
Ack!
My sweet little tow-headed Rebecca, the daughter of Jackson Daughtry, my hero, was a brunette. Yikes! This was definitely something a reader would catch. Thankfully, after notifying my editor of the error, the fantastic art department was quick to fix the problem and produced a beautiful cover.
For my second book, A Father for Bella, I provided the requested information. Little did I know, once again, I’d be in for a big surprise. You see, the three scenes I submitted, along with photographs found on line were all outdoors. This is something Harlequin Love Inspired prefers on their covers.
Imagine my surprise when I opened the attachment of the mock-up and saw this.
It’s Bella, my heroine’s daughter, reading a book inside of her home. There’s no photo of the hero or heroine, also unusual. I stared at the cover for several minutes and then realized there wasn’t a thing I wanted to change.
So, what captures your interest on a book cover? Personally, I’ve always been drawn to beach scenes.
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Jill Weatherholt 