Cover Me
April 10th, 2008 by Allison Winn Scotch
So I’m gearing up for the paperback release of The Department of Lost and Found, which basically doesn’t mean that much since most of the promotional push goes to the hardcover release, but one thing that will catch readers’ eyes is that I have an entirely different cover for this version of the book. At first, I was aghast. Now, I’ve changed my tune a bit. Here’s why and how the changes came about.
When the hardcover jacket (at right) was created, I was asked for my input and thoughts, and I was tremendously grateful for that. I sent over a list of books whose covers I admired, and savvy detectives might notice that as a result, The Department hardcover is a near exact blend of the covers of The Myth of You and Me and The Dive From Clausen’s Pier. The process was somewhat collaborative (from what I understand, not all writers receive this privilege), and we all declared this cover both stunning and marketable. And to me, it was. The rub was this: it was marketable, at least according to the folks at HarperCollins in hindsight, to a very specific demographic, namely, my demographic: urban, willing to pay for hardcovers, well-heeled, etc, (no wonder I loved it!) and missed the boat for a lot of readers for whom the words inside might resonate but for whom the cover did not.
Hrmph. That’s what I thought when they sent me the image of the paperback cover. (Well, I thought a lot of other things, but they’re not printable right now.)
With time, however, I’ve come not only to accept the new cover, but I’ve even come to like it…
as much as I’m going to like a cover that I probably wouldn’t grab from the shelf. Book marketing is a tricky thing – I’ve blogged about this in the past - no one is quite sure what will sell a book…and if the marketing department thinks that this image, which in my mind is very evocative of a Jodi Picoult book and which is certainly good company to keep, will do the trick, then it’s a-okay with me. Cover art, as we all know, can make or break a book. So publishers try to best match the jacket image with the demographic they’re aiming for (obviously). In this case, they want to reach moms in the Midwest and book club readers and a whole slew of folks who felt alienated by the other image. The same holds true for foreign versions: I’m certain, for example, that The Department will have a different cover in Germany, while the folks in New Zealand, who evidently have similar sensibilities as US readers, will get the trade-paperback image that you’re seeing here.
Look, as a writer, I’ve come to realize that I can only control so much. The best thing I can do is accept that there are people out there who are trying to do right by me, namely, the team at my publisher, and if it’s putting out this cover so that the words inside the book reach more people, well, that’s the whole point of this thing anyway, isn’t it? The cover might have changed but the words inside haven’t, and if this image is going to get people to sink into the novel with gusto, then, hey, I not only like the new cover, I love it.
It would be an interesting thing to explore, wouldn’t it? Look at your bookshelf and pull out those books you chose solely based on cover art. What trends do you notice? It’s a little like psychotherapy via bookshelf.
Congrats on both covers, Allison. And best of luck reaching that new demographic!
It’s absolutely a shocking moment, when you see the paperback. My publisher, also, went for an entirely different kind of image for the paperbacks of my books — trying to hit the beach-going, younger market. I think the first two are extremely preppy looking — like a girl in boarding school. My hardcover, by contrast, was very collegiate feeling.
The third one captures the book best of all, though.
And no, being compared to Jodi Picoult is NEVER a bad thing!
Diana,
Thanks for sharing your experience! I remember seeing the various incarnations posted on your site as they happened. Yeah, it’s really jarring but I’ve come to accept it!
Teri-
I was thinking that I should have added in some more stuff about exactly what you posted above - GalleyCat has been running a big thread (in which my book is noted) about the current trend of “back of head” covers. Weird. I also think it’s a little odd that there’s no market research about what cover might work: why not survey some potential readers as to what resonates? Just another odd thing about our industry!
It’s such a surprise when the cover differs from what you’ve had in your mind during all those months of writing! I was shocked by my cover, but now I’ve come to love it…in no small part because it’s EXACTLY the type of cover I’d pick up in a bookstore
I loved your first cover…but I think it’s cool that you’ve got the chance to reach so many more readers with a new one for the paperback. Such a great alternative to publishers throwing up their hands and saying, “Better luck next time…”
Here’s to your back of the head girl being in millions of reader’s hands this summer! (Wait, that doesn’t sound right…)
The new cover is beautiful, Allison. It IS weird how covers follow trends, and now we’re getting partial heads. I hated the “kicky shoe” trend that was big until recently. Every single women’s fic/chick lit book showed either feet or shoes. It was insulting, actually.
a cover is a powerful marketing tool - publishers have known that for years, i suppose. perhaps that is why authors want definite input on them. anyway, congratulations on your paperback release, allison!
I know I’ve picked up books because I liked the look of the cover (and bought them if I liked the description on the back or inside), but I have trouble naming them - the content overwhelmed my initial impression of the cover, so now I just remember it was a good book. (While I was typing that, I realized that I can name one, off the top of my head - Kushiel’s Dart. Though now I remember picking that one up several times, because I loved the cover, but the blurb on the back just wasn’t doing anything for me. I finally read a few pages, bought it, and got hooked.)
I can definitely name a series I resisted for years because of the covers - The Wheel of Time. I think it was after the fourth book I finally overcame my revulsion for the cover art and bought the first one. And then, of course, I read eight or nine of them, before deciding I was just going to wait til the series was done, but that’s a different discussion.
Juliet’s going to think I’m making this up, but seriously, the first time I saw the cover for Daughter of the Forest, I fell in lurve. Of course the content and the cover are a perfect fit for one another.
What is so striking to me is that the hardback and paperback convey such different moods…and yes I can see the appeal to different demographics. And if the new paperback cover art will widen you audience, then I say terrific!
One observation: I think both covers portray different dimensions of your lead character’s personality…sort of a ‘before and after’ of what she has achieved through her journey.
-suz.
Allison, I really like the softer look of this paperback cover. But then, I love Jodi Picoult so maybe I’m in the target demographic. Did you notice your name is in bigger print than the title? That has to be good!
I’ve had some startling covers in my time, on some of which there’s been no consultation whatever. For my next book, the cover image for the Australian edition is being done by an artist I know personally and I’m being consulted right through the creative process which is a completely new experience for me. In a way it’s worrying, as I’ve always been told by publishers that it’s the marketing people who know best where covers are concerned.