tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post1688087306764095374..comments2024-03-15T09:26:02.796-05:00Comments on PROJECT MAYHEM: Chris Eboch on Cover DesignProject Mayhemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154342399869089664noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-86427528327225523402013-09-10T11:22:25.390-05:002013-09-10T11:22:25.390-05:00True, and it's why I hope more publishers goin...True, and it's why I hope more publishers going forward will at least consult with their authors on matters like this, because lost sales over possible misleading or inappropriate covers and/or interior illustrations affects them as much as us where both sales and reputation are concerned.<br /><br />That said, there are times when taking the unconventional road works, like my example of the covers for the Hermux Tantamoq series.<br /><br />(Which you can see here:http://talkinganimaladdicts.com/lettersfromed3/)<br /><br />While I personally love seeing characters on the cover, I can understand the choice made for this was a way to make the books reflect the sophistication and entice readers who might not otherwise read them for thinking they're babyish when they're not.<br /><br />They certainly wouldn't make tweens and teens feel self-conscious, as apart from the first book having "Mouse" in the title, you could think the other three are any kind of book from the outside, and hey "Of Mice and Men" didn't alienate the thousands who've read it (I haven't yet, but I'm making a broad point, LOL.), and there was an actual mouse in the story, though more naturalistic I'd imagine than the aforementioned series. <br /><br />It also opens the reader to imagine the characters as they wish. <br /><br />Obviously that's one area where you can better head this off via self-publishing. <br /><br />But there need to be ways to address this via the traditional model without at the same time falling into the "Control Freak" trap non-illustrator authors can get into, and not always because they're inherent egomaniacs, you know?<br />Taurean Watkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16604609379930060667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-27736606481645758632013-09-10T10:23:56.016-05:002013-09-10T10:23:56.016-05:00Good points, Taurean. Whether or not the cover acc...Good points, Taurean. Whether or not the cover accurately shows a specific scene from the book, the characters and setting shouldn't be completely different. It's offensive if cover characters are shown as "whiter," and mistakes in cover art could even affect a book's sales and the author's reputation – for example if non-fiction or historical fiction has inaccuracies on the cover, teachers might think the text will also have errors and refuse to use the book in the classroom.Kris Bockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16217265282250089583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2173408054965817352.post-46154516705297738862013-09-08T14:02:41.307-05:002013-09-08T14:02:41.307-05:00The overall tone IS important. But I do feel it&#...The overall tone IS important. But I do feel it's vital to either be as accurate as possible with conveying things in the actual book.<br /><br />It would seem weird to have a cover of a female MC wearing a dress, but she's a tomboy and doesn't wear dresses, and that would be inaccurate, and I do think many girls (Even the non-tomboys) will cry "FOWL" right there.<br /><br />While writers may notice it more readily, it DOES bother lay readers, at least those I know, and I don't feel false advertising aids the reader-to-author experience. <br /><br />Especially when we talk of matters involving diversity as done on this blog a short time ago. <br /><br />As the author you'd hate that characters who are authentically French, for instance, that you take GREAT PAINS to be as true to them as humanly possible, are portrayed in a inauthentic even cartoony stereotypical way on the cover.<br /><br />I feel that's it's part of why authors shy away from tackling diversity in an overt way.<br /><br />As authors we (IDEALLY) orchestrate the words, but have little or no say in how those words are packaged in respect to covers or any interior illustrators the book will have.<br /><br />So I'm of two minds of how accurate in tone to what covers mean for readers, and I just have a harder time with thinking about covers as an author versus a lay reader.<br /><br />The only exception I can think of is the Hermux Tantamoq series by Michael Hoeye.<br /><br />You learn from the blurb and first pages of each your entering a wondrous animal fantasy, but I feel those covers that depict the tone but not the characters(Particularly the European editions), make it easier for kids and teens to give the book a chance and not immediately think "I've outgrown Disney and all that jazz."<br /><br />I personally love when the characters are shown as the humanlike, self-aware,creatures they are. The covers for "A Rat's Tale" and "The Wainscott Weasel" both by Tor Seidler, and illustrated so brilliantly by the late Fred Marcelino. <br /><br />I WISH he was still alive and ask my editor to strongly consider him for cover and interior illustration.<br /><br /> Taurean Watkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16604609379930060667noreply@blogger.com