This week the Debs are talking about being a woman writer–how does gender play a role in the business of writing? The world of publishing, reading and writing is fraught with gender bias at every twist and turn. Case in point: The publishing industry is overwhelmingly white and female, US study finds – Keep in mind that these are the people choosing the books that get printed. Male authors accounted for…
I’m a huge fan of cover art. I love a gorgeous book cover, and I’ve always known it takes enormous skill to create an image that speaks to the content and vibe of a novel without being too literal or too abstract. I was beyond thrilled when I got my book deal with Emily Bestler Books and especially excited to see what the brilliant Simon and Schuster art designers would…
I’ve heard the horror stories. I’ve been in Facebook groups where writers have bemoaned how much they hate their covers. Titles have been mangled. Everyone is unhappy. In my contract, I was given “consultation” rights, which I was told means basically nothing. The publishing house can consult me and say, “Okay, now we’re going to do what we want.” I was prepared. I would employ my family motto—”Suck it up”—and…
I read a lot of blogs about publishing on my quest to learn as much as possible about what comes next. It was on a blog that I came across this important fact: Book covers and titles are marketing tools. Book covers and titles are marketing tools—I said this to myself like a mantra all though out the publishing process, so I would be prepared when the time came. I had…
Way back in the beginning of our publishing journey with HarperTeen, before we’d turned in revisions or locked the title or done anything really, our lovely editor asked us for thoughts on the cover. Dhonielle and I were pretty stoked — we’d heard stories of author input being completely ignored, so this was a pleasant surprise, especially as a debut. Knowing this, we said somewhat wishy-washy things like, oh, hopefully…
I love how all the other Debs decided to write about their five favorite things in The Moment of Everything this week. It’s been fun to see who liked what the best in the book. I haven’t known the other Debs for long, but already I feel so close to them. I could read each of their posts anonymously and tell you who had written each one! And now it’s…
One thing a lot of people don’t realize about book covers is that the author is usually pretty far removed from the process of designing it. There are some exceptions, of course. I imagine that authors who have a background in design or whose books feature their own art or photography might have a heavier hand in creating their covers. For most authors, though, the process of designing and choosing…
I know what you’re thinking. We’re talking book covers this week and what could I, the one Deb whose book cover has been “coming soon” for months, possibly have to say about it? Well, lots. Because even though I haven’t shared the cover for Chasing the Sun yet, I’ve seen it. It’s finalized and perfect and more beautiful than I ever could’ve imagined. Every once in a while, I open…
When I was a kid, reading was my thing. I rollerskated a bit, and could occasionally be forced outside to “play,” but I was happier sitting somewhere with a book than doing anything else. But one thing about books confused me. When I went to the library or to a bookstore, I noticed book covers first. I noticed that I was drawn to some covers more than others. I noticed…
I love book covers. This is one of the reasons why I prefer paper books to electronic. When done well, they draw us straight to the books we love. When done badly – well – things happen. Mismatches occur. People pick up books they think will be one thing, but turn out to be another. Or they don’t pick up the book at all because the cover doesn’t pull pull them…
