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…
Like many of the other Debs, my editor asked me way up front if I had any must-haves or must-not-haves for my cover. I know this trick. Well, it’s not really a trick of the intentional kind. It’s the “we’re being earnest about this, but in spite of everyone’s best efforts, it will end up being something you hate” kind of trick. This is how I know this. I’d worked with…
When I signed my contract with Minotaur for the first three books in the Shinobi Mystery series, I accepted that my cover art was out of my control. And I made a decision: Whatever my cover looked like, I would love it. Many authors compare their books to children, and seeing my cover art bore many resemblances to the birth of my son. I didn’t know what my son would…
