If you know nothing about a book or its author, how else can you judge it? When I’m perusing bookstore shelves, it’s often the split-second appeal of the jacket that makes me pick it up or pass it by. It’s sort of like an impulse buy—an impulse gander.
I first saw the cover of my novel SHELTER ME at my agent’s office. I arrived at that moment with the kind of semi-psychotic mix of hope and trepidation one reserves for blind dates and college entrance letters. Would it be great? Or would it be ugly, cheesy, boring and/or misleading? Would anyone gander?
I think it’s pretty great. Readers often say they picked up SHELTER ME because of its colorful, evocative cover. However, they also mention with striking regularity that the woman’s hair doesn’t quite match the description of Janie’s, and the boy is a little too big to be Dylan. Readers really care if the cover matches the story.
And why shouldn’t we? A book is an invitation, and we want to know if it’s to a hoedown or a minuet. And further, we want to be beguiled into believing the characters exist somewhere in reality. When the cover doesn’t match, it lets a little air out of that sweet bubble of enchantment.
“That’s not really her,” readers often say of Janie’s cover shot. “Her hair is curly.”
“Yes,” I was tempted to reply the first time I heard it. “But that could never be ‘her’ because I made her up. She’s fictional.”
That’s the wrong answer. The highest praise for any fiction writer is when readers believe. The worst thing we can do is remind them not to. So I agree and apologize, because I really do wish the art department had found a photo that was just as beautiful, but with a curly dark-haired woman. (In fact I had to ask them to darken the hair of the woman on the cover because she’s actually blond.) Publishers don’t set up photo shoots for each cover—it’s far less expensive to search stock photo sites for pictures that already exist.
For my second novel, DEEP DOWN TRUE, it was harder to find one that reflected the story and had that elusive gander-worthy appeal. They finally chose a photo of two kids whispering, a scene that wasn’t in the book. Knowing this would let the air out of readers’ enchantment bubble, I added a few lines to make it happen. The publisher may have thought I was a little nutty, but I knew readers would rightly ask, “What’s with the cover? That never happened in the book.”
The sales reps (a group you really want to make happy) loved the story—but hated that cover, in large part because it showed the kids’ faces. Readers have strong feelings about what characters look like, and we don’t want to be contradicted by someone else’s version.
Back to square one, this time searching for pictures that might not strictly represent the story, but would be beautiful and evocative. The minute they showed me the final cover of DEEP DOWN TRUE, I had the gut reaction I’d been waiting for, one I hope readers will share: “I want to be in that lovely scene and find out what’s going on there.” It made me want to gander.
In the end I kept the little scene where the kids whisper to each other. Apparently storytelling inspiration can come from the most unlikely sources … even from a book cover that doesn’t exist.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kari! I’ve felt that ache in my heart about the end of a book, too, and I’m happy Shelter Me was able to provide it. Let me know how you like Deep Down True.
I finished Shelter Me tonight and I have an ache in my heart-I didn’t want it to end! I have had it on my book shelf for a year but wasn’t interested because of the cover…I’m SO grateful I read it & while I too was bothered that the picture “didn’t match” the characters I didn’t need the cover to help me imagine the characters. You are an amazing author and I’m so happy I read your book! I’ll be going to the book store tomorrow for your second book!
Thanks, Pamela. It is funny how a scene can rise up out of something unexpected. And I myself am much more forgiving about covers not quite matching the story, now I know the process a little better.
Funny about the covers not being spot-on. I just finished a book by an author I read voraciously, and his opening scene describes a door (which is the cover art) that’s not really like the door on the cover except for the color. Now I’m wondering if it even started out being red! I love the fact that you added a scene to tie in the cover art that ended up getting changed–but left in because you liked it. What a great anecdote!
The cover of a book is like the menu- it gets you started, gets you thinking of what’s going to come next. Because the meal is what counts (and positive surprises are always welcomed)! So I never even noticed the whole thing about the hair color or the size of her boy. Once I opened the pages of Shelter Me, I entered that world and when I was done, I hated to leave!
I have to admit the cover did catch my eye (I happen to also be a closet ‘book jacket’ picker-outer). After I read the book (which I LOVED, thanks!), I noticed the cover really didn’t go with the story. I am disheartened to hear the author doesn’t get to choose the cover themselves. It seems like one of the most important ways to give a glimpse of your book….I am really shocked the cover is just a random (but talented) photographer’s work. Do all books go through this? I feel like it is akin to someone picking out a band’s logo, or their album cover. (please DO NOT tell me someone else picks out musician’s album covers; I don’t think I could handle that, ha ha).
Regardless, I am excited for the release of your next book and want to tell you again how very much I enjoyed this one. It touched me and made me laugh, and I felt good after reading it. I found your characters very realistic and relatable. I feel like I made new friends! Janie’s sarcasm was a welcome change from the usual “woe is me” widow stories. She was someone I would love to know personally. I will definitely recommend this one to my friends and family. 🙂
It’s funny you say that about the cover, I’m reading the book now and I have looked back at the cover several times trying to figure out if that is supposed to be Janie and her son. The child looks too big and her hair is not curly, which has somewhat bothered me. The book is awesome though, I’m almost done and already hoping you will have a sequel since I would love to know what happens in her life after the first year.