Book Covers

Here's a sneak peek at the cover for my upcoming romantic thriller, Sleep No More (January 2010). Just a little scary, just a little sexy -- just like the book.

For those of you who don't already know, as a general rule we authors get to see our covers when they're just about a done deal. Which I suppose is a smart idea. Writers write. Publishers and marketing departments sell. And that's the name of the game, after all -- sell that book! The sole purpose of the cover is to get you, the reader passing by in the retail store, to stop and pick up the book, read the back cover copy (which generally is also written by someone other than the writer of the novel).

We novelists sometimes have a problem with being concise when it comes to describing our stories. Back cover copy is an entirely different skill set. Of course, there are authors who possess both. I am not one of them. But I digress.

Back to covers. Although I was privilaged to have my publisher use an idea I offered for Sleep No More (the van partially submerged in the water, which was one of the most fun-to-write scenes in the book) I still did not see the cover until it was finished. Luckily, I was thrilled with the finished product.

Another fun fact about book covers, there are actually contests devoted to cover art. Two of my covers have been nominated for said awards: Back Roads and A Kiss in Winter

Truly beauty is in the eyes of the beholder ... but a beautiful cover can still fail to prompt the desired response ... a reader picking up the book. I have had people tell me they chose my book because of the cover. Which is wonderful. But I would urge folks to open up that cover and read the first page before dismissing a book because the cover does not appeal to you. The words inside could very well sing to your heart.