Cover Story: not the usual way to design a book cover but it worked

What author doesn’t long to see the book they have laboured over out in the world between shiny covers? And how many authors get the cover they want? One of the biggest gambles in the writer’s mind when he/she gives a book over to the publisher is how the cover design will turn out and I know plenty of people who haven’t been happy with a publisher’s choice (even if sales figures show it has been the right one). I can honestly say I did get what I wanted, even if at the outset I didn’t know e...