Question #1 for Mary
Dear Readers,
Yesterday, I shared that every Tuesday from now until May 14th, I’ll be posting questions from my interview with Mary Keane, Senior Designer for Harper Collins. I hope you will find this ‘behind the scenes’ look as interesting as I did! If you’d care to comment or ask Mary a question, please do!
Every Friday, I’ll be drawing a name from the comments and sending out an advanced copy of Ray of Light, signed by both me and Mary.
Thanks for stopping by, and for making Mary feel welcome. 
Shelley
question #1:
Shelley: Mary, what is the process for designing the art work for the covers? Do you receive some ideas from the editors first? Do you read the book first?
Mary: The first thing that happens is a concept meeting. The editor describes the story to the art team and gives us any ideas, colors, or feelings they are hoping for on the cover. If the author has published before they often show the previous covers and discuss what was successful about them and whether they want them to be similar or a completely new approach.
I like to read the entire book whenever I can. I’m usually looking for an overall theme, a special scene, the setting, the time of year, or little details about the characters. As a reader, I like to see the figures on the cover reflect the descriptions of characters in the story. Also, it’s fun for me to know I am one of the first to read a new book!
Once I have some direction, I start combing through photographs and thinking about colors and emotions I want to evoke and fonts I think would be appropriate for the title, etc. When I design a series, such as Shelley Shepard Gray’s Daybreak, Ray of Light and Eventide, I know from the start that I will want a common theme or approach to make the covers work together as three parts of an overarching story.
(Several designers have worked on the covers for my books. Mary designed all three covers for the secrets of crittenden county and all three covers for the days of redemption series)
