Mary Interview, Part 2
Every Tuesday until May 14th, Ray of Light’s Release Date, I’ll be highlighting Mary Keane, Senior Designer for Harper Collins. Mary has designed many of my book covers, and I have to say that I feel so fortunate that she does! I think they are beautiful! My favorite quote of Mary’s is her answer to my question about eye-catching covers! I also love how Mary talks about how the right cover design is a team effort~that’s much like how writing the book is for me. Not only do the editors give me feedback about my writing, they also help make my plots stronger, the pace quicker, and the characters stronger. Yes, I write the book…but the folks at my publisher work very hard to make sure it’s the best possible book that it can be.
Also highlighted today is another ‘rejected’ cover for Ray of Light. Though this is beautiful, I’m glad it wasn’t chosen. When my characters are in warm weather, they’re in Florida or Belize, and when they’re in Berlin, it’s cold and snowy.
Don’t forget to comment if you’d like to be eligible to win a signed copy of Ray of Light, signed by both Mary Keane and me! We’ll announce this week’s winner on Friday.
Finally~the Kindle and Nook versions of Daybreak are now available for $1.99! My books rarely go on sale, so I’m delighted about this. If you haven’t read the first book in the series and have either a Kindle or Nook, I hope you’ll consider picking up the book. Please tell your friends and family about the sale, too!
Now, finally….Here’s more of Mary’s Interview!
3. How many different covers do you typically design for each book?
I usually try to come up with four or five basic ideas, then start working with the images. I like to have at least 3 covers that I feel are strong when I show them to the editor. Often, one cover is an early favorite, though not always the one I thought it would be. If none of my first attempts are chosen, the editor and publisher will give me feedback and I will start again. It is important to listen carefully to what the team thinks the cover should look like at the start.
4. What makes an eye-catching cover? What doesn’t?
It is like love. When you find it, you know it.
When I am searching for images, I have ideas in mind: a sunrise or a farm, etc. If an image makes me stop, enlarge it or look at it for even a few seconds, it’s in the running. By the time an image makes it to a cover, it has gotten and held my attention repeatedly, in a sea of similar images. For me, this is a good sign. What doesn’t make a good cover is in the eye of the beholder. If it doesn’t make you want to read the book, it isn’t a good cover.
