Judging a Book by its Cover

Image from www.andrewkeir.comI now officially understand why most publishers do not include authors in the cover art decision. Even the most chill of us will become divas in the end, trying to dictate every detail when the simple fact is, we are not the marketers. We might fancy a pretty picture and think we know what is best for representing the story, but though we all think we have good taste, the basic truth is that we ALL cannot possibly. That doesn't stop me from assuming that I do, of course, and to be fair, my marketing team did like the input I provided; it's in keeping with house style, so they did everything to give this lil' Veruca Salt what she wanted.

But in the end, I was still torn between what I'd handpicked myself and what they'd originally offered me. My publicist said, "they are both striking. [...] I think you can't go wrong with either one." My editor likewise said, "I honestly don't know which I'd pick. :-/" And in a small poll among friends and family, the opinions were divided evenly.

Long story short: This was a bitch of a decision. Truly spoiled for choice. But as of this week, I did give Regis my final answer.

In the spirit of the book's title, I shall keep the cover a secret until its reveal. ;)

I've learned this from the process, though: In these modern days of Amazon and e-readers, how a cover looks as a thumbnail is critical to its marketing. Regardless of how gorgeous it may look on a full-sized book in your hands, even those buying print copies online will first view it as a thumbnail image. So as I tried to make up my mind between two stellar options, I was not only enlarging the images to appreciate their details but shrinking them as well to see what they'd look like online.

In the meantime, am just trying to process that this chosen cover will be appearing on Amazon.com, BN.com, and Omnific Publishing's website soon. I really don't think I know what I'm getting into here. But it's awfully exciting, and I'm just going to try to enjoy the wild ride.

I have to ask you all out of curiosity, though:  

When it comes to book covers, do you think less is more--i.e., a design that's catchy but simple and leaves you guessing what the story is about? Or do you prefer more detailed imagery that sets specific expectations? 

Cheers!

~ Rumer