Recovering from the Cover Process

Getting to see a book cover is one of the most exciting pieces of the publishing process so far, but it has not been easy. I have watched countless videos of authors crying with excitement upon seeing their covers in person, but I have also heard many writers share how they didn’t really have any voice in their covers.

Everyone has a different experience, but I thought it might be helpful to share mine. For context, my debut novel secured a book deal in early August of 2022 and will be published with Penguin Random House (Delacorte Press) in August of 2024. 

Everything in the timeline below occurred in 2023.

Feb 22-The word “cover” was first mentioned in an email from my editor. Upon receiving this email, Molly, my agent, immediately asked me to send my reaction to her first, before my editor. At the time, I laughed. Oh, I’m sure people could be upset about covers, but me? I’m level-headed and so excited for any cover that I couldn’t possibly get upset.

My editor asked me to send over any covers that I liked or disliked, and I had my Pinterest boards ready! I found I favored covers without people on them and ones that featured some kind of object, iconographic.

Desert of Silence. Covers are not mentioned at all.

April 22-My editor had a meeting discussing possible designs. I only know because apparently the link to my Pinterest boards stopped working and I had to fix the settings. Whoops!

May 5-My editor sent the first set of mock ups to me. These were low-quality images, rough mock ups of four different directions. Each had a different color scheme and featured image. One in particular was really pretty, but didn’t fit the vibe or my book. I had a clear favorite, and it happened to be the same as my agent and editor. The stars were aligning.

May 31-My editor sent over my first detailed options. It was the came color scheme and concept we had discussed, but with more texture, different positioning, and stronger font. I liked all four variations (small variations. It feels like one of those “Find the six differences” games), but I didn’t feel head over heels. Still, I was happy.

June 22-This is the month I was told they originally wanted the cover to be done. So the image we agreed on went off to the big sales and marketing meeting to be pitched to the team, and…it was shot down. It wasn’t “striking” enough to stand out. I was disappointed, but hey! This means I get to see even MORE cover options of my book, so could I complain?

July 27-My birthday! A new cover with two different main color schemes arrives in my inbox. Once again, I like it. There are some small things to tweak, but overall, my feelings are positive!

Aug 2-Once again, the cover goes off to the sales and marketing team, and once again–you guessed it–the cover is rejected. Back to the drawing board. My editor tosses out some new objects to feature, and I shoot over a short list too. Surely something will stick, right?

Aug 15-Hey! Another cover arrives in my inbox and…wait a minute. That’s not an object I suggested. It’s not even in my book. And the color scheme! Will that really stand out? It’s so…not what I expected, and different from the others we’ve discussed. This time I send that email to my agent with my reservations. I sleep on it. Molly really likes the cover, it’s clear my editor does…but do I? 

I really struggled for a few days. I sent over some concerns to my editor, namely that the object isn’t in my book, but she loved my idea of adding it into a key scene, which immediately made me feel better. She also sent over the image in a collage of seven other best-selling YA thriller covers, and wow! It really did fit and yet stand out at the same time. 

In the end, I knew I didn’t have the artistic eye or marketing skills to make this decision, so I trusted my team. I didn’t hate what I’d been given. It just caught me off guard, and with some time and sleep and encouragement from friends, I saw the potential in it.

Aug 22-The new cover traveled down the yellow brick road, made it to the Emerald City and went before the great and powerful Oz–I mean, sales and marketing team–once again. This time, they loved it! It will still have some minor adjustments, but we’re finally all on the same page.

I dug through all my old emails to find the dates for this post, and saw those rejected covers again. It shocked me to discover I no longer liked them like I did when I first saw them. I don’t think they’re stronger than the new one at all!

I was fortunate enough to have a great communicator in my editor who took in my ideas and worked with her team, but she also wasn’t afraid to try new things. My agent was with me at every step of the way, lightning-fast with those email responses. And now I trust I have a sales and marketing team who really know what they’re doing, because if it had been up to me, I would have gone with the first one. In this case, the first was definitely not the best.

In the coming months, I’ll be able to share the final cover with everyone! Be sure to sign-up for my newsletter to be the first to see it!