24. Getting My Crow

Getting my crow – The killer detail:

So here it is…

If you’ve seen the Books page of this you’ll know the title of Book 2. Here now is the cover. I hope you love it as much as I do.

This is actually the third or fourth iteration of the cover. You may have read in my earlier Blog #5 and others, that early on I was advised not to be precious about my book covers. Luckily I loved both the hardback and paperback covers for If I Should Die. I made a few very minor comments, they were ignored, and I didn’t mind. There is a very busy team in your publishing house, brainstorming, discussing and testing covers. They consult with booksellers and make sure that they give you the cover which, in their expert opinion, has the very best chance of catching the browsers’ eyes, piquing their interest with the blurb and persuading them to carry it to the till and hand over hard-earned cash for it. You have to trust that they know what they’re doing.

However, if there really is something you’d like tweaked, say so. If they ignore you so be it. But if you don’t you’ll always wonder.

I had a few very minor comments on the draft cover for Between the Crosses. I sent them off expecting nothing, only to be met with complete agreement. Most were just to do with font and text, but the killer detail for me was the addition of a single, portentous crow in the tree. If or when you read this Stark sequel, I hope you’ll spot the significance…