Cover Art

Today I have the chance to share an interview with the very talented Cecilia Robert, and we are going to take a moment to talk about cover art. 

Cecilia, I have to admit that when I saw your cover for your new book, I fell in love with it.  I love good, creative cover art, but more often than not, I find the finished product less than appealing. I will share a little about my bad experience at the end.

I want to know how much you are involved in the creation/selection of your cover art.

If you create your own images, how do you go about it?

I am so blessed to have met very talented ladies. Thank goodness! I wouldn't know where to start.

Where do you choose your pics from?

All of my images are chosen from photo stock websites.

Where does the inspiration for the cover art come from? Is it something you can imagine yourself, do you have someone come up with suggestions that you approve in the end, or do you work with someone, brainstorming and such?

My inspiration comes from the story itself. For example: My contemporary romance story, Truly.Madly.Deeply.You. Najla and I thought of a cover that would portray the story itself. Sweet couple, friends to lovers. I am working with Najla in another project as well.

 For Reaper’s Novice, Ravven – the designer who worked on this cover – and I tossed ideas back and forth, the she did a mock-up and sent it to me. After giving her my feedback, she’d let me know if the idea works or not. Eventually everything worked out perfectly. I really like it when the designer I’m working with tells me what will work and what won’t. She’s doing the covers in the series.

Gotta love these ladies. :o)

This time you used a drawing, (a lovely one at that), why the change from a photo to a drawing for your cover art?

Actually it’s still a photo which has been enhanced. Ravven worked her magic.  :o)

Do you pay for your cover art? Do you work with stock photos (royalty free) or do you get out there with a camera and go at it yourself?

Yes, I pay for the cover art. My cover art designers use stock photos.

While I was looking through book cover art, I came across 4 books with the same, identical photo, another 3 books with the same woman in different poses. How would you feel if you found out that had happened to you? Are you aware of the possibility of it happening? What steps do you take to avoid it happening?

Actually, I don’t mind.  Everyone has a way how they portray their character. Plus with so many stock photos floating around, it is bound to happen.

Tell us about the choice of script? (Personally I find choosing script to be a long, painful process LOL, so I let my publisher decide on the last one).

LOL... me too. The cover art designer chooses the script. I leave that to them because they have a feel of what works and what doesn't. And they are good at it, I envy them.

Do you decide what goes on the cover? Author/title, or more?

Author name and book title goes automatically on the cover. If there is anything else, my designer and I discuss it, and if we find a compromise, then we add or remove unnecessary wording.

In your words, talk to us about cover art in general, your feelings on your own art, and any pointers you might have for authors about to publish.

I am a cover person. What I can say is, if you worked hard  to write a book, took several months, or even years to work on that darling, why not get a nice cover? There are so many talented cover designers out there, and the prices vary. Right now –from what I've seen—covers are all the rage. Have a nice cover, and it will draw readers to look at the blurb. Well, not everyone but, having a great cover doesn't hurt.

I have to agree, covers are important. I worked very hard on the cover of Amethyst Eyes, only to have a heart attack when I saw how it had been mutilated by the publisher. I waited to receive my "author copy" for final approval...and somehow it got lost? People were buying it, and I had friends who had received their copy before I even saw the book. I wanted to cry...the cover was so dark, nothing like the one I had submitted. When I called the publisher they told me they could correct it, but they'd have to withdraw the book and it could take months to fix...so I left it. Eventually, it will be fixed.

If you would like to read the interview I had done with Cecilia in the past, and get to know a little more about her, click HERE  

If you are interested, you can get your copy of Cecilia's books by clicking on the links below.

Purchase links:

Reaper’s Novice

Amazon

Truly. Madly.Deeply.You

Amazon