Thanks to Magdalena who took her nifty phone (which magically takes pictures) to the library and took this picture of The Jinx hanging out with its book buddies waiting for someone to check it out, take it home, and read it.
I know I shouldn't, but I judge a book by its cover. That's why I have been so pleased with Wild Rose Press. They have given me awesome covers. Angela Anderson is the artist who designed both of them.
Several people have asked me my input in the covers, so in case you are interested, read on! When Wild Rose offers the contract, they also send Manuscript Information Sheets. On these sheets are questions about what the story which I answer. These answers are passed on to the cover artist who then comes up with the cover. I was asked to describe the hero and heroine (hair color, eye color, hair length, build, type of clothing, etc), if I had a preference for having people on the cover or not, if there was an object (like a broach) which had a special significance in the story, and the setting (small town, farm, big city, museum, college, etc). With the information, along with the blurb and excerpt also included on the Manuscript Information Sheet, the artist comes up with a concept for the book.
By the time the author sees it, the cover is a done deal unless there is a misspelled word or the title is wrong. We don't get to say, "What else ya got?" But I have no problem with that. The publisher is in the business of selling their books, so if they're good, they have artists who are gifted and design covers which make a person pick it up, buy it, and take it home.
Angela did such a good job on The Jinx cover that I requested her for The Clergy Affair. And if I ever have another book published by Wild Rose, I'll request her again. She's talented, and she "gets" my stories even though all she had to go by was what was on the Manuscript Information Sheets.
Here's a link to the cover artists at Wild Rose Press:
http://thewildrosepress.com/publisher/index.php?option=com_weblinks&catid=98&Itemid=23
So, what about you? Do you judge a book by its cover? What makes you pick the book up?
