Okay, so I hear some of you groaning, right now. "My gosh! Won't you guys shut up about cover art!" Us guys being me, Rusty, and Michael. Well, probably, after this, I'll be through with the topic. At least for a little while.
Anyway...
Back in January when I was doing all of this the first time and under a deadline, I didn't have any way to get any art for the book. [At some point, I'll explain about the deadline, but, for now, just accept that there was one.] Now, I know that art is important, but my logic went something like this:
1. It's just going to be online, so no one will be going into a book store and seeing it, so there's no real need for an eye-catching cover. It's all about the story anyway, right? Well, it should be, so, darn it, I'm just going to have to go with it without one, because that's what I can do, and it's about the story, not the cover art!
2. But I looked at the stock art that was available, anyway. You know, just in case there was something worth using. But it all sucked. The closest thing to what I was looking for was a close up shot of a doorknob; which is to say, there was nothing remotely close. I figured it would be better with just the title in black on a gray background, the closest I could get to the feel I wanted.
3. I have people asking for the book, people ready to buy it, and they don't care about the cover; they just want to read it, so, really, it's not that big a deal, right? Right! Of course, then, very few of those people followed through and bought the book. Near to none, in fact, but that's beside the point.
What it boiled down to, though, was a book without a cover.
It was still an awesome feeling to hold that first proof copy in my hands. Cover or no cover. And people thought it was neat that I had this book that I could show them that I wrote, and people would ask me, "When's it coming out?" And I'd explain that it was "out" and that if they wanted it they could get a copy from Amazon or from me, but they'd all look at me like there was something wrong with what I was saying and do nothing about it. Those conversations always felt weird to me, and I couldn't figure out what the problem was. Really, I couldn't.
Now, I know.
See, I have my new proof, now, the one with the cover art. I took it up to my kids' school the other day, because my kids wanted to show it to their friends. They get very excited about this sort of thing, and, hey, it's exposure, so that's good. The reaction to the version with art is... well... the response has changed from, "Oh, when's it coming out?" to "Oh! I want to buy a copy" that accompanies rummaging in purses for money. And it's all because of the cover art. It just makes it more real. It looks like a book, now, whereas before, I suppose, it just looked like a proof. Like something that wasn't quite finished.
The experience has been interesting. And there's been an offer to host a book signing. An offer by someone that really sort of dismissed the whole thing the first time. That is the power of art. Specifically, the power of Rusty's art. This whole experience has given me a whole new outlook on the whole art thing and they way people react to it and, really, just how important it is. At least, how important it is to other people.
I think my problem came about because of that saying, "don't judge a book by it's cover," which was said to me at the right time by the right person. Not someone just repeating the saying to me but someone telling me about how important it is to look beyond the surface of things to what's really inside, and I have tried to apply that in my life ever since. Including to books. Since 5th or 6th grade. I've really always just tried to look at cover art as something extra because of that and not let it sway me as to whether the contents of a book were any good. So, when it came to my book, I knew the contents were good, and I just sort of hoped that people would would use the same criteria I did to decide whether to buy.
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. It just doesn't work that way. Well, I know, now. It was a good lesson to learn. I mean, I already knew. I knew when I decided to go back and do a second edition that I had to have cover art. That was the motivation for doing a second edition. Sure, I made some internal edits, but, if I hadn't needed a cover, I probably would have just let them go. The cover art was critical, and I spent some months agonizing over it before Rusty graciously volunteered his services. But, still, I didn't know. I hadn't experienced the difference there would be in the reactions of people. The difference between knowing the stove is hot and actually touching it. The difference in standing outside a restaurant window while hungry and watching people eat and actually getting to go inside and sit down to a meal. A whole world of difference.
So... do yourself a favor, and make sure you get some worthwhile art for anything you want to publish. It's worth it!
On that note, here's one more look at the cover for The House on the Corner (unless, you know, you actually want to click on the tab up there that says The House on the Corner -- the art will always be there):
