With my first novel to be traditionally published in the pre-launch stage now, I have a lot of questions about the process. I’ll figure those out in due time.
But my “most burning” question — the one that sets my brain on fire, and wakes me up at night with novel-induced hot flashes — is this: What will the cover look like?
My publisher, TouchPoint Press, lets their authors provide ideas for the cover design. I know some big publishers give their authors no input whatsoever. And some small publishers actually let the authors pick out potential images.
I’m happy with the in-between approach at TouchPoint. I trust the designers to come up with something spectacular.
But here’s the thing. When it comes to the cover design for my new novel, I have no idea what I want! It’s like visual writer’s block. I think I’ve lived with my main characters Shelby and Astrid for so long, and I can picture them so vividly in my head, that there’s no way I could translate that accurately to a designer. And the story has so many pivotal settings and colorful scenes (IMHO) that I can’t imagine picking one to highlight on the cover.
Of course I’m a little nervous that I won’t like what the graphic designer comes up with. But mostly, I’m optimistic based on the excellent quality of the other TouchPoint covers. And I’m burning with anticipation to see what they deliver. Watch this space for the big cover reveal when the time comes.
