The Cover Gods Had Interceded.
My kids and my mother went crazy. ;)
Ok, fine, my agent and I went crazy too.
I imagined coming here today to tell you how cool, hip, whimsical, smart, funny, graphic, and iconic it is and how I can't imagine a teen or grown-up alike walking by it without wanting to pick it up. I imagined how fun that post would be to write. Did I mention I was giddy?
But What the Cover Gods Give, the Cover Gods Taketh Away
(also known as: and then came yesterday...)
That's a long story made short, but suffice it to say, yesterday morning I got an email from my editor saying not to get too excited, that, while the creative dept. agrees and loves the second (new, shiny, fabulous) cover, sales & marketing is set on the first (don't get me started) cover.
Giddiness gone, misery ensued. Er. ensues.
After the email, I went through the well-known stages of grief:
Denial,
Anger,
Bargaining,
Biking,
Crying,
Whining,
Posting My Misery on Facebook,
Depression and
Acceptance.
Ok, I may have stopped short of Acceptance. We'll see how today goes.
In the meantime, I'm praying. You know, in my I-don't-really-believe-in-praying sort of way. I'm praying that people will come to their senses. The cover gods were there for me once. Maybe they'll be there for me again.
After all, it took me ten years+ to get to this point, they wouldn't desert me now. If they do, I'll be sure there is no (cover) god.
-gae
I've made a similar comment in an earlier post, but you really have to trust that the marketing people know what they're doing, the same way you trust your hairstylist. You may walk in with a Cosmo cover and say, I want that...(pointing to model's hair) but a good beautician will know what works for you and what you can't pull off, and guide you in the right direction. The only problem with this analogy is haircuts aren't forever. A cover won't grow out over time - BUT - the people making the decisions WILL if they continually make bad ones, so put your faith in them rather than the cover gods
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the cover distress. I suppose you can be glad it's not a picture book full of illustrations you detest. (I held my breath for a fairly unhealthy length of time while my first picture book was being illustrated, and I'm sure I will again if I ever have another one illustrated by a different illustrator.)
ReplyDeletelet's hope the scales tip in favor of creative. sometimes collaboration is a bad word.
ReplyDeleteAwwwww
ReplyDeleteI'm buying your book no matter what the cover looks like!
Hope the cover gods are with you!
mike, thanks, but I tell ya, I've gotten my share of frightening haircuts over the years;
ReplyDeleteScotti, that thought is terrifying, enough so to stop me from ever attempting a picture book which is otherwise on my list of wanna-do's;
cbr, that would be a nice way to tip the scales for a change (I've been on a peanutbutter cup kick lately); and
Emily, so nice to see you here, and thank you! I think it's going to be a good, meaningful book no matter what the cover. Let's hope! :)
My rip-fingers are "at the ready." No, I won't. But I will stand at the Border's entrance with a sign that reads "This is not the real Pull of Gravity cover." No, I won't. Unless you want me to. But, you know, I have summer's free. Just sayin'.
ReplyDelete>:(
Didn't realize I somehow missed the last post about the ugly cover. But love the silent movie of you swimming. How ethereal is that? I so get why you love it.
ReplyDeleteI have no wise words about covers. But have often been at the mercy of bad creative choices that affected my personal work. It's a bitch.
I'm assuming cover-gods are just teasing and toying and will grant you your wish in due time.
xo B
As they say, don't judge a book by its cover. I've read dozens of great books, but at the moment, I can't remember even one great cover. I must have seen some, but it was the content that made the book great, not the cover.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I take that back. I really liked the cover on Bad Things Happen, and The Godfather had an interesting cover. Still, I'm not sure the cover matters much, but I hope you get something that you like. Just make sure they spell your name right. :^)
Gae-I really hope they come to their senses and give you the cover you want! How frustrating to have so many of you lines up and a couple people being stupid... yeah, I get that they are the people who theoretically ought to know, but having BEEN a marketing person, I also know that may just be because they already invested some time working with the other, or because their buddy designed the other... so hopefully they will yielf to creative.
ReplyDeleteCharlie, your post actually made me feel better! Thank you. It's true, so many books I loved, I don't remember the cover. Of course, it's more a matter of wanting to make sure it makes people (kids!) want to pick it up in the first place. The second cover was really a conversation piece. And eye-popping.
ReplyDeleteHart, thanks. The truth is, I DO think marketing has the best intentions and they have real concerns about the second cover... I just think that the awesomeness of the cover will transcend those concerns. Or slight adjustments can be made. And I feel the first cover may solve that one concern, but brings a slew of others on. But I do think the marketing dept is NOT being self-serving but rather trying to do what they think is best to sell books. I just think in this case (and I have a background in marketing too!) they may be wrong.