In the end, the cover was just not right for the intended audience. It wouldn’t have even made a kitten’s tail puff up.
It was eye-catching, powerful, and bold, but it wasn’t eerie. It was nothing like anything else out there in the crowded world of books. I had designed a few covers during the following weeks and stopped once one sung to me. I threw it in the trash and started over. It was then I realized I had been looking at other book covers for inspiration for way too long-I’d designed the cliché eye cover without even realizing it! My sister said it was reminiscent of something she’d seen before. I finished the cover art a couple days later and began flashing it around asking, “What do you think? Would you pick up this book?” The photograph came out just as I had imagined. The image was a close-up of a sinister eye. I started looking at other covers in my genre for inspiration-bad idea.Īfter a while, an image creeped into my mind and began laying maggot eggs. And after completing a hundred or so, I narrowed them down to three powerful ideas. Once I’d come up with a dozen or so solid concepts, I began doodling in my sketch pad. Some were relevant, some were nonsense, but all became guides. I wrote down a list of every word and phrase my brain spit at me.
It was at this phase I felt designing the cover would be most beneficial to creating something that would reflect the stories within. While I finished writing the rough draft of my manuscript, I started conceptualizing the cover art. You know, the black and red one with a close-up of an eye, or an upside-down picture with splatter-text. What I didn’t want, was a cover that looked like all the other horror book covers. I knew from the beginning I wanted the cover to be powerful and eerie, and it must coincide with the stories I had written.
I won’t lie, the task of designing the cover for Wake the Wicked has left my sleep schedule looking like a block of moldy Swiss cheese, but it was worth it! I’m one of the few writers who have a solid background in graphic design. It’s no cut-and-paste job that Joe Shmoe from down the street should attempt.Īlthough most people may not be able to identify the intricacies of a well crafted cover, a Joe Shmoe cover can be as easy to spot as a full moon-and can ruin a book, regardless of the interior. What most people don’t understand however, is the importance of a well designed cover and the time-and-effort it takes to create this work of art. It’s no secret cover art has the power to reel a potential reader in to take a closer look. Have you ever wondered why certain book covers entice you to pick them up and others, well, don’t? I’d like to go in-depth on the cover I designed for Wake the Wicked.
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