Good News and Bad News
by Julie Coulter Bellon
Well, I have some good news and some bad news about my book that is being released next year.
What shall we start with? The good news or the bad news?
I think we should start with the good news. The “sort of” good news is that I get the final proofs next week. So I have a week or two to read over the final document and give my final approval and give it back. Right before Christmas. Someone asked me if that would be hard right before Christmas, but for me, it isn’t, because this book being done is sort of like my Christmas present to myself and it will be a huge celebration. But that’s not all the good news. The really really good news is that they’ve moved up my release date by a month. So Dangerous Connections will go to press in February and should be out in March. So YAY! (Of course everything is tentative for publishing companies, but I’m choosing to believe what I'm told. It’s the season of miracles, right?) :)
But now for the bad news.
My cover was chosen. I was excited for the cover and hoping it would really match the book, but as it was described to me over the phone, I think my stomach sank two floors to my basement. This book is totally set in France, with French counter-intelligence agents, American agents, terrorists, and a lot of suspense. I mean, who could go wrong with that? There are thousands of things to put on the front of a French spy novel. But as it was described to me, I thought to myself, really? REALLY?
In the cover design team’s defense, I haven’t actually seen it. Maybe it will look a lot better to me than what was described over the phone. That happened to me with my first book, Through Love’s Trials. My editor described it to me over the phone as a lady and her daughter, sitting on a couch. And I was thinking, but this is a novel about terrorists and lawyers and Canadian and American agents working together. And you put a woman and her daughter on the cover? (The book had a single mother in it.) But when I saw the cover, I really liked it. The colors were good, the mother and her daughter actually did look like what I had imagined the mother and her daughter from the book to look like, so it worked for me. But I’m really not sure about the cover for Dangerous Connections. I mean, from what I was told, my cover has water bubbles with a poison sign watermarked in the background.
Bubbles.
I still can’t wrap my head around that. But, like I said, maybe it will look better once I see it and I’ll have a Through Love’s Trials moment. And the cover design team did a great job with my last book, All’s Fair. I LOVED my All’s Fair cover and so did everyone else I know. So the team has a great record so far. Maybe I just need to trust them a little more.
As I was thinking about this, though, I wondered what attracts me to a cover. Is it what’s on it? The colors? Or just the author’s name? Does it really matter what’s on the cover? For me, it’s mostly the author’s name. If it’s an author I’ve liked in the past, I’ll buy the book regardless of what the cover looks like. What do you think it is for you?
I think I should stop thinking about the cover and just concentrate on the fact that I loved the font they chose for the inside of the book. I also love the story inside of whatever cover is chosen and maybe with something wonderful inside the cover, what’s on the outside won’t matter so much. I mean, isn’t the old adage, don’t judge a book by its cover? Maybe if the cover is truly hideous I can make that my theme for booksignings, blog tours and such. Make a little sign to carry around or put on bookmarks. “Don’t judge a book by its cover---the inside is a must-see!”
But, on the other hand, if it looks wonderful, I’ll be glad to eat my words and throw myself at the feet of the cover design team and thank them profusely.
So, with that visual in your head, I have some good news and some bad news to end this blog as well. The good news is, you guys will be the first to see my cover when they send me a pic of it (after my husband and family of course). The bad news is, it probably won’t be for another month or so.
So there you have it.
Well, I have some good news and some bad news about my book that is being released next year.
What shall we start with? The good news or the bad news?
I think we should start with the good news. The “sort of” good news is that I get the final proofs next week. So I have a week or two to read over the final document and give my final approval and give it back. Right before Christmas. Someone asked me if that would be hard right before Christmas, but for me, it isn’t, because this book being done is sort of like my Christmas present to myself and it will be a huge celebration. But that’s not all the good news. The really really good news is that they’ve moved up my release date by a month. So Dangerous Connections will go to press in February and should be out in March. So YAY! (Of course everything is tentative for publishing companies, but I’m choosing to believe what I'm told. It’s the season of miracles, right?) :)
But now for the bad news.
My cover was chosen. I was excited for the cover and hoping it would really match the book, but as it was described to me over the phone, I think my stomach sank two floors to my basement. This book is totally set in France, with French counter-intelligence agents, American agents, terrorists, and a lot of suspense. I mean, who could go wrong with that? There are thousands of things to put on the front of a French spy novel. But as it was described to me, I thought to myself, really? REALLY?
In the cover design team’s defense, I haven’t actually seen it. Maybe it will look a lot better to me than what was described over the phone. That happened to me with my first book, Through Love’s Trials. My editor described it to me over the phone as a lady and her daughter, sitting on a couch. And I was thinking, but this is a novel about terrorists and lawyers and Canadian and American agents working together. And you put a woman and her daughter on the cover? (The book had a single mother in it.) But when I saw the cover, I really liked it. The colors were good, the mother and her daughter actually did look like what I had imagined the mother and her daughter from the book to look like, so it worked for me. But I’m really not sure about the cover for Dangerous Connections. I mean, from what I was told, my cover has water bubbles with a poison sign watermarked in the background.
Bubbles.
I still can’t wrap my head around that. But, like I said, maybe it will look better once I see it and I’ll have a Through Love’s Trials moment. And the cover design team did a great job with my last book, All’s Fair. I LOVED my All’s Fair cover and so did everyone else I know. So the team has a great record so far. Maybe I just need to trust them a little more.
As I was thinking about this, though, I wondered what attracts me to a cover. Is it what’s on it? The colors? Or just the author’s name? Does it really matter what’s on the cover? For me, it’s mostly the author’s name. If it’s an author I’ve liked in the past, I’ll buy the book regardless of what the cover looks like. What do you think it is for you?
I think I should stop thinking about the cover and just concentrate on the fact that I loved the font they chose for the inside of the book. I also love the story inside of whatever cover is chosen and maybe with something wonderful inside the cover, what’s on the outside won’t matter so much. I mean, isn’t the old adage, don’t judge a book by its cover? Maybe if the cover is truly hideous I can make that my theme for booksignings, blog tours and such. Make a little sign to carry around or put on bookmarks. “Don’t judge a book by its cover---the inside is a must-see!”
But, on the other hand, if it looks wonderful, I’ll be glad to eat my words and throw myself at the feet of the cover design team and thank them profusely.
So, with that visual in your head, I have some good news and some bad news to end this blog as well. The good news is, you guys will be the first to see my cover when they send me a pic of it (after my husband and family of course). The bad news is, it probably won’t be for another month or so.
So there you have it.
Julie Coulter Bellon — 12/10/2009 12:54:00 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
I know you didn't like the cover concept, but I honestly have to say I'm intrigued by it's concept. Since the book is called Dangerous Connections and I hear you saying 'bubbles' on the cover with a poison sign actually intrigues me. I'm seeing the bubbles all touching each other. If you poison one bubble, all the bubbles can get infected. Just an interesting point of view.
Did you really want a cliched Eiffel Tower on the cover or something?
T.J. I honestly hadn't thought of the bubbles touching each other angle. Thank you for that! And I didn't want something cliched necessarily, but I didn't think of bubbles for the novel either. Again, thanks for the thought of bubbles touching. I am going to be interested to see how it all comes together when I can really see the cover for myself. :)
Julie, I'm betting the cover will be awesome. It sounds really stylish and creepy. None of my covers have been anything like I imagined, but they've done a fantastic job with all of them.
And congrats on the earlier release date!!
Hey, Julie, I'll be reading it whatever the cover looks like (after all, I DID pick up Wake Me When It's Over - and I'm glad I did!) but I can understand your wanting everything to be just right after all the hard work you put into writing it.
Stephanie, thanks. You're always looking at the silver lining. :)
Shanda, thank you as well. You know, it's not that I hate it necessarily, it's just not something I ever imagined for the cover, that's all. I hope it's really great. But I'm glad to know you'll read it no matter what. :)
I think the bubbles will work for you! I am totally not a fan of foreign "spy" books, so I'd never more than glance at a cover that looked even vaguely "French spyish." On the other hand, I'd probably buy a "poisoned bubble" book just to see what it was about. :)
And, to me, name recognition is everything! If it has Julie Bellon's name on it (for instance), I'll order it six months in advance -- cover or no cover -- and be so caught up in the writing and characters and story that I won't even notice it's a foreign spy novel until it's too late and I've not only finished it, but recommended it to everybody I know. (And then they will all remind me that I don't like foreign spy novels and I'll have to admit that I DO love SOME of them . . . )
Have you seen Gregg Luke's covers? They always look intense and scary. Maybe your's will be like that.
Congratulations on getting your pub. date moved up! Hooray!
I do judge books by their covers. I love a good cover. That said, a bad cover doesn't dissuade me from reading. You're right, the author's name means a lot more to me. If I like other things that author has written, chances are I'll like something else, regardless of the cover.
Crossing my fingers for you!!
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