archives
rss
contact & author appearances
Reading from Violet in Private with Lisa McMann (Wake) and Linda Gerber (Death By Bikini)
Wednesday, August 6
6-7:30pm
Books of Wonder
18 West 18th Street
NYC
Just hit "share" to post this widget to your blog, profiles, anywhere!
Marketing Monday: Cover Stories, Violet on the Runway
A little while ago, Alea told me she's curious about how much input authors have with their covers. I always wonder too! So I'm here to share the story of Violet on the Runway's cover, and I hope to get some other authors to share their stories with me in a new "Cover Stories" series on this blog. (Authors, email me if you want to to share the dish on your cover.)
The original cover for Violet on the Runway is posted here. The only things that changed along the way were a bit of a shift (less of her neck) and fonts! (My name is in a different font on the final cover).
To start the process, my editor asked me if I'd like to submit a cover idea memo. I jumped at the chance, and emailed her lots of inspiration images from vintage books, like the ones below.
And here's what I wrote in my memo:
For each of these, the inspiration photo isn't a literal translation, just the look that sparked what I'm thinking, to help show it visually.
1. I like the idea of an underexposed photograph where a model's silhouette is visible but not crystal clear. (See Inspiration photo 1).
2. A vulnerable-looking girl, glamorously dressed but curled up in a chair with long, coltish legs hanging prominently. (See Inspiration photo 2).
3. The back of a model on the runway, with abstract-looking flashbulbs going off in front of her (so she is backlit and we just see her silhouette stance). This could go cheesy, but not if we give it a less-Nicole-Richie, more-iconic-star feel. Think old-school flashes, not so much Us Weekly red-carpet (See Inspiration photo 3, though I know it's a bit trippy).
4. A model's shape in the center of people's silhouettes all around her, possibly talking about her, buzzing, etc. (See inspiration photo 4... too retro?).
5. Something incredibly sparse and simple... a model's shadow within a giant spotlight or a runway stride silhouetted on black and white. (See inspiration photo 5).
So really, I feel like my cover was so true to what I suggested and wanted--the art team at Penguin's Berkley JAM did a fantastic job! And then they created this more whimsical cover for the Scholastic version of the book, which was fun too.
So, whose cover stories do you want to hear? I'll try to recruit some more authors, and I'll share cover stories for the other Violet books soon!
Happy Monday!
TrackBacks
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.melissacwalker.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/207
Comments (8)
OMG Melissa! This means so much to me!! I have goose bumps. And it's going to be a series! Consider me #1 FAN! You rule. I love your story and seeing the slightly different version of the cover. I had never seen that Scholastic one either! Your inspirations are awesome and to see those and see what they took from them to create the cover!
You know it's funny that you should post this today. I just disced up my first book jacket to be printed (i did everything but the front cover)! I've done some other work here and there on jackets/covers in the last few months but this is the one that has the most work by me in it.
You should come over and enter my contest if the book sounds interesting it's Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging! http://aleapopculture.blogspot.com/2008/07/giveaway-angus-thongs-and-full-frontal.html
Thanks again Melissa. This has just trumped Win-It Wednesday in my book! But I still enjoy that too ;) I can't wait to hear more of these stories!
Posted by Alea | July 21, 2008 9:06 PM
Melissa, it's such a good topic to blog about and I think it's great how much imput you had. You hear all sorts of stories about covers where the characters on the front are nothing like those in the book - aka, hair color, eyes etc. And I love your scholastic cover as well, it's funny that despite the differences, it still has a similiar feel to it!
Posted by amanda ashby | July 22, 2008 1:24 AM
That's such a cool story. And yay that the art dept took your thoughts and applied them. :)
Posted by Jessica Burkhart | July 22, 2008 9:47 AM
Hey melissa
guess what book i got @ my fav book store?
ok i cant wait for you to guess so....
Specials by Scott Westerfeld
do you think that you could get it signed for me?
and i thought it was cool that you got to help alot in the making of the cover of violet on the runway!!!
Luv ya
Katie
Posted by Katie | July 22, 2008 1:33 PM
Wow, you're right! That art team did an amazing job! It's like you couldn't have wished for a better cover! =D I like the whimsical one too. Have you posted it before coz I definitely remember seeing it before, lol! Hope you're having a great day! =)
Posted by Lucy D =) | July 23, 2008 12:15 AM
Melissa,
Another great blog by you. I'd love to share a cover story with you someday.... UNDERCOVER went from something very wrong to something very right, and HOUSE moved along a similar trajectory. The trick is to have a team that listens and cares, and at HarperTeen, I most definitely had that. Now I'm about a week away from seeing first concepts for NOTHING BUT GHOSTS. As always, I sit here, on the edge of my figurative seat.
b
www.beth-kephart.blogspot.com
Posted by beth kephart | July 23, 2008 6:57 AM
Great story--love your inspy photos! I was shocked when I first learned that authors didn't really get to be the final say on titles or covers--it depressed me at first, because I love that part!
Your covers are so cool, they have such a great vibe to them!!
Posted by Brooke | July 23, 2008 12:01 PM
Thanks for sharing your cover story! You've gotten some truly awesome covers!
So glad you finally read Twilight--now you're in 'the club'!
Posted by Alyssa Goodnight | July 23, 2008 6:17 PM