Cover Stories: Sophie's Mixed-Up Magic Series

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Amanda Ashby has been here before with the GCC to share stories about her covers, and she's back today with the story behind the Sophie's Mixed-Up Magic covers, her first middle grade series. "I’ve been lucky with my covers and I’ve loved them all, but without a doubt the covers for my Sophie’s Mixed-Up Magic series are my favorite! And I’m not just saying that because they are my first covers to have a head (though heads are cool!) but it’s rather because as soon as I saw them, I just knew that the girl on the cover 'was' Sophie!!!! From her straight blonde hair, her expressions through to the clothes that she was wearing, it was all the Sophie of my mind!

"Sometimes I get asked if I have any thoughts on the cover, but this time I wasn’t and I hadn’t even realized that there was even a shoot until after it was all over. Anyway, I immediately emailed my editor to tell her how thrilled I was. She told me that the girl who had played Sophie was an absolute delight and had totally embraced the shoot. She also told me that the art director was Jeanine Henderson who also did the covers for two of my other books, Zombie Queen of Newbury High [read that Cover Story] and Fairy Bad Day [read that Cover Story]. I love Jeanine’s covers so I was thrilled to discover that she had worked on the Sophie books as well and I immediately asked my editor to pass on my thanks and let her know how much I loved the covers (that's book 2 on the right).

"Then a few weeks later I got an email from the girl on the cover of the books. She was so lovely and I swear she is even more excited about the books coming out than I am! It was nice to get the chance to tell her how brilliant I thought she was and as soon as I got my arcs for book one, I sent her a copy (not all arcs have the real cover on them, but these did and I knew she would want to see it!)

"Anyway, a few months later I got a Google alert and I stumbled onto Jeanine’s blog, where she was talking about my Sophie covers!

"The post was about how she had been commissioned to do some hand drawn covers and that even though everyone had loved them, in the end it had been decided to do a photo shoot for the covers (which Jeanine was the art director for it).  I’ve attached two of the original covers (below, books 1 and 3 have an illustrated comparison) and I love that her hand lettering was used in the final version!

"As for any surprises, I actually only received my author copies last week and while I had seen an arc for book one, I had never seen one for book two, so it wasn’t until last week that I realized that the ring Sophie is wearing on the cover IS the djinn ring I described in the book (an apple shaped rhinestone ring. Because obviously if you are going to have a djinn ring, it should be pretty and sparkly and shaped like an apple!!)."

Thanks, Amanda! I think the photo versions are great for Middle Grade, and I like the photo shoot versions--so glad the model looks like Sophie!

What do you guys think?

Win-It Wednesday: NERD alert

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Yay for all the pics of Unbreak My Heart in the wild! Fave pics from Jenny, below, because she spotted it under a "Not Just for Teens" sign and in GREAT company! Yay! I've emailed everyone who won to ask for their choice of books. Thanks again!  

This week, I need your help choosing a pair of glasses. Pick one and let me know what you like in the comments below. Warby Parker is fantastic, btw, and has a fun try-on plan (plus they donate a pair of glasses for every one sold!). I have a top 2, but I want to know what you think... So here are options (1-5):

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

Which ones!? I know they all look a bit similar, but that's because this is the kind I like! Super nerdy!

I'll choose one commenter at random to win a signed copy of Unbreak My Heart.

Cover Stories: Surrender by Elana Johnson

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Elana Johnson was here last year to share the very cool cover for POSSESSION (read that Cover Story), and she's back now for a GCC tour to talk about SURRENDER, the second in this series. "Honestly, my first thought when I saw the cover was 'No. No, that can’t be the cover!' The POSSESSION cover was so perfect, with the butterfly in ice (below, right). The SURRENDER cover seemed so pedestrian in comparison. I lovingly call it 'when taxidermists make mistakes.'

"My editor and agent and I had quite the discussion about the cover. Everything from the color of the hummingbird to the shape of the jar. It’s a fascinating process, this cover making. But... the cover you see now is the same one I was sent in January.

"I’ll admit that I like the cover now. Something happens when you actually hold the real product in your hand. Things on-screen are COMPLETELY different than things in real life. It took holding the book and stroking the cover for me to come around to cover love.

"My series got a cover redesign in January. So the blue one is the new cover, and the white one (right) is the old cover. The images are the same, but the fonts and such are obviously different."

Thanks, Elana! I think the covers together--POSSESSION has a new cover too--are pretty striking (see both below). I wonder if there was a conscious decision to move away from white covers? Are people over them?

 

What do you guys think?

About Elana: Elana's work including POSSESSION, REGRET, and SURRENDER is available from Simon & Schuster wherever books are sold. She is the author of From the Query to the Call, an ebook that every writer needs to read before they query, which can be downloaded for free on her website. She runs a personal blog on publishing and is a founding author of the QueryTracker blog.

GIVEAWAY: Elana is hosting a Spectacular Seconds giveaway this week! You can enter to win one of five signed sophomore books by Beth Revis, Ally Condie, Veronica Roth, Kristi Cook, and Kim Harrington. CLICK HERE for all the details and to enter.

Cover Stories: Being Friends With Boys

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Terra Elan McVoy has been here before to share her adorable covers for Pure and After the Kiss (read those Cover Stories), and now she's got a new book out just in time for summer: Being Friends With Boys. How great is that title? Here's more about the cover, from Terra: "I never have any idea about my covers; I’m so lucky to have been assigned to such smart, clever, amazing people at Simon Pulse to work on them. This team does such an incredible job, and I figure it’s best to leave that work in their capable hands!

"Admittedly, my very first thought when I saw the cover was, 'But there aren’t any coffeehouses in the book! They never drink coffee!' Very quickly though, I realized that was a pretty lame and limiting response.

"My editor was incredibly patient with me and let me just sit on my first reaction until I came to my senses and realized this was perfect.

"The cover did change, in one important way. Originally, the background was red (right), which I loved – though I wondered about it fitting in with the colors of the other books. After some back-and-forth though, it was determined that red might be a little too Valentine-y, and the background color got switched to this incredible, deep navy blue that it is now.

"In the end, it’s not so much how I feel about the cover that stands out –though I totally love it and it just screams 'Charlotte,' to me in every way -- but more how other people feel about it. I feel like I’ve been blessed with these incredible covers for my backlist, but so many people are commenting on this one, saying it’s their favorite of all. There’s just something highly attractive and perfect about it, which means a lot to me, again, because it just has this very 'Charlotte' kind of feel: homey and comfortable, but also really sharp and alluring."

Thanks, Terra! It's an incredibly clean cover and I'm a huge fan of that simple aesthetic. I love both the red and the blue--maybe paperback will be red, released around V-Day 2013? In any case, I can't wait to read it!

Photo Friday: Rochester Teen Book Festival!

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I had the best time at the Teen Book Festival in Rochester last weekend. (I got to meet long-time blog reader Ashley and got to see Jordan again--yay!). More highlights: Driving to the Festival in a '56 Oldsmobile:

A portion of the amazing crowd!

Jenny Han and I did a talk together, and we played Kiss, Marry, Kill, with book characters. Total fun. We also talked about other stuff, like writing and our books and all that, but KMK was my favorite part.

Later, we crashed a prom. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not.

You guys really should go if you can--authors and readers and all. Totally great.

Happy Friday!

Win-It Wednesday: A Signed Book of Your Choice

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Ready? Five random people who email me photos of Unbreak My Heart in the wild (ie, on a bookshelf in your bookstore or library), will get a signed copy of one of my previous books (your pick!). I hear there's been a slight shipping delay, so B&N will have the book on Friday (sorry!). If  you spot it, send me a photo!

Here's my (very glarey, you-can-see-me-taking-it) shot. It's the window of The River's End bookstore in Oswego, NY! Fantastic spot. They have signed copies of the book, so call to order (Hello! Excellent birthday gifts, people.): 315-342-0077.

Happy Wednesday! I'll choose 5 winners a week from today!

Cover Stories: Second Chance Summer

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Guys, Morgan Matson is here! You know I love her, and she has a new book out, so we must read it asap. Also: The Cover. Here she is to tell its tale: "I had absolutely loved my cover for Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour [read that Cover Story here]. I wasn’t worried about how the cover for the second book would turn out. I was still in the midst of writing the first draft of the book when my editor asked me what I had been thinking about for the cover.

"I mentioned that since the book takes place in a summer lake community, with a dock being a very important part of the story, maybe there could be a dock featured somewhere.  An initial idea I’d had was two sets of bare feet on a dock, or hanging over the edge and skimming the water.  And then I basically just gave her vague, summer-conjuring words – pine trees! Mountains! Lake!

"By the time I saw the first cover proof, we’d actually been going back and forth a lot on the title.  I tend to pick long, not-particularly-evocative-titles, and then cling to them stupidly.  The original title of Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour was Amy & Roger Discover America.  Which now seems so not to fit the book at all! When I was writing the first draft, I had been calling the book The Summer of Second Chances.  My editor had suggested Second Chance Summer, but I wasn’t totally on board with it yet.  But that all changed when she sent me the cover proof.  I adored the cover, and I loved the way that the title fit on it.  Which is probably a strange way to settle on a title, but ever since I saw the cover proof, I knew that was the book’s title.

"And I just adored the image.  It captured the book so perfectly, and the mood of it – the sun setting, the dock, the trees across the lake.  And I love the detail of the girl wearing a pink bikini.

"One thing I’m also grateful for is that my UK covers are so different.  They give much more information to the events of the book.  In the UK cover (right), you can see all the little details that make up the story.  So I love having two versions – one evokes what the book will be about, and one that gives you concrete details of the story."

Thanks, Morgan! Here's what I love: The colors. I mean. That sunlight, so muted and soft and dreamy, like sunset or even very early morning. And I'm with Morgan on the title script--it flows perfectly, becomes part of the image. Total summer, with tinges of sadness and hope.

What do you guys think?

 

Photo Friday: Books!

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They're here! The book is out on Tuesday! I've updated my events schedule in the sidebar ----->

(And I'm using way too many !!!)

Come see me or call up and snag a signed book anyway, if you can't make it.

♥ Saturday May 19: Rochester Teen Book Festival!

♥ Sunday May 20, 2:30 pm River's End Bookstore with Laurie Halse Anderson, Barry Lyga and Terry Trueman 19 West Bridge St. Oswego, NY 13126 Phone: 315.342.0077 (Call to pre-order signed books!)

♥ Tuesday June 5, 6:30-9:30pm Teen Author Carnival! Jefferson Market Library, NYC

♥ Saturday June 9, 11am Books & Greetings Teen Panel with Jen Calonita, Susane Colasanti, Elizabeth Eulberg, Jenny Han, Wendy Mass and Kieran Scott 271 Livingston Street Northvale, NJ 07647 Phone: 201.784.2665 (Call to pre-order signed books!)

♥ Thursday June 14, 6-8pm Books of Wonder Summer Love with Susane Colasanti, Elizabeth Eulberg and Jennifer E. Smith 18 West 18th Street, NYC Phone: 212.989.3270 (Call to pre-order signed books!)

♥♥ PARTY! Sunday June 10, 7pm The (late) launch party is happening! YOU are invited. BookCourt 163 Court Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 Phone: 718.875.3677 (Call to pre-order signed books!)