Book Covers Uncovered

CBS Sunday Morning is one of my favorite programs each week. Yesterday, one of the segments was "Book Covers Uncovered" which showed many great book covers that have become iconic. One that I remember especially from the program was the cover for Jaws. The image on the cover became the unforgettable movie symbol that people remember. From my Google search, I found there were several different cover versions, but one stands out from the array of covers shown. Take a look.

Jurassic Park is another book with an iconic symbol on the cover. If I remember correctly (I wasn't taking notes), the dinosaur symbol was intentionally chosen for future branding. What a great idea! Thinking about future promotion when deciding on the right cover for your book.

When considering iconic imagery, I think of the Starship Enterprise which is on many of  the Star Trek books. We see that image and immediately think of Star Trek--the TV series, movies, toys, and so much more.When I see Alex Cavanaugh's book cover for CassaStar, I admire the space ship imagery he has selected and expect it to become iconic.

Sometimes items of clothing appear prominently on book covers. One in particular that stands out is a high heel shoe. That may denote "chick lit" to the reader. A weapon on the cover usually leads a reader to expect a murder mystery or suspense novel. The cover designer for my book, Dangerous Hearts, first put a knife on my cover. Since I dislike knives, I asked her to remove it. She replaced it with a couple which indicates romance. Perhaps I shouldn't have changed the sinister look of the knife. That symbol would have signaled murder mystery which the book is more so than a romance.

More than anything else, the lesson for me from the CBS program was that covers are more important than we think--even for e-books. We, as writers, should plan carefully what we want on our covers. Our iconic symbols might be around for a very long time!

World-Building

When I read a book review for Alex Cavanaugh's new book, CassaStar, I realized what a great platform he has not only to launch his first book but to begin a whole new series that he can expand any way he decides. After all, he is world-building, and the entire universe is his playground!

I love the idea of world-building, but that's for the sci-fi and the fantasy folks, not for a romance author who likes to add just a bit of mystery/suspense. Alex is on a virtual book tour, and from the number of comments he is getting it's looks like a sure success.

As a artist, as well as a writer, I love to create paintings that might be considered the settings for a fantasy universe. Now, if I can just figure out how to tie them in with a new book.

That idea intrigues me.

"Universe and Beyond" Copyright MM Sikes

I'm looking forward to reading about the new worlds Alex will create in his imagination. How do some of you who develop fantasy worlds go about creating them?