Authors and book covers

Over the last few years I have noticed a trend: authors being given the opportunity to give approval to the design of their book covers. When I started doing book covers ten years ago, this was not the norm. This was reserved for the contracts of "A-list" authors. The cover was the solely the responsibility of the art director and marketing person with some editorial input.

But now, it seems that every author is being given the privilege by the publisher of giving their two-cents worth. (I don't mean here about the way in which the cover accurately reflects the content of the book. Rather, I am talking about the aesthetic qualities.) Authors should like their book's covers, I think. After spending (sometimes) years working, they should be able to promote their book with confidence. But authors should remember that the cover of a book isn't about their personal likes and dislikes. Nor those of his agent, brother, sister, cousin, nephew, etc. It is about the positioning, marketing, and selling of the book, first and foremost.

And while there are some authors who know a lot about selling because of the nature of their profession (marketing authors for one), or experience, the majority don't have the foggiest idea. Book cover design is a profession and should be treated as such. I don't give my CPA "suggestions" on how my taxes could be done better. I hired him because of his reputation and his credentials. I trust him to do what he has the expertise to do. Designers should be treated likewise. In the end, the author will be rewarded.

On one of my projects the author sent his father to the bookstore to look at trends in book covers (it seems his father used to be a book editor or something). Then, I got a two-page email second-hand from the art director at the publishing house. In it I learned how my design would look better with a font like Times New Roman or Bodoni rather than the san-serif font that I used on the presented cover. Because, the author said, san-serif fonts seem to be "less popular." Thankfully, the publisher had enough sense to run interference and the cover retained its design.

That reminds me. I need to call my accountant. I would like him to use TurboTax this year. I hear it's all the rage.