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I just got the cover proof for the UK edition of AN ECHO IN THE BONE. As usual [g], this is Completely Different from the US design–but also different from the most recent UK versions of the series cover, because we have a new UK publisher for ECHO–Orion.
The cover is really striking, and I like it (slight quibble with the typography and balance of the title, but art departments routinely mess with those things; this isn’t a finished product, by any means).
Anyway, I asked the editor whether Orion would mind my showing it to you–since y’all were so interested and helpful in the question of the new US cover–and he said that would be great; he’d be very interested to hear your comments.
Only difficulty being that I don’t know whether I can insert a .jpg into this blog–or if so, how. Do any of y’all have any good technical advice? (If I can’t post it here, I’ll put it up on my website, but that takes a bit longer.)
Thanks!
OK, I _think_ I’ve got it. Let’s see now…OK! I think it worked.
Really striking, as I say–the gradations of blue are gorgeous; don’t know how well they’ll show up here. And the leaf in the center is–they tell me–going to be embossed in gold foil, so will be much more visible. (I was impressed that somebody thought about it enough to come up with the skeletal leaf as a non-bony [g] metaphor for the title.)
Anyway, let me know what you think!
I like it!
I really love the blue and black combination with the gold tone text — very striking. It actually reminds me of a beautiful leaf rubbing. It may not be the intention, but the texture of the background almost looks like a piece of paper that had been uncrumpled. The veins of the delicate leaves appear due to placing the paper on top of the leaf and rubbing a gold crayon or colored pencil on top of the paper where the leaf is. I really like it and it makes me wonder how that artistic choice could relate to the story!
I hope that “rubbings” would not be considered an insult to the artist. Please be assured that there was no disrespect intended. Just my take on the cover.
Lovely colors!
I agree that the text looks unbalanced; individually, the fonts are great; together, they’re too much.
I love the hits of leaf and plant; very Claire.
Penny! A person who shares my idea. Fondle factor is extremely important to me as well. I’ve been known to buy a book simply because of the way the paper used feels under my hand.
I don’t think I’ll ever really be an ebook reader. I can see the desire for one when you travel a lot and don’t want to pack a dozen books. I’m just not big on reading them like that all the time.
I guess I’ll always be a dinosaur in that respect.
I’m quite fond of it. I agree with you that the font needs to be fiddled with a bit, but I really like the colour blue, and love the leave. The skeletal outline of the leave, really ‘echoes’ the title (haha – guess that’s what they’re going for).
Give them your opinion and why your hesitant about it, and see what else they come up with
It’s gorgeous and I hope the US version is just as beautiful. But knowing the Brits, they’ll end up with the better cover.
Dear Jaxon–
Oh, you wouldn't say that, had you seen the whole range of UK covers I've had! < rof,l > Most of them were Just Awful, up until the last iteration, when they finally got a really nice run.
Beautiful! I’ve always wondered when they print the “New York Times Best Selling Author of…” how do they choose which title to put in? I noticed this publisher chose to use “Drums of Autumn.” I’m curious why that instead of any other one?
Diana:
That trick with the ampersand for the < and > only works if you remember the semicolon afterward, like this:
<like this>
comes out
<like this>
but without the semicolons, what you get is
< like this >
which doesn't quite work.
See the difference?
Karen
Dec.3/08.
This cover is really a striking graphic but I found that there was something jangling/off balance about it… then I realized that the type face of the title is different from that used as the author type face, and I believe it’s a convention for printers to not want to mix up type faces in a project/page. Otherwise, I think it’s a VERY attractive and evocative cover. And, I betcha when it’s lined up on the bookshelves it will seem to glow![g]
CalgaryKim
I really like it. It would catch my eye if I were just wondering the bookstore which is always good!
Thanks for sharing with us and I am so anxious to read it!
I really like the colors, they just pop the leaf and the title right out. Thanks for sharing Diana!
Beautiful! Blues and gold always go well together.
It’s gorgeous. If I didn’t already know your books, I would pick it up off the book store shelf just to see what it was about, the colours and “simplicity” appeal very strongly.
Oooh… I really like it!! It’s striking, and would certainly draw me in even if I was not familiar with the series of the author.
Very nice start to the process – and I agree w/ one of the previous posts: the US cover would be awesome in a rich blue with the skeletal leaf as the symbol. Thank you for sharing!
Great Color and Texture, it is an Eye Catcher! I like the placement of the title – it makes you look twice and presses the point of the title so that the pondering of what is inside starts on the cover. Two Thumbs Up!! I am very excited for you Diana, it has to be a great thrill no matter how many books you have published. Thank You for Sharing. Bravo..
Maybe the skeleton leaf means something to you, but it doesn’t to me. I just don’t see any relationship to the picture and what I think I know about the novel.
The title should be in what we would assume to be 18th century type, and a little larger.
Looking at it without your name or title I would assume it’s a suspense novel, maybe even with a vampire, or at least a skeleton dug out of the ground.
Sorry to be negative, but you asked.
On the positive, Diana, I love the blue. That would be excellent to carry over to the US edition.
On the other hand I don’t like the skeletal leaf. It looks too much like a heart as well and that gives the cover a romance novel effect. (I miss the Celtic symbol’s influence.) And I’m thinking of the guys who want to buy it.
Plus, I just don’t understand why there’s a leaf there.
But I do love the gradiant blue color.
I love the blue and gold. I would definitley pick it up even if I wasn’t already totally and completely in love with the books. The leaf was an excellent idea.
Renee, I don’t understand why the leaf is there either…right now, but then, I didn’t know what the pearls were for on the cover of the first book until I’d read it. And pearls remind me much more of a straight romance novel than the leaf does.
Already knowing Diana is, sometimes you still have to trust that the author is better than the cover art would lead you to believe.
But I do like this one and really, if it was the same texture and size as the American covers, it would fit in perfectly.