Monday, February 5, 2018

You Heard it Here First: Cover Reveal for Linda Phillips Second Book!

Since Carol already covered the path to publication of my second book (Light Messages/July 2018), we thought it would be fun to go into detail about the cover development process. 

First, the title has been changed from Heart Behind These Hands to Behind These Hands.  Here is the blurb:  

Fourteen-year-old Claire Fairchild has always known music would be her life.  She enters a prestigious contest pitted against Juan, a close childhood friend.  It doesn’t help that her thoughts about him have turned romantic. But nothing compares to the devastating news that both younger brothers have Batten disease. 

While attending a conference about this rare neurodegenerative disorder, Claire receives word that she has won the contest. Her musical goals no longer seem relevant.  She can’t reconcile the joy that classical music would bring to her life while her brothers are succumbing to an early and ugly death.  

When Claire accompanies a friend on a school newspaper assignment, she meets a centenarian with a unique musical past and only one regret in life. Claire knows something in her life has to change before it’s too late, but what will it be?  

THE PROCESS


I am fortunate to have an editor, Elizabeth Turnbull, who has drawn me into the cover selection process from the beginning.  

When Elizabeth sent me this first cover proposal, she liked that it was bright, fit the Teen/YA motif, and that it illustrated the musical aspect without being too literal.  She acknowledged that while this book has a serious theme, the cover was playful enough not to scare readers away. 


My first reactions were positive but I had questions. At that point we were still uncertain about the title, so I wanted to know if Behind These Hands would work with this picture as well as Heart Behind These Hands. I wondered if the picture of the girl with the hand-heart signal shouldn’t be bigger. At first glance, I liked that the colors were youthful and bright. 

Elizabeth agreed that the hand-heart might be more prominent, and at that point, she was leaning towards the longer title, but she asked if I would like her to test the two options with young readers. I immediately said “YES” and thought how lucky I am to have an editor who values my opinion. Maybe that emboldened me because I confessed that pink had never been my favorite and could we try some other bold colors. I made another suggestion, accompanied by a picture of my granddaughter making the heart shape closer to her heart instead of her eyes. 

Enter Carol after I invited her into the conversation.  (remember:  joined at the hip writing buddies?)  She was unsure about the colors, but she asked if I wanted her to send out the picture to several teens, some of whom had taken her writing classes.  “YES!” I shouted again.

These teen readers responded with variations on the same reaction:  the cover implied this was a “cute, fluffy read” or a “light romance.” One indicated that the color combos weren’t her favorite either, and she suggested replacing the lavender font with a navy blue. When I passed this info on to Elizabeth, I began to worry about whether we had gone too far in the wrong direction.  I asked if we could try a girl at the piano.

Elizabeth was way ahead of me, and said they had already tried that and visually, it didn’t work.  She wanted to avoid getting too literal with the book and the characters.  She also said after testing the two titles broadly with young readers and on Twitter, they were running neck and neck.  She agreed the color scheme should be changed.  

At this point I felt both appreciative that my input had been sought, and confident that those who know more about cover art than me were hard at work. Then one day, while I was sufficiently occupied with revisions, this new image appeared in my inbox.


Elizabeth felt that the model covering her eyes reflected the protagonist’s desire to do the same.  She said the color scheme “popped” and had definitely moved away from “fluffy.”  She graciously said “I’m glad you pushed us to keep rethinking.”  She requested my input again. 

I loved the colors, but experienced a “disconnect” about the covered eyes.  I just didn’t relate to it—at first.

Elizabeth responded with solid reasoning. “I think the hands over the eyes also add movement and interest. They build curiosity. You want to allow the reader to picture the character in their own imagination. So that's why you'll see so many profile shots, back shots, or other obscured views of models.”

Sensing that I still had hesitations, she elaborated on the market research. “When we tested the idea of a piano image, your target readers indicated they'd be less likely to pick up the book because they'd be afraid it was ‘boring’ and only about ‘classical music.’ One of the things I love so much about Behind These Hands is that it IS about piano and classical music, and it's presented in such a fresh and youthful way that all kinds of readers will get into it. You make these themes cool and relatable, but first we have to draw the readers in with the cover.”

These words from Elizabeth turned the tide for me. She knows infinitely more than I do about cover appeal, and besides all that, she believes in my book!  

I was humbled and responded, “I appreciate your empathy for the teen market.  Another thing that just occurred to me is the tie in to the eyes and the ability to see. Blindness is a big part of Batten Disease.  And then there is Claire’s own evolving vision of how she sees herself in relation to her brothers.” 

Elizabeth and I went back and forth one more time about the title, and in the end, we both agreed Behind These Hands was the best fit.  She said, “It's a strong title that invites the reader to wonder ‘What is behind these hands?’  Nobody will mistake this for a teen romance!”



Elizabeth sealed the deal. “I'm so glad you like the cover! We'll start populating online sites with the book data and cover.  P.S. You might want to do a "cover reveal" with your readers!”

Enter Carol!!

And to that I say, “Thank you, Carol, for once again giving me entrĂ©e into the writing world.”


Linda Vigen Phillips has a passion for verse and realistic fiction that offers hope and encouragement to anyone facing mental or physical health challenges. Her debut book, Crazy, has led to mental health advocacy through NAMI and the development of a drop-in center for persons with mental illness in Charlotte. Visit her at www.lindavigenphillips.com 

21 comments:

Grace Marie said...

I like this cover so much more, it looks amazing! <3

Joan Y. Edwards said...

Dear Carol,
Thanks for inviting Linda to share about the process she and her editor went through to get the final cover and title for "Behind These Hands." You are a good friend and supporter.

Dear Linda,
So happy for you that you and your editor listen to each other and to prospective readers! Congratulations on your new book!

Never Give Up
Joan

Rosi said...

I really like the final cover. I think either title would have worked, but what a difference in the covers. Great stuff. Linda is lucky to be involved in the process. Thanks for an interesting post.

Donna Earnhardt said...

I am sooo excited to get my hands on a copy! YES!

Carol Baldwin said...

Thanks Donna, Joan, and Gray Marie. Thanks particularly to Gray Marie--for her insightful feedback!

Linda Phillips said...

Thanks for being willing to give me your first impressions, Gray Marie, and thanks for your support and kind words, Joan and Donna. And as always, thanks Carol for giving authors a place to strut their stuff!!

sheri levy said...

Wonderful you had input. I do love the colors and the mystery of the covering of her eyes. Makes me anxious to read what is behind the cover!
Congrats, Linda- I look foreard to reading, Behind These Hands.

Connie Porter Saunders said...

I agree that the cover chosen is the best choice. It makes you want to learn what the title implies.
Blessings!

Carol Baldwin said...

Thanks, Connie and it's my pleasure, Linda!

Helena George said...

I love the new cover!!!!! (And the book sounds so super interesting!!!)

Carol Baldwin said...

You will like this book, Julian. I promise!

Debbie Allmand said...

Loved that they editor included input from the author. Since I have a Battens child in my family, I'm interested in reading your book. Congrats Linda.

Carol Baldwin said...

Deborah, you will truly appreciate this book. Thanks for your comment.

Linda Phillips said...

Thanks for your interest, Connie. And Julian, I really appreciated your early input and kind words here. Deborah, I'll look forward to talking with you about your family member with Batten.

Sandra Warren said...

Another interesting blog, Carol. It was fascinating to read about the process that went into selecting the final cover. I'm sure this process goes on all the time without an authors input or knowledge. Linda was indeed fortunate to have an editor who sought her input.

Congratulations Linda! I wish you great success with this important book!

Sandra

Carol Baldwin said...

Thanks, Sandra. Yes--Linda was very fortunate that her editor sought her input!

Joyce Moyer Hostetter said...

Such a fascinating behind-the-scenes look and yes, you are so lucky to have been part of the process. I'm glad you spoke up about the pink color. Totally agree about the first cover being too fluffy looking and frankly I think the final is just stunning. Colors are superb and the covered eyes create mystery.

Congratulations, Linda on this book and on helping to design such a terrific cover. And kudos to Carol for being such a good friend.

Carol Baldwin said...

Thanks all around, JOyce!

Linda Phillips said...

Thanks for your kind comments Sandra and Joyce. Yes, I feel fortunate to have been included in this process, and I know we are all thankful to have such a great friend as Carol, and especially one who runs such a great blog (smile).

Cat Michaels said...

Wow, love the final cover! I could not make out the heart-over-the-eyes concept on mobile, but your final one stands out beautifully! Congrats!

Carol Baldwin said...

thanks, Cat. Yes, the first one is harder to see. But the final IS gorgeous!

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