New Cover Art

My latest cover art from my French publisher J'ai Lu, for their translation of In the Leaves. This is also the first book I sold to a traditional publisher without an agent, so it's a bit of personal history, too.

Kit in Paris

Last year I sold rights for my steampunk books to J'ai Lu for translation into French, and they very kindly sent me the art for the first two covers:



This is for the book one.



This is for My Lord Mayhem, a contract I negotiated by myself, so I'm especially delighted to see it's in my favorite color.

Artistic

I spotted this way cool cover art while visiting author Anne Frasier's blog:



I really like this cover, and as picky as I am, that's pretty unusual. This particular book is coming out in June, exclusively through Amazon, if anyone wants to pre-order (I did.)

On the online fraud front, I've had some folks e-mail me about the charity scam, and here's the latest: The host site e-mailed me back and claimed that it was all a big mistake (without releasing any real details, but then, I'm just the victim.) I've searched the site and the fraudster's account has disappeared, so at least I can be reasonably be sure they shut it down. In the meantime, please do be careful with your donations online. Check out the details, and make sure you're giving to a legitimate cause. And again, I promise you, I won't ever be one of them.

What books are you all pre-ordering for the months ahead? Let us know in comments.

Art Input

One thing readers hardly ever see are a traditionally-published author's ideas about what sort of cover art should go on their books. If the author is permitted to have any input (which very often they do not) they communicate behind the scenes with their editor or cover designer. I've been fortunate in that most publishers have at least invited me to contribute my ideas, and in one case even borrowed my own cover art design for an e-book release (and this sort of thing is extremely rare.)

Over the years I found what worked best with editors is to send sample images along with the cover art ideas. Here are two art idea outlines that I put together for my editor at Pocket to show him what I thought would look great on my books:

Harry's Charm cover art ideas

Clockwork Wolf cover ideas

Unfortunately none of my ideas were used for the final covers, but what I like and what is marketable are often two very different things, as you can see here with my cover concept for Dreamveil, and what actually ended up on the the cover:

       

Still, it was fun to put them together, and it was nice of both publishers to invite me to contribute my ideas.

If you're ever asked for cover art input, here are some tips:

Consider your brand -- if you want to set yourself apart from the herd, go for ideas that present an original look.

Make up a prototype -- to add visual impact to your presentation, make up a mock book cover like the one I did for Dreamveil that incorporates your idea.

Offer more than one idea -- it demonstrates you're flexible, and fixating on a single cover concept almost guarantees disappointment.

Refer your favorite artist -- I often recommended artists I love to publishers; if you have someone in mind provide contact information or a link to their web site.

Think about color -- when I was publishing the original Darkyn series my ideas for color themes made it onto two of the books, Night Lost and Evermore.

One final tip -- if an editor ever shows you example covers and asks for your feedback, no matter how lame they are, try to be polite. I was once very candid about how much I disliked all the cover art examples an editor sent me, and I didn't bother to mince my words -- at which point she got very miffed and informed me that she had picked them out because they were all her favorite types of covers.

GW Cover, LT ER

I've finished fiddling around the cover art for Ghost Writer, so here's a look at what will be on the final edition:



I've also received another free book from Library Thing's Early Reviewer program:



Just at a glance-through I think this book is going to be seriously cool, too. Looks like it's packed with info on free internet stuff. I'll have more to report once I've read it.

Secret Covers

Sometimes when I want to write a story but I don't have time, have to finish other projects and/or want to wait and let it simmer a bit more, I make secret cover art for it anyway. Sometimes it's to try out art for stories I plan to make into freebies, but more often it's just for my own amusement. I'll print out a secret cover for my personal journal, the idea file or any notebook I've started on it, but otherwise no one ever sees it but me. I feel like I've made a million of these secret covers, too.

In the spirit of spontaneity, and (hopefully) me being a bit more transparent, here are the three latest secret covers I've made:



My sequel to In the Leaves, for the day when I can get back and write more of Sally's story. Definitely writing this one.



This cover is for some notes I found on a novella series I planned to write to continue the story from Frostfire (and alas, never got the chance.) It's unlikely that I'll ever write all five stories I outlined, but you never know -- and the ideas were really solid and fun.



I have a story sorta/kinda based on/partially set in/orbiting distantly the StarDoc universe that has been bouncing around in my head for a couple years. Lately I've been revisiting the idea while I drive around running errands, so I jotted down some notes and decided to make a cover for it. I have seriously mixed feelings about this one. I also have ten million excellent reasons to never revisit StarDoc in any way shape or form. This might end up being the novel that they only find after I'm deceased, along with the twenty-eight others no one has ever seen that I have hidden away. Kidding. There are only like seventeen.

Do you ever do weird stuff like this? Confess your secrets in comments.

Image Credits:

Far Seer -- massonforstock
Frenchman's Pass -- zacariasdamata
21 -- Molodec

LT Early Reviewers, GW Cover

Last month I mentioned that I signed up for Library Thing's Early Reviewer program, which allows me to request ARCs and gratis copies of books I'd like to read being offered by participating publishers and LT members in exchange for a review. Since there are inevitably more requests from ER participants than available copies there are no guarantees you'll get any book, but like any giveaway there's always a chance you will, too. I was selected to receive an ARC of In a French Kitchen ~ Tales and Traditions of Everyday Home Cooking in France by Susan Herrmann Loomis, which arrived yesterday:



Honestly, it's like Christmas without the decorating, and I can now say with certainty that yes, you actually can get cool free books from LT's Early Reviewers. To keep my end of the bargain once I've read it I'll post an official review here, at LT and a couple other places.

I'm also tinkering on cover art for Ghost Writer, my current Just Write Thursday story, and have narrowed a bunch of possibilities for the image down to these four (which will all need some tinkering, titles, bylines, etc.):









Which do you like best? Let me know in comments.

Added: As I mentioned in comments I could also combine a couple of these images, like so:



Image Credits:

Vintage writing: Miiisha

Laptop screen: pogonici

Writing hand: Syda_Productions

Lake Sunset: Yours Truly

Club Denizen Final Cover

I appreciate all the feedback for my Just Write cover quest. I was rather surprised by the responses (my favorite starting out was actually #1) but what you told me made lots of sense. I fiddled a bit with the final choice in Photoshop, and here's the result:



Stop by tomorrow if you'd like to read more of the story.

Opinions Wanted

I'm tinkering on cover art for my current Just Write Thursday story and would appreciate some opinions. I'll likely be changing the title and byline fonts, and polishing the final product in photoshop, but which do you like best?

Cover #1:



Cover #2:



Cover #3:



Please let me know what you think in comments (and there are no wrong answers.)

Image Credits:

Mask by belchonok

Figure in Tunnel by eugenesergeev

Old Door by exile7

Fake Covers, Real Inspiration

If you want to make up a cover for your NaNoWriMo novel (or any other story) but aren't feeling particularly inspired by anything, trying playing with this Fake French novel cover art generator.

Three of my results:



I really love the broken window and the open-book pages designs, and armed with my own camera I know I can come up with something very similar (or even better.) I'm not a huge fan of using museum art for book covers, but #3 might work for a more literary writer.

If you don't have a camera or aren't interested in photography, you can always look for similar images on stock photo sites like Dreamstime.com, BigStockPhoto.com or DepositPhotos.com (I found the cover image for my NaNo novel Lord of Midnight there.) Prices vary, but it's possible to find something (like mine) that works for around $1.00. Dreamstime.com offers free images, too, so if you're cash-strapped you might check there.

Cover This

This week I'm hoping to finish up In the Leaves, my Toriana story from Just Write Thursdays. Once I do I'll need some cover art for it, so I began playing around with some ideas and put together three possibilities:

Cover A



Cover B



Cover C



I haven't been able to narrow it down to one because I like all three ideas, so now I need some other opinions. Which cover of the three do you like most, and why? Let me know in comments.

Lovely Dark

Here's a look at some new cover art for the German edition of Nightshine:



I don't think I've ever had brown cover art, which I know can be a tough color to make look appealing. Unless you're wizards like my German publishers. I have no idea how they made it this gorgeous -- I'm really thinking magic might be involved. I believe the title translates to Look in the Dark, which is pretty canny, considering.

New Cover Art

I'm very pleased to announce that we have a new horror cover for my next novel, and it's absolutely a career landmine landmark:



I would love to hear your opinions of it, but before you comment I'd like to point out some of the ways in which it's going to ruin my life help create buzz for the new series. While I have considered killing myself over haven't always fared so well with pink covers in the past, I think this one is worse has so much more potential to create buzz. You won't find this particular shade of pink on anyone's just anyone's novel, you know. In fact I think it's destined to become my personal cover art curse career trademark color.

The authentic Victorian-era model used to depict my protagonist is also tragic a thoughtful and provocative choice, especially considering her physical and mental disabilities striking appearance. Very few ladies can pull off looking like a loon wearing a top hat. I applaud the art department for reaching out to the local mental institution modeling community to find such a special lunatic lady.

I'm also utterly appalled enraptured by the new title chosen for my story; I think it will completely mislead reassure readers as to the compulsory sex scenes romantic content of the story. Romance readers, you no longer have to fear the appropriate troubling genre label of urban fantasy or steampunk on my books; as the title screams suggests it's all about the love.

And if any doubts about the new cover linger in your mind, you might want to check the date. Yep, gotcha!

Original image credit: Izismile.com

New Cover Art

This is for the German edition of Frostfire; Kyndred #3, which will be released next fall. I've been delighted with every book they've done for me -- their artwork tends to be phenomenal -- but I think this is one of the best covers I've ever had, period.

German Edition Cover Art

This one is for the German edition of Dreamveil, my second Kyndred novel, which will be coming out next Spring. I've never had an orange and green cover before this, and since I grew up in the tropics those two are one of my favorite color combinations, so I'm quite pleased.

First Look & Winner

Before I announce the winner of the big giveaway, I have some new art to show you:



This will be the cover for The Clockwork Wolf, due out in late February 2014.

I asked my editor, Adam Wilson, to take over the magic hat this week. Since Adam made publishing my 50th novel possible I thought he should have the honors (and if it were left up to me everyone would win, which simply wasn't possible with this giveaway.)

Adam has made his choice, and the winner of the 50th Novel Giveaway is:

Raine Weaver

Raine, when you have a chance please e-mail me at LynnViehl@aol.com. My deepest thanks to everyone for helping me celebrate the release of Her Ladyship's Curse.

Print Edition Cover Art

We have cover art for the print edition of Her Ladyship's Curse and His Lordship Possessed, which will be released together in January as one novel:



No surprises here, as it's the same artwork my publisher used for the e-book edition of Her Ladyship's Curse. Since this was my favorite of the two covers, however, I'm quite happy.

More News Elsewhere

The first two covers for my new Disenchanted & Company series are being revealed today; to have a look click here.

Audiobook Cover Peek

Here's a first look at the cover art for the audiobook edition of Nightbound, my May release and the final novel in the Lords of the Darkyn trilogy. It's currently on sale at Tantor's site for 20% off, too, if you'd like to preorder.

Covered & Free Read

New and lovely cover art for the LYX German edition of my first Kyndred novel Shadowlight. This one will be released in September.

For those of you who enjoy great writing on the darker side of fantasy, author Kris Reisz has released his short story collection Quiet Haunts and Other Stories for free on Smashwords.