Little Shepherd by Cheryl Malandrinos

We want you to share your book cover with us. An attractive cover is a big element in the appeal of your book. We want the details about yours.

Did you design the cover?

No way. My drawing is limited to stick figures and the occasional house and tree.

Did your publisher design the cover?

I signed a contract with Guardian Angel Publishing. They have a group of artists they work with and I was asked to provide three possible artists I would be interested in. I was familiar with Eugene Ruble’s work from other Guardian Angel books, so I was thrilled when he accepted the contract for Little Shepherd.

Did you get to give any input about the cover design?

I provided Eugene with an idea of what I thought would be good for the cover, and he worked with that. It’s exactly what I had imagined.

Is there an interesting story behind the cover design? If so, please share the details.

Eugene and I have never met and we’ve never even spoken by phone. He’s not online, so once I signed my part of the contract, I mailed the contract off to Eugene with potential ideas for the cover art and the interior illustrations.

When the publisher told me she had a galley of the cover ready to send me, I have to admit I didn’t open the email attachment right away. I said a quick prayer because I wasn’t sure what I would do if I wasn’t happy with the cover art.

Who is the cover artist?

Eugene Ruble designed both the cover and the interior illustrations. I’m familiar enough with his work now that I can usually tell he’s illustrated a book without looking at the credit on the front cover. While he’s not online, you can visit the Guardian Angel Publishing website at http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/artists&books.htm and scroll down the list to see other books he’s illustrated.

Are you happy with the cover?

I love it! He took my idea and provided what I never could have in a million years.

If not, what would you change and why?

Tell us what you think is the best part of the cover.

What I like best about the cover is that it captures the essence of the entire story. Obed is in the fields with his sheep, the wolves are howling overhead, and the angel is in the background surrounded by a glowing light.

Is there anything else about your cover that we need to know? Feel free to share.

There was a tiny bit of confusion over the title on the cover. The first galley I received showed the title of The Little Shepherd Boy, which was the original title. I went around promoting how my book, The Little Shepherd Boy, would be released in August. Then I noticed that the Guardian Angel website said Little Shepherd. We opted for the shorter title, but it caused bloggers a tiny bit of confusion at the start of my virtual book tour.

Please provide your website link.

My website can be found at http://ccmalandrinos.com/. I also have a blog dedicated solely to the book, which can be found at http://littleshepherdchildrensbook.blogspot.com/.

What is the link to buy your book?

Little Shepherd can be purchased from:

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Shepherd-Cheryl-C-Malandrinos/dp/1616330856

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/e/9781616330859

http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/little-shepherd.htm

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781616330859

Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle

Although I'd like to take credit for this beautiful cover, it was designed by award-winning graphic artist, Nathalie Moore who designed all the covers for my books.

I'm absolutely thrilled with the way it turned out and was asked for my input in advance. The only thing I requested was a mysterious castle. It's better than I even imagined and I love the rich color, too.

I couldn't ask for a better representation of the story, "Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle."

The "Cynthia's Attic" series can be purchased on Amazon/Amazon Kindle, Fictionwise, and Mary Cunningham Books

Splinters: The Pain, The Passion, The Point

My first book, "Splinters: The Pain, The Passion, The Point" was published in March 2009. The book, as the cover relates (I hope!), is an anthology of stories from my life as a female woodworker.

I've recently been notified that the book will be featured in an upcoming release by Harper Collins called, "The New Big Book of Layouts" in May 2010. You can find out more about my book on my site at www.SplintersBook.com Please see my answers to your questions below:


Did you design the cover? The cover of my book was designed by my publishing company. However, I must admit that the publishing company that published my book is actually owned by my granddaughter. I must say that love for books runs in the family. I write them and she publishes and designs.

Did your publisher design the cover? Yes, though my granddaughter (owner of Paige1Publishing acts as Creative Director on most books, she personally designed my book cover.

Did you get to give any input about the cover design? Yes, we had several extensive discussions about the book cover and the specific angle that I wanted to convey.

Is there an interesting story behind the cover design? If so, please share the details. Just what I've already shared. The book has one an award for design and will be featured in an upcoming Design book by Harper Collins publishing called "The Big Book of Layout and Design" to be released in May of 2010.

Who is the cover artist? JP Jones

Are you happy with the cover? Yes. I love it and have received many compliments on it. I feel it definitely gets the reader's attention.

If not, what would you change and why?

Tell us what you think is the best part of the cover. The way it conveys immediately that the book is based around "wood"—and the simplicity of that.

Is there anything else about your cover that we need to know? Feel free to share.

Please provide your website link. www.splintersbook.com

What is the link to buy your book? On my Web site.

Inspiration Divine Book Cover

Did you design the cover?
No, Inspiration Divine's cover was designed by Joy Hart.

Did your publisher design the cover?
No, I'm self publishing.

Did you get to give any input about the cover design?
Absolutely, Joy and I collaborated on several potential covers and refined the design to what is the final version. We went through twenty-one revisions until the final cover as ready for publication.

Is there an interesting story behind the cover design? If so, please share the details.
In addition to the book, I conduct Inspiration Workshops that are based on the teachings of Inspiration Divine. Essentially the workshops are an experiential way to explore the concepts put forth in the book. At the end of every workshop, we ask the students to provide us with one word (written on an index card) that represents what the workshop is for them. My cover designer incorporated these words written by the students in their own handwriting into the front cover of the book.

Rather than boldly making these words the focus on the cover, she blended them into the background color of the book. I think this makes for a much more interesting design and provides something to catch the eye of the reader.

Joy also incorporated a lot of symbolism into the cover design:

• Inspiration Divine is a Mind, Body Spirit title and the three candles on the front represent the Body, Spirit and Mind.
• There are dots above the "i" characters in the word inspiration representing the Body, Spirit and Mind but not above the word divine (indicating that the Body, Spirit and Mind came from God).
  

Who is the cover artist?
Joy Hart,

www.heyjoy.com

Are you happy with the cover?
I love it! Joy did an excellent job of incorporating the message of Inspiration Divine into the cover design.

Tell us what you think is the best part of the cover.
The iD logo is an excellent branding element that can tie the book to other promotional tools that I'll use in workshops, on the website and related products.

Is there anything else about your cover that we need to know? Feel free to share.
We spent a lot of time tuning the spine. One thing I noticed is that libraries paste classification stickers on the bottom half of the book before shelving the book. Thus I wanted to make sure that the title of the book on the spine didn't appear on the lower half of the book. Of course, there is no guarantee that future librarians won't plaster a stick on the top but I still think it is worth it.

You'll notice on the back cover that we incorporated a 2-dimensional barcode above the ISBN. While this hasn't become a retail standard, I noticed that more and more smartphones (e.g. iPhone, Google Android, etc.) have 2-D barcode scanning applications built-in and thus this is designed to facilitate referrals from one reader to another.

We broke with tradition and put my first name (Darwin) on the spine rather than my last name (Stephenson). While many traditionalists will balk at this, we felt that my first name was more memorable and ties into the evolutionary theme of the book (e.g. connection to Charles Darwin).

Please provide your website link.
http://www.inspirationdivine.com

What is the link to buy your book?
http://tinyurl.com/iDBuyNow

Darwin Stephenson

Crossing 13 by Carrie Stark Hugus

Did you design the cover? No.

Did your publisher design the cover? No, my printer designed the cover.

Did you get to give any input about the cover design? Yes.

Is there an interesting story behind the cover design? If so, please share the details. Yes, I wanted a fall setting since the setting of the story begins on October 13. I also suggested the picture of a bridge to represent “crossing.”

Are you happy with the cover? Yes and no.

If not, what would you change and why? The primary market is teens and I don’t think the cover is attracting that market.

Tell us what you think is the best part of the cover. The fall leaves. Fall is a strong metaphor for my book; representing change, death, transformation and the actual month the story takes place.

Is there anything else about your cover that we need to know? Feel free to share. The title CROSSING 13 represents the date, October 13, and the age I was, 13-years-old, when my father died from suicide.

Please provide your website link. www.affirmpublications.com

What is the link to buy your book? http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-13-Carrie-Stark-Hugus/dp/0981593801/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1250194046&sr=8-1

Thank you for the opportunity!

Carrie Stark Hugus

Bestselling Author, CROSSING 13: MEMOIR OF A FATHER'S SUICIDE

2009 EVVY Award-Winning Merit Book

info@affirmpublications.com

www.affirmpublications.com

Tia's Red Dress by Marina Cross

We want you to share your book cover with us. An attractive cover is a big element in the appeal of your book.

We want the details about yours. This is the cover of my new erotic interacial romance, Tia's Red Dress.

Did you design the cover?

No. But a wonderful young lady, Missy Lyons did.

Did your publisher design the cover?

Yes, Missy Lyons is one of Red Rose publishing's great cover artist.

Did you get to give any input about the cover design?

I think it was a team effort to put the cover together. Although, I did have input into it's creation.

Who is the cover artist?

Missy Lyons, artist and author in her own right.

Are you happy with the cover?

Yes, I thought it turned out very well.

Tell us what you think is the best part of the cover.

I like the way Tia and Scott are staring into each others eyes.

What is the link to buy your book?
http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?products_id=571

Demon's Torment by Rachel D Thompson

Did you design the cover?
I chose the art that was used, but a good friend of mine chose the fonts.

Did your publisher design the cover?
Sort of--it was more of a joint effort

Did you get to give any input about the cover design?
Yes, I submitted the image this time around and it works perfectly for the book.

Is there an interesting story behind the cover design? If so, please share the details.
This is the cover art I originally chose for the paperback copy of the book. I was lucky enough that my publisher was willing to use it for the e-book version as well, because I just love the image.

Who is the cover artist?
Anastasia Rabyiah

Are you happy with the cover?
Yes, very much

Tell us what you think is the best part of the cover.
I love the whole thing.

Please provide your website link.
http://www.racheldthompson.com

What is the link to buy your book?
http://purplesword.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=22

~Rachel D Thompson~
Buy Demon's Torment!
Ebook
Print
Visit me on the web:
www.racheldthompson.com
www.racheldthompson.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/racheldthompson/
www.myspace.com/racheldthompson

Iggy the Iguana by Melissa M Williams

We want you to share your book cover with us. An attractive cover is a big element in the appeal of your book.

 We want the details about yours.

I wanted the cover to show off the personalities of each character in my series, Iggy the Iguana … it's a sneak peak into the diversity of the story. I also love color and eye catching scenes. My favorite covers always came from the front of Disney movies like the Little Mermaid, the Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. It is so much fun to look at a cover and see the story's plot shine through. My illustrator, Kelley Stangele, is a very talented painter, so she uses some of those techniques in her colored illustrations, which is why my book covers always look almost "water color-like". For this type of book … the brighter the better! At events many people will come up to see what Iggy the Iguana is all about when they pass by my huge poster displays of the covers. Mission accomplished! 



Did you design the cover?

Yes, I did design the cover, but I did not illustrate or do the graphic art. So much goes into creating a cover. There are so many minor details. As the publisher, I had the freedom to guide the illustrator and graphic designer as they drew and laid down the artwork. I knew how I wanted the characters to look and the meaning behind the cover, so it was very important for me to be hands on, but I knew my limits and had my graphic designers, Sharon Wyatt and Matthew Landry, work their magic too. 



Did your publisher design the cover?

I own LongTale Publishing, so yes, with the help of the whole creative team.



Did you get to give any input about the cover design?

Yes, and I did take advice form other professionals and got opinions from children as well.



Is there an interesting story behind the cover design? If so, please share the details.

The first book in the Iggy the Iguana series is all about Iggy changing to a new elementary school, so the main characters were placed on the cover in the playground of the school … which is also where many of the major scenes take place. I find myself continually bringing the outdoors into the covers. I love the beautiful colors of nature. 



Who is the cover artist?

Kelley Stengele



Are you happy with the cover?

Yes, but I am a constant motivator for change, so eventually when we do future revisions on the series, I would love to have a different look. That will be in many years, though.


If not, what would you change and why?

I would want us to redraw a few of the characters, maybe clean of a few things too.



Tell us what you think is the best part of the cover.

It is soooo colorful, and the characters show off their unique personalities the second you look at them. 



Is there anything else about your cover that we need to know? Feel free to share.

It was drawn and finished in layers. The end result was completed in Indesign and Photoshop.



Please provide your website link.

www.IggytheIguana.com



What are the links to buy your books?


http://www.amazon.com/Summer-League-Melissa-Marie-Williams/dp/0981805434/

To learn more about Iggy and Melissa Williams – visit www.iggytheiguana.com. Win the Iggy the Iguana Give Away! Including the Newly Released Items in Iggy Collection, Snap Shell the Turtle (Plush Doll), Iggy Collector's Baseball Cards, and The Read3Zero T-Shirt ... supporting the fight against illiteracy 30 minutes at a time. Be our most active visitor during the tour for a chance to win this Iggy Collection -- the tour schedule is posted at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2010/01/iggy-iguana-and-melissa-m-williams-tour.html to make it easy for you to visit and comment.

Pangasm

The cover for panGasm was an original mixed medium painting by a deceased friend of mine, Michael Abbey. I have self published this book and chose the image myself because it represents the principle of panGasm perfectly. The principle of panGasm introduces the Divine Feminine Principle of Dark Matter, and here She is holding the Earth in her hand. As well, panGasm uses ancient text and pyramid inscriptions to merge modern scientific discovery to validate the Star-Gate of 2012 as the beginning of a New Age. The Mayan Pyramids behind the image of the Dark Mistress represent the time tables demonstrated by pyramids around the world and feature a maze in the forefront as an image indicating mankind's evolutionary progress. Since panGasm is introducing a revolutionary Sexual Ethic for the New Age, I felt as though the nude image of a mysterious woman would be a great magnet that would pull readers to it, and it is proving itself as such. This book is available at lulu.com/pangasm, I hope you want to know more.

Thank you for the great blog idea, I had wanted to share a little about the selection process for my book cover and will tell more about the story of how this image came to be available to me as a result of the passing of a friend of mine, if there is stated interest about hearing this story; it is a little long-winded to add to this blurb. Mahalo for your aloha