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

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

Voice of the Muse by Mark David Gerson

Did you design the cover?

No.

Did your publisher design the cover?

Yes and no. It's my publishing company that put out the book.

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

Yes. I had considerable input

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

The interesting story is how I found the designer. I had done the same research for designers on this book as I had done for my earlier book, The MoonQuest, but without same unequivocal results. No portfolio I saw, online or off, seemed to capture the essence of this book. Finally, I contracted with a designer who came the closest, crossed my fingers and prayed. She sent three concepts, none of which fully satisfied me but one of which I felt I could work with. After some back-and-forth with her, it became clear that this wasn't going to work and she resigned. Suddenly, I had no designer. A few weeks earlier, however, while I was on Facebook offering feedback on the proposed cover of a friend's book, I came across Richard (see the next question). His was the comment immediately previous to mine. We became online friends and, when I suddenly needed a new designer, I asked him to send me his portfolio. I soon as I saw his work, I knew he was the one. And he sure didn't let me down.

Who is the cover artist?

A U.K. cover designer: Richard Crookes

Are you happy with the cover?

Absolutely delighted.

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

Nothing specific. I just love the way he captured the essence of the material with his design.

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

Please provide your website link.

http://www.calltowrite.com

What is the link to buy your book?

http://www.calltowrite.com

Pilgramage to Heresy: Don't believe Everything They Tell You

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.

Pilgrimage to Heresy: Don't Believe Everything They Tell You

A Novel of the Camino

Tracy Saunders

Published by iUniverse

2007 (December)

Did you design the cover?

Yes, I did. I took the photo when last in Santiago de Compostela, and when I viewed it I was struck by the mystery it contained. It seems to take you beyond and past the beautiful Portico de Gloria into the mysteries of the Cathedral in Santiago itself. It was the only photo I ever considered. The rest was easy.

Did your publisher design the cover?

No, although I did have that option.

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

Since I self-published with iUniverse, I had full control over the cover design, although I did pay for a "Cover Copy Polish" which I thought, on receipt, took a lot of the strength out of the book and the original copy. I requested that they go with the original cover, which they did.

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

The first thing a pilgrim sees when they enter the cathedral is Master Matteo's stunning Portico de Gloria, described by some as a "symphony in stone". The Romanesque interior lies inside the Barroque exterior, but in some ways it is far more ornate than the original builders intended. As such, as I have explained, I felt that a mystery was implicit, and the perspective and symmetry of the cover invite the reader to find out more.

The book itself is a "timeshift" of course which looks at a bishop named Priscillian. Decapitated in 385 by the Romans (and with the full encouragement of certain of the Iberian bishops, although some - notable St. Ambrose and St. Martin of Tours were very much against it - were so scandalised that they refused to hold communian with the Roman emperor who allowed it. My claim - and remember it is fictional after all - is that it is Priscillian in the tomb in the cathedral, and not St. James at all. All of this is dovetailed with the story of Miranda, a professor from the University of Toronto, who is walking the Camino to try to regain some self identity.

Who is the cover artist?

Myself, but you'll see me listed as Cassie Berry. It's a bit of an in-joke actually. I hope she doesn't ask for a share of the royalities!

Are you happy with the cover?

Very much so.

If not, what would you change and why? Nothing.

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

The colour. It has a "mediaeval" touch to it.

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

Please provide your website link.

http://pilgrimagetoheresy.com

What is the link to buy your book?

As above, although it is also available at book outlets in Spain, and from Amazon etc., of course. There are links on the websire, and it can also be found under "Pilgrimage to Heresy" on Google, etc.

Please send me a copy of your cover along with your answers so the blog readers can see your cover and read your thoughts.

Please see above, but, if the image is not clear, I have others.

Many thanks, Nikki! A brilliant idea suggested to me by June Austin: Genesis of Man

Say Goodbye by Ed Rand

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 to hear the details about yours.

This is the cover for Say Goodbye, A Reluctant Sleuth Mystery by E J Rand (www.reluctantsleuth.com). It was published February 21st, 2008.

Did your publisher design the cover, and/or did you have input? My publisher, Deadly Ink Press (www.deadlyink.com), selected a designer, Rebecca A. Kandel. Kandel lives in California, I'm in New Jersey, but we find email exchanges work well. She is conscientious, and progress became exciting. One benefit of working with a small publisher is that I can be deeply involved in the process. It took seventeen mockups to get it just right. It's my first cover, the first in what will be a mystery series, and so we wanted to set a "series" tone and make this cover as compelling as we could. The publisher had ultimate approval, but liked what author and designer were developing, and gave us our head.

Is there an interesting story behind the cover design? SAY GOODBYE is what I call a crossover: a deep love story folded tightly into a murder mystery. I'm a senior citizen and so is my protagonist. I wanted to convey, at first glance, BOTH romance and danger. That's easier said than done, and I'd gotten advice not to try—I was told either would be enough, two would confuse. But I'm stubborn.

Who is the cover artist? Kandel felt that characters in silhouette would suffice; she offered alternatives, modified to our suggestions and her creativity, and so publisher and author tip our hats to her.

Are you happy with the cover? Extremely. Standing in a row beside other covers, ours pops out. And the second Reluctant Sleuth Mystery, PERFECT COVER (Deadly Ink Press, December, 2008) retains the same lighter-to-darker color value (with a different color), titles font and placement, and graphic location—a recognizable sister.

Tell us what you think is the best part of the cover. Tough choice: Perhaps the image: At first glance, a couple kissing and in the gun sight—a look into the story, right side of the page, makes you want to open the book. Then, there's the color: it's like blood, but non-threatening, and the lighter tone within the sight draws attention.

Is there anything else about your cover that we need to know? The gun sight surround had been black, but we changed it to gold—as it also represents a wedding band. It's not etched as we didn't want to detract from the eye going through into the image. But he wears a ring to preserve memories; she wears one as a defense against men, and that surfaces in the first chapter. Not easy for those two, falling for one another…or staying alive.

Please provide your website link. www.reluctantsleuth.com. Background on author, book, and series—including sample text from all three novels so far completed, are available. Visitors can order the book from the site.

What is the link to buy your book? I'm not adept at shortening, but here's a copy of the top line:
http://www.amazon.com/Say-Goodbye-E-J-Rand/dp/0978744217/