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!
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www.racheldthompson.com
www.racheldthompson.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/racheldthompson/
www.myspace.com/racheldthompson