Book Cover Reveals Scare the Crap Out of Me
Book cover reveals are stressful. There I said it. When you’re working on a book, you often forget there will eventually be a moment that the revising will have to be completed and the next phase of the publishing process will begin. And it’s hard to send your creative niñito lindos off into the world! (We’ll save that “they’re gonna have to fly away eventually” post for another time) but the final cover art email spells the beginning of that goodbye. And it’s nerve-wracking!
I spend so much time diving into the narrative structure, the character arcs, tying up plot holes and filling gaps in the story to be bothered with what comes after all that is done. But once I’m through the copy-editing stage and heading into those final rounds of edits, I know the book cover is coming. And it makes me terribly anxious.
Sure, I get renderings throughout the process. My editor will sometimes ask for my input. Does this look right to you? What about the logline (that line at the top of a novel intended to hook the reader into the story). But for the most part I look at it and typically respond, “Cool! Love it!” And then continue with the work of writing. Sure, I offer some feedback but it’s not a lot. To be perfectly honest, writers don’t get a ton of say on the final cover of a book. And that’s fine with me. If I had to think about what my book cover had to look like in addition to all the storytelling elements of writing the actual story, I think I would probably write one book every seventy years or so. It’s bad enough diving through multiple drafts to get a story right, trying to figure out what my book cover is supposed to look like? I would be a nervous wreck. We say, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but, you know, we totally do. So, I’m happy to leave that to the highly trained art directors working in collaboration with my editor to come up with the cover for my book because I’m not an illustrator or graphic artist and, like writing poetry, I’m not going to pretend I know what I’m talking about. But I do know when a cover is totally awesome. I get chills once the final colors get sent to my inbox. I marvel at how an artist can weave such magic. I respect it and love it and get excited that this incredible, maddening thing called writing has a face to go with all those words.
And then the email comes with the header: “Final Cover Art!”
And my heart starts beating uncontrollably…
… my palms start sweating, and as I marvel and stare at every artistic detail, I look at my name on the bottom of the cover and my heart races even more. Because in the space of all this solitary work called writing, there is a moment where the writing stops, and the promotion will begin. And the once safe sanctuary of your writing desk becomes the staging ground for the next hat you wear, the inevitable space you leave your story is soon up and the promotional work is in sight.
Do you ever get nervous once you prepare to send a project out into the world? It doesn’t have to be writing. It could be a venture you’ve begun. An investment of your own time or money. Maybe it’s a move. Or a change in jobs. Once you’ve hit the point of no return, there’s a collective nerve. You know you can’t go back. The wheels are in motion. You pause momentarily. What if it doesn’t work? What if nobody likes it? What if the job isn’t what I wanted it to be? What if it fails?
The book cover reveal brings all of those feelings to the forefront of my consciousness. I know I’ve put in the work; I believe in the story I’ve written; I know it will make its way into the world and someone may connect with it in a profound way. And my investment will be worth the risk. But there is that moment of dread. The final art arrives. And I am asked to reveal the book cover for my latest novel. And after that moment, the airplane kicks into gear and I know it’s about to take off. There’s no turning back. The captain is telling the crew, prepare for takeoff. Full speed ahead. ¡Vamos!
And so, with that, may I present the book cover for my debut graphic novel, Curveball illustrated by the incredibly talented, Miguel Díaz Rivas and dropping May 2024 from Disney-Hyperion.
Ready? (Gulp) Okay here it is…
COMING NEXT WEEK: Cafecito break, Trinkets of Inspiration and Ask the Tiny Spanish Beekeeper!
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This is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!! What an incredibly wonderful cover! Congratulations!!! Can’t wait to read this and add to my collection!