Monday, August 3, 2015

GOING THROUGH THE CHANGE

Meet Samantha Bryant today's guest author!

Take it away Samantha!


JUDGING MY OWN BOOK BY ITS COVER

A cover is a really important part of a book. What the cover looks like can have more to do with whether a reader decides to pick up your book than the words on the inside or the blurb on the back, especially when you’re a newb that no one has ever heard of!

That's a terrifying prospect as a writer, because, most usually (of course there are exceptions), we don't make our own covers. In fact, depending on your path to publishing, you, as author, might not get any say at all about what the cover looks like.

A bad cover can make the uphill climb of finding an audience that much harder. It's like birthing a beautiful and intelligent child, only to have someone else reject it as worthless because your child is wearing dirty or ugly clothing. I've seen several indie writers put out a book with a less-than-professional cover (usually a financial decision), then re-release it with a better one and see large changes in the kind of attention their book attracted.

My debut novel came out with Curiosity Quills Press on April 23, 2015. (I am perhaps, maybe, just a smidge excited about that). Curiosity Quills is a small, independent press. My contract with them gave me input on the cover, but no right of refusal and no requirement that they actually use my input.  So, I was on tenterhooks, waiting to see what my cover would look like.

You wanna see it?



I love it! And, boy was that a relief!  


The cover is by Polina Sapershteyn , a graphic designer in NYC that Curiosity Quills contracted for the work. (Here's her website if you want to check out some of her other work).

There are several things I love about this cover. 

First, the bright yellow is really eye catching. When I've seen it displayed onscreen on an Amazon search page, for example, I feel certain that anyone seeing it would at least glance that way because of the bright yellow. The image also instantly suggests humor and superhero, two important hints about the book on the inside of this cover. 

Second, Polina captured a lot of revealing details about threads of the book in this one image. The torso is thick in the waist, in a way that is not typical of superhero comics, but is completely normal for my menopausal characters. The costume is non-professional looking--the cape held on with a tied ribbon and the tunic consisting of a tee-shirt looking material that wrinkles across the breasts. That fits so well with Helen's thread in the story (she's the one who does eventually make herself a costume)! The image used on the center of the chest suggests gender and LGBTQ+ issues. That fits so well with Linda/Leonel's thread.

I was utterly amazed by how well Polina was able to represent my work, especially when you consider that she and I have never met and only made contact online after she'd already done my cover!  There's not much there from the ideas I submitted, except thematically. But, you know, she's a graphic artist. I'm not. Her ideas were better than mine. There's something to be said for trusting the judgment of professionals.

Now that my book is out there in some bookstores, competing for a potential buyer’s attention, with so many other books, I appreciate the eye-catching and story-representing cover all the more. I may be a little biased, but, judging this book by its cover, I’d say the reader is in for quite a ride.


Going Through the Change is going through a change in price for a couple of days in early August. On August 5th and 6th you can get the Kindle edition for free on Amazon. Check it out at: http://bitly.com/face-the-change



Samantha Bryant is a middle school Spanish teacher by day and a mom and novelist by night. That makes her a superhero all the time. Her debut novel, Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel is now for sale by Curiosity Quills. You can find her online on her blog,  Twitter, on Facebook, on Amazon, on Goodreads, on the Curiosity Quills page, or on Google+



Thanks Samantha!


Have you ever judged a book by its cover and been pleasantly or horribly surprised?

*****



21 comments:

The Happy Whisk said...

Its a brilliant cover.

The Happy Whisk said...

It's

Denise Covey said...

That cover will stand out on both digital and wooden shelves! I've heard that yellow and blue are the most bought e-book covers. All the best with your sale, Samantha. I'll have to remember to pick up your book in a few days!

Denise :-)

Shannon Lawrence said...

I do love this cover. I think it sounds perfect for the book. And it's definitely eye-catching.

Pat Hatt said...

Sure catches the eye right away, great cover!

Misha Gerrick said...

It is an awesome cover. :-)

I have to say that one of many nice things about self publishing is that I get to control the cover. Because as you say, it's very important.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

The yellow really does catch the eye.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That cover pops all right. It's awesome when the artist can capture your book in a cover.

cleemckenzie said...

That cover made me laugh! Great job of getting that stage of a woman's life right. Your book sounds great.

Yolanda Renée said...

Hey Ivy, good catch. It is a great cover! Love yellow!

Yolanda Renée said...

Interesting information, wonder where gray places. :) Thanks for stopping by Denise!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hey Shannon, thanks for stopping by, yes quite eye-catching!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hey Pat, you're right, it does that!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi Misha, and you are one of the few truly successful self-published authors around. All round talent too!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hey Diane, love the color yellow!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi Alex, that the what they're supposed to do, so yeah, when it's right, it's RIGHT!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi Lee, That stage needs the brightness doesn't it!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

The cover fits the book so well!

msmariah said...

Thanks Yolanda for posting such a great guest post by Samantha. I absolutely love her cover. It's fantastic. It's definitely eye catching. I would pick that book up in a second. I wish her great success on her book.

msmariah said...

Thanks Yolanda for posting such a great guest post by Samantha. I absolutely love her cover. It's fantastic. It's definitely eye catching. I would pick that book up in a second. I wish her great success on her book.

The Happy Whisk said...

I was on the tablet using the screen and I often miss stuff. But then I see it just as it's toooooo late. No biggie. But I am looking forward to getting my keyboard back.