Thought you might enjoy learning about the evolution of a book cover. Typically, covers go through a series of drafts as part of their creation. Let’s take a look at the evolution of the eBook cover for The Magic Carousel.
The saying goes “you can’t judge a book by its cover” but people often buy a book based on its cover. That makes the cover a critical aspect of book marketing.
The Illustrator/Cover Designer
Brandon Dorman is a professional illustrator of children’s books, including series such as R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps, Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven, and Chris Colfer’s Land of Stories. Brandon’s website has a gallery of his artwork and a section on his process for illustrating a book cover. He did an amazing job with the cover and illustrations for A Dress To Remember. So, I was thrilled that we could continue to work together on The Magic Carousel.
Step 1—Getting Started
The first step in cover creation was to provide Brandon with background information on the characters and plot of the book. Illustrators do not normally read the manuscript, so the author must summarize the key elements of the story. Since we collaborated on A Dress To Remember, I understood the level of detail Brandon needed.
Step 2—Initial Sketches
For the second step, Brandon provided four sketches of potential covers. Each had features I liked. I polled several peoples for their opinions, including the 10-year-old son of a neighbor. His pick won. When asked why he liked this sketch, he said, “He’s going on an adventure!”
With the winner selected, I relayed the decision to Brandon.
Step 3—Color Version
The third step was the addition of color to the cover. This was the point where the book felt “real.” The cover was still a draft at this stage, and every detail had to be closely examined.
For The Magic Carousel, this meant requesting that the horse’s neck be simplified, the award symbol eliminated, and the boy’s eyes adjusted. The color selections were terrific, and the overall appearance was exactly what I was hoping for.
Step 4—Final Cover
With the requested changes made, the final eBook cover is complete. Brandon created another incredible cover!
These steps were repeated for the print cover, which included the spine and back cover. The evolution of The Magic Carousel cover was a fun process. The cover conveys the message that the story is about going on a magical time-travel adventure. I hope when the book releases on July 25th, readers say you can judge this book by its cover.