Disclaimer:
The creative process, even in artistic fields, is often not a case of sudden magnificent inspiration, but rather the end result of cold analysis of what works or doesn't work, calculated experimentation, and iterative design. If you are someone that doesn't want to know how the proverbial sausage is made, I caution you against reading further.
Everyone has been told at some point in their life to, "Not judge a book by its cover." The wisdom of that idiom as it applies to people, places, situations, and experiences is well intentioned in the usually banal instances it is spoken. Your dear mother suggesting that perhaps Jason actually is fun to play with...despite how lame he looks, is quite different though similar in kind to the idea that the growling snarling dog looks vicious but may be really friendly once he's let off his leash.
Countless examples can be given either supporting or refuting the rule, however, there is one inescapable truth—the average reader DOES judge a book by its cover and in many cases, it is the initial reason why a reader becomes interested in a book.
Besides an eye-catching image, more critically, book covers need to convey genre, major selling points if any (awards, mass appeal, etc), and all these elements must be visible in an image the size of an Amazon thumbnail.
vs.
vs.
The genre of the books is obvious even in these small images
In addition, the first book in any series has the considerable task of not only making a reader interested in it, but also all subsequent books in the series. Book three or book five might look cool and might be well-reviewed, however, if book one looks completely unappealing a prospective reader might never be convinced enough to read to book three or five.
Monster of the Dark (MOD) is my first published book and subsequently it is the first time I’ve ever had to commission a cover. I selected Jeff Brown for the cover based upon his body of work and what I was looking for. Though, I’ve never commissioned a cover for a book, I have worked with artists before and they have explained to me that they always find it more helpful if the client has some sort of idea of what they are seeking instead of the artist having to constantly draw and redraw over and over again until the client finally sees something that clicks. Artists are, of course, creatives too and I’ve also found that overly specific requests can conversely produce a final piece that either falls flat or a final design that doesn’t utilize all the artist's strengths. Most artists will make suggestions, but ultimately, it’s best to give the customer what they want—for their good or ill.
My initial pitch to Mr. Brown was done over a video conference, unfortunately I have no record of it. Suffice to say the cover that is on MOD is not that pitch in any way. The original pitch was basically the scene from the first chapter of the book wherein Carmen was taken from her home. Mr. Brown believed the image might be a good piece of art but would be ineffective as a thumbnail.
I deferred to the judgement of the professional experienced artist and the idea was scrapped. I still might commission that cover at a later date for my own vanity when a (not insignificant) amount of money is wasting away in my pocket, but for now the original idea exists only in my imagination.
We eventually agreed upon the general theme of the Carmen overlooking a futuristic city. Mr. Brown asked for any distinguishing aspects of the character (Carmen) or the world, particularly vehicles, architecture, etc. For Carmen I said she was a young woman, blonde, with a ponytail. I also requested, which is a signature Clairvoyant trait, that sparks of electricity arc along her body.
As an aside, the physiological aspects of a Clairvoyants at a high state of charge namely: sparks from their bodies, glowing eyes, and physical discomfort being near them were taken from Godzilla (Godzilla is a monster born from the atomic bomb. While rarely mentioned in the movies, being near him causes radiation sickness)
Description of a Clairvoyant waking up:
Waking up was never a quiet event for a Clairvoyant. Their bioelectric fields, energized by irrational dreams and nightmares, raged madly though invisibly while they slept. Then, by the slightest stir of the conscious mind from its stupor, the fields exploded into spectacular disarray. Visible sparks coursed along both of their bodies, getting wilder and wilder till they eventually filled the corner of the room where they slept. The two Clairvoyants’ respective fields played with each other, challenged each other, retreated, and gave way like a superhuman duel between two angry specters. And then it stopped. The only evidence that remained of the monster within was a slight whitish-blue tint to their eyes when they were opened, but it went away after a second or two.
The Rogue Wolf
The depiction of the “futuristic city” I left open to the artist. I did mention that cars can fly in this universe…specifically that their performance is greater than modern fighter planes, but I once again left how they looked to the artist.
The initial concept sketch:
I generally liked the initial sketch. However, it suffered from what I now like to call “Action Girl Syndrome.” I don’t know if it’s the influence of the present culture, or the general preference of artists to present characters is dramatic powerful poses, but I notice it is a tendency I must regularly pull them back from. My exact reply to the sketch:
Well after a day to think about it, I must say I still quite like the theme and setting. My only request at this point is for less tension in the body (back and arms). Elementally, the character is more "water" than "fire." It's the difference between "I could hurt you" vs. "I will hurt you."
I then provided the artist some reference images of his own work for what I was looking for:
Verses a reference from his catalogue of what I didn’t want:
The cover was then developed to this point:
The resulting pose is a perfect example of an artist intuitively understanding after just a few words what a client is seeking, and is also a good example of the human touch present in well-made art that AI can’t match. The resulting stance is dramatic, powerful, and FEMININE. “Chef’s kiss” is the contrast between open relaxed left hand and tight-fisted right hand. Once again, Could hurt you vs Will hurt you. Other subconscious aspects that I like are the slight Dutch angle present in the city, though Carmen is center frame and straight. Dutch angles (tilting of the frame) in film are often used to “unsettle” the audience. In this instance the implication can be taken as the world is “off” and/or the character doesn’t fit in it. Also, the spread of the arms hints at, though doesn’t completely imply a crucifix. While Carmen is NOT a Christlike figure there are blink and you’ll miss it religious themeings in Monster of the Dark.
Changes from that point were minor. For one Mr. Brown forgot that the character was blonde, I personally thought her hips were too big. And I requested that the small sparks have their color changed to blue. I suspect that the color for the sparks were chosen to contrast the blueish background. I don’t like countermanding artists choice of color; they know far more about color theory and how color choice affects the viewer. However, in this case I preferred color choice corresponded to accuracy. It is not explicitly stated, but the colors Clairvoyants produce, either sparks or heat beams, follow the spectrum of electromagnetic waves to denote intensity.
The final image (art only) is as you can see below:
While not what I was initially seeking, I do quite like the end result. I personally think the cover stands out against most other covers in the genre. I also liked the fonts chosen by the artist so much that I decided to have them as the fonts for the rest of the series.
Part two will cover how the cover for the second book in the Mirrors in the Dark Series, The Rogue Wolf, came about. And how striking just the right pose can be so elusive.