Good morning, friends! 

You’re catching me one day after revealing the cover for my October release, WINTER, WHITE AND WICKED. I’m still riding high on that fun share, so I thought we’d talk a little bit about book cover development and what that looks like from the traditionally published author’s side of things. You should definitely read to the end! If you do, there’s a link that will take you straight to the cover reveal and a fun giveaway to enter.

So! Covers! 

Q: Who controls what your book cover looks like?

A: For the most part, your book cover’s design is up to your publisher. There’s usually a clause in your contract that specifically addresses this. Sometimes the wording will allow for the author to have veto power or to have to give their approval, but mostly, this task falls to the publishing house.

This is not a bad thing! Especially if you’re with a reputable, industry recognized, competitive publisher. To stay in the game, publishers must hire designers who are good at their job and surround them with resources and people who excel and selling books. Ideally, your publishing team knows what they’re doing.

Q: Can an author design their own cover?

A: Not long ago, I would have answered this question with a hard “no.” This past year though, I met Isabel Ibanez, author and graphic designer. Her book WOVEN IN MOONLIGHT is a Bolivian-inspired fantasy and her publisher wanted to hire a Bolivian artist to design the cover. When they asked Isabel if she had any recommendations, she told them that she was a designer. They were elated, but still, they didn’t hire her on the spot. She had to send over her portfolio for review, just as any artist would do. She’s fantastically talented though, and her style suited their ideas for the cover, so they hired her. 

So, yes, it’s possible for an author to end up designing their own cover, but it doesn’t happen often. Publishers have people who work with artists on a daily basis, so they have a huge well to draw from when designing your cover.

Q: Does an author get to give input on their cover?

A: Absolutely. Before the cover is developed, publishers will have a discussion with the author, although what’s discussed can vary from house to house. I have author friends who’ve been asked to send over images of all their favorite covers. I’ve known authors to fill out a form listing their likes and dislikes, detailing what they’d like to see on the cover. And I’ve known authors who’ve had long back and forth discussions with their editor.

In my case, I’ve been with two different publishing houses, and both handled it similarly. With one publisher it was a phone call and, with the other it was handled over email. 

In both conversations, I was asked if I had any ideas at all about the cover. I was also asked if there were things I thoroughly despised on covers, and what things, if any, I particularly liked.

With my current publisher, my editor asked me to send over a physical description of each of my main characters, just in case they decided to feature them on the cover. I will admit to being elated; I do love people on my covers.

I can’t say what weight your publisher gives to these author conversations, but I’ve never heard of a publisher maliciously going in another direction, or setting out to disappoint the author. I can think of a few authors who didn’t love the final product, but actions were taken to find some middle ground. Just remember, publishers want you onboard, they need you to be excited about the book, and in my experience, they work to make that happen while also keeping sales in mind.

Q: Aside from the artwork, what other input does the author have on book packaging?

A: I suppose this could differ from house-to-house and author-to-author as well. In my case, I was asked to help put together the back cover copy (the summary on the back of the book), and the tagline. Not every cover has a tagline, so this may not apply. But keep an eye out! We’ll do a post on taglines soon because they’re all sorts of fun. 

I was also asked to help gather blurbs for my book. This is something my editor, my agent, and I are all currently working on. To do this, we’ll pinpoint authors who may enjoy the read and who have an audience we’d like to reach, and we’ll ask them if they’d be willing to read an early version of the book for possible endorsement. If the author agrees, we’ll get them an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of the book. 

The final product will be entirely up to the publishing house. If they decide to use the endorsements on the front or back of the book, that’s up to them. If they want the back cover copy on the inside flap, they’ll decide that themselves. Whether or not they include an author photo on the book jacket is often a style choice consistent across their entire line of books. So, while an author has input, certain elements are outside their control.

And that’s okay! Having a team to help with the final product is one of the benefits of working with a traditional publishing house. They have resources and expertise most authors don’t have, so it’s good to lean into this as a collaborative effort. 

Q: Who designed your book cover?

A: The cover designer for WINTER, WHITE AND WICKED is Hana Anouk Nakamura, and she’s brilliant. My publisher hired an artist named Ruben Ireland to provide an illustration for the cover, and when I first found out that he’d be working on the project, I squealed. He’s done illustrations for several YA covers including SAWKILL GIRLS by Claire Legrand, RUINSONG by Julia Ember, and BRIGHT BURNING STARS by A.K. Small. The images he creates are striking and I hope you’ll be as blown away as I was.

So, here’s that link I promised you:

Hop over to YA BOOKS CENTRAL to read an excerpt, enter a giveaway, and see the cover of WINTER, WHITE AND WICKED.

And then come back and tell me, do you have any questions I can answer about covers or book packaging? I’m happy to share what I’ve learned from the author’s seat.

Shannon Dittemore is an author and speaker. Her books include the Angel Eyes trilogy, a supernatural foray into the realm of angels and demons, as well as the fantastical adventure novel Winter, White and Wicked. Its sequel, Rebel, Brave and Brutal is due out January 10, 2023.

Shannon’s stories feature strong female leads grappling with fear and faith as they venture into the wilds of the unknown. She’s often wondered if she’s writing her own quest for bravery again and again.

It’s a choice she values highly. Bravery. And she’s never more inspired than when young people ball up their fist and punch fear in the face.

To that end, Shannon takes great joy in working with young writers, both in person and online at Go Teen Writers, an instructional blog recognized by Writer’s Digest four years running as a “101 Best Websites for Writers” selection.

For more about Shannon and her books, please visit her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.