Never Judge a Book ...

BY ITS COVER!

How many times have we heard that old adage 'never judge a book by its cover'?

In theory we all know that content is more important than appearance and yet I think we all tend to judge things in that way, no matter how hard we try not to.

When it comes to books I am very aware that a good, strong cover really does help sales. I am instinctively drawn to quirky covers and an intriguing blurb on the back cover. I then usually open the book, have a quick read of the first page and then decide whether to buy it or not.

HOW A COVER CHANGES EVERYTHING

Recently I've been busy getting my latest novel 'The Melting of Miss Angelina Snow' published and I decided that I needed a cover that would really stand out. I contacted a professional designer with some trepidation. I wasn't sure how the process would work or if I would actually get the result that I wanted. However, I knew that I could never do it by myself.

Fortunately for me, I found Steven Novak. Not only did Steven listen to me properly, he also guided me through the process and had an amazing amount of patience with my, often unrealistic, requests.

The end result was far better than I had dared to hope. It was so good that I asked Steven to create new covers for my books that were already published. Here are the other new covers. 

The new version of 'A Whisper on the Mediterranean' now immediately shows the humour in the book and not just the beauty of the Mediterranean.

I loved my original cover for 'The Song of the Cypress', with the painting by my talented friend Caroline Zimmermann, but alongside the other two it looked too dark. Steven came up with a scene that is thoroughly Tuscan, full of light and a hint of magic.

I work so hard to write a book. It takes a lot of time, a lot of research and dedication. Now I have covers which frame my words and that I can be proud of when I pick them up

 ... and stroke them, and hug then and ...

Yes, I'm still amazed when I get the first real copy of a new book go all trembly at the knees!