Cover Stuff

[Harper]

Hey, guess what I got today?
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41m%2BCqTQ5UL._SS500_.jpg
It's the German translation of Poltergeist! Apparently it was released December first and I wasn't paying any attention.

I got a rough proof of the UK version of VANISHED's cover recently, too, but it's not approved yet so I can't show it to you. However, it's going to be a little bit of a change from the previous covers in the series. A bit more realistic this time and they're changing the model, which actually makes me happy, since I thought the previous model was a bit young-looking. Also, there will be no tattoo (I have no idea where that came from in the first place.)

So far as I know, the US version is not being changed, so the cover up at Amazon is probably the right one.

And meanwhile... I'm proofing the mmpb version of Greywalker, which will be coming out in June with the same cover as the US original, just a little smaller.

[nerdgirl]

This kind of reminds me of Hitchcocks "The Birds". I prefer the headless crosswalk sign.

[Hagelrat]

that's kind of gorgeous.

[Harper]

The Germans seem to associate crows with the uncanny a lot more than Americans do, so it's a good cover from that aspect. Also, they have very strong branding on this. They changed the original cover idea on Greywalker from this
http://katrichardson.com/pix/GreywalkerDeutsche.jpg

to this
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21VhC6g4jGL._SL500_AA180_.jpg
when they realized they might want to buy the other books in the series.

The cover for the German edition of Underground is in the same vein (due out in August):
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ii4DAEXmL._SS500_.jpg

[Sakutian]

This is just me but I like the original idea the best, although the coat she is wearing is a bit weird but thats fine. They're all good though. Crows are very weird birds and I always sort of associate them with supernatural stuff as well them and ravens.

[Mr Orange Monkey]

I associate crows with an unpleasant recurring dream involving waking uo just in time for a crow to plunge down from the ceiling, and then actually waking up in real life momentarily paralysed,but that's probably just me.

I like the changing eye colour/author name idea on the new designs, and the greyish TV interference shadowing on the titles.

[Hagelrat]

Orange Monkey, yup, that probably is just you. At least you wake up.

[Harper]

He also worries about owls.... ;)

[Hagelrat]

so a theme evening of Hitchcock movies and Poe readings coming up? We could slip a little James O'Barr in there too. Or i that just cruel?

[Sakutian]

Turkeys freak m eout...they look like zombie versions of themselves and nothing can be that dumb for real. It's an act to lull us into a false sense of superiority. They serve the apocalypse I tell you.

[ImzadiDragonfly]

I really like the German covers. I'm glad they changed from the silhouette to just the eye. If you took away the gun and the crows the silhouette is almost whimsical, or carefree.

I like the U.S. covers too. I just find it funny the artist always has Harper just standing there with a gun in her hand. Not really doing anything. Just standing on the street holding a gun in one hand the other and on her hip or a building or what have you. Really all the cool edgy chicks in Seattle are doing it.

[Harper]

The US cover for Underground was more of an action shot--you can see the motion blur and the way her coat is flaring out as she's looking around. The cover for Vanished is unusual in that you can see very little of Harper's face--she's looking back over her shoulder at the glowy-eyed creeps on the street behind her.

Most of the covers have been static. The Polish Greywalker cover is very much the "girl with a gun" thing, but it's interesting in that it's the only cover where Harper is actually tall and thin and has good trigger discipline. ;)

[ImzadiDragonfly]

I did notice the action on the Underground cover. I also remember have that maternal feeling of wanting to tell Harper to get the hair out of her face when I looked at the Vanished cover. I really do enjoy getting to see all the different cover art.

[Harper]

I suspect Chris, the artist, really likes to paint hair.

[Harper]

See Kat squee like a mad thing! I have discovered the cover for the mass market edition of Greywalker and I'm so excited I can't stand it.
http://katrich.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/greywalkermmp.jpg?w=370&h=600
I know it's not a big thing, but I've never seen the changes before.

[Sakutian]

That new cover is awesome like a possum in the middle of July! I almost wish that they'd saved it for a new book haha. It might help with sales cause it's really eye catching and dynamic too.

[Harper]

Are possums awesome in the middle of July? I always thought they were a bit obnoxious in your soxes when you go to do the laundry... ;)

[Sakutian]

Hahah I have heard that from time to time. On a related note did you know ferrets can't bear it if you give them a carrot?

[Harper]

Umm... I never give carrots... too much sugar. ;)

[ImzadiDragonfly]

You say that like a ferret on a sugar high is a bad thing?

[Harper]

How could you tell the difference?

[ImzadiDragonfly]

How could you tell the difference?

Ha! Excellent point.

I'm really looking forward to learning about ferrets and the grey.

[scorsone]

I'm new to the site but just wanted to add that I like the covers for Greywalker and Poltergeist. I think the model that posed for them is whom I would imagine Harper to be and it shouldn't be changed! Really I kept imagining a Michelle Ryan type throughout the book.

Underground is the cover that I'm not particularlly fond of. To grainy and I don't know whether or not that's the same model, but Harper's looking kind of haggard and a bit aged if you ask me.

But keep the model, and I love the somewhat grainy texture of the covers. Just not the way she appears in Underground.

KB

[Harper]

I want my books to sell to France so I can see what they do with them. Most of the French covers I've seen for Urban Fantasy are slightly cartoon-like and artistic. I'd love to see what they come up with.

Acutally I'd like to see the actual Russian cover--I've never seen that one or the Romanian ones at all.

[BlueNinja]

I'm curious - why don't they use the same cover art for international versions? Why does the image have to be different in every single country?

[Harper]

I'm curious - why don't they use the same cover art for international versions? Why does the image have to be different in every single country?

Licensing. The publishing house owns rights to the cover design and the artist owns rights to the art, but only for non-cover purposes (sometimes until a certain time, when he gets it all back, but it's complicated...) Anyhow, the upshot is that if a licensed foreign translation wants to use the same art, they have to get permission and a license from the original publisher and an additional license from the artist. That's usually very pricey and a royal pain in the ass.

In addition, different cultures have different ideas of what's acceptable, or evocative, or sexy, or... fill in the blank. So the marketing people get into the picture and make a lot of noise about what's going to sell in their market and that effects the cover also.

On that note, my Complex Chinese (Taiwanese) edition is being re-released with a new cover that's more traditionally "Chinese" than the original. Why i don't know, but I'd suspect the modern art cover they did the first time didn't really pull readers.

original cover:
http://katrichardson.com/pix/GreywalkerChinese.jpg
(sorry about the crappy photography on cover #1...)

new cover:
http://katrichardson.com/pix/GreywalkerChinese2.jpg

[Sakutian]

I dig the new covers, they're spooky, especially that bottom one. It sort of looks like a poster for a horror movie.

[ImzadiDragonfly]

Oh, I like the new cover much better than the original. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't mind the print hanging on my wall. The original cover kind of reminds of sci/fi covers from the 60s and 70s.