Getting Started
THE PROCESS
• Authors typically have a general idea of what they'd like on their cover and often provide a simple mockup or photo. (yes, chicken-scratch drawings are acceptable if you're shy about drawing.)
• Brian brainstorms with each author to gather information about the manuscript and to get a clear idea of the art style needed to best attract the 'target audience.'
• Typically 2-4 variations of the cover are provided early on for the author to provide feedback to Brian.
• The spine and back panel are always part of the design package however the cover is usually worked out first.
SAMPLE 1
This 'edge of your seat' novel involves politics, terrorism and nuclear threats, so Brian chose an intense looking sky over a southern desert scene with the nuclear symbol to best illustrate the 'full-throttle' nature of the manuscript.
SAMPLE 2
For this cover, Brian spoke with the author to get her vision of how she envisioned her characters looking. Once Brian completed the character illustrations and got the author's approval, different background treatments were experimented with.
The author chose the far right version and the full wrap (spine and back) were then created. (below)
