Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Calling Me Home gets a new face

By Julie

You may remember my post from six weeks or so ago about seeing the U.S. cover of for the first time. But I bet you never expected another post about seeing my U.S. cover for the first time, did you?

I found out a few weeks ago that my publisher decided to go a different direction with the cover art, and at first I was fairly stunned. Even when it takes a few minutes to decide you love something, it eventually wiggles into your heart and brain. It becomes the book, in a way. When you learn the cover is going to change -- quite dramatically, in fact -- it's kind of like discovering that your baby, the one you thought had brown hair and cornflower blue eyes, is really a blonde with eyes the color of coffee.

I needed a few minutes to adjust. And then I remembered that it's packaging. And that the packaging may change several more times over the course of the book's life -- as it moves from hardcover to trade paperback eventually, then (crossing fingers) to mass-market paperback, and even (crossing everything) to a movie tie-in edition.

And I also remembered that, in the end, even if the packaging looks a little or a lot different on the outside, the story is still the story. And holding to that truth, I trusted the folks in the marketing and sales departments to know what will draw people in and what will allow the story to sell the very best it can.

I took a deep breath, and then took my first peek … again. And soon, I was sure I'd love the new cover at least as much as the old one, if for different reasons.

I will miss my pretty little gold and silver leaves. I love metaphor and loved all the symbolism and resonance in the original art. And so I say, R.I.P. Dear Old Cover.

I also love a cover that tells a story, and the new art tells my story! I think you will love it, too.



It's making its way onto the various sites little by little, day by day, but I wanted you guys to be some of the first to see it.

What do you think?






10 comments:

  1. Loved the first one, REALLY love this one! Gorgeous.

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  2. Love it! Congratulations, Julie!

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  3. it's so good, Julie. I've had it on my desktop for a while and think it was probably the right move on the publisher's part. More commercial, and that really matters!

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  4. I like the new one better. While the first one may be a better metaphor about what happens in your book, I won't be able to appreciate it until I read your book. The second one, though, with the people whose faces you can't see, make the people seem mysterious and make me feel more excited by the secrets the book may hold inside.

    Not that I'm saying anything is wrong with either cover. They are both beautiful.

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    1. I completely agree, E.B. The second cover seems to sit up and say 'You must read about why these two are sitting closely but not touching' while the first cover said 'Wouldn't I look lovely on your bookshelf?' Julie, I like how you've accepted this as 'packaging.' It is a bit jarring to love something and have it taken away, but I think this is all good.

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  5. So glad everyone likes it! Thanks for stopping by the blog and reading, too!

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  6. Love it, Julie. Loved the old one, too, but this one tells so much more while still leaving a bit of intrigue. It totally draws me in.

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  7. Love the new cover. This book is 1 of my 2 favorite books this year! And it's been a really good year!!

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  8. Lori, thank you! I'm gad you like it! Can't wait to see your cover!

    Clytia, WOW, thank you so much! I'm so very flattered by this, and so happy to hear you loved the book!

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