Clever Covers: Combining Artistic Vision with Marketability

Don’t judge a book by its cover, that’s what we’ve always been told, but we do it anyway. Why lie? Covers draw our eyes, pique our curiosity towards those books, and, in theory, give us an idea of what we will encounter inside. They depict the books’ artistic visions and boast their best qualities in an attempt to attract readers. But what is artistic is not always marketable and vice versa. Writers, designers, and publishers will, at one point or another, clash over how the covers should look. The question becomes: is it possible to make a cover that matches the writer’s vision and will satisfy the publisher’s need for marketability?

To be honest, I don’t think it’s possible to be perfectly satisfied with a cover. It’s possible to compromise and come up with a cover that everyone is comfortable with, but it’s rare that everyone is 100% happy with it. After all, we repeatedly come out with new editions of books with new covers (often by new artists). The re-releases refresh the book’s commercial appeal and sometimes drifts more towards the writer’s vision, although just as many times they drift away from this vision.

Sometimes the writer’s artistic vision wins, sometimes the designer’s artistic vision wins, and sometimes the publisher’s bottom line wins. In a perfect world, everyone involved would reach a compromise which keeps all of them semi-happy. Yet we do not live in a perfect world, and the publisher typically has the final say.

When the publisher gets what they want, the cover might be marketable but clashes might also occur. The most recent example I can think of is Terry Goodkind’s reaction to Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme’s cover design for Shroud of Eternity, which Goodkind called “laughably bad” and “sexist”.

Now, I could say a thing or two about Goodkind choosing to publicly shame Lecouffe-Deharme, but that’s best saved for a post about the illustrator/writer relationship in particular. What I want to point out here is that Lecouffe-Deharme worked according to direction he was given by the publisher. The publisher had to approve the cover. And, in the end, Goodkind didn’t think that the publisher-approved cover matched his work. Such is the risk when trying to design book covers. It’s beautiful and marketable but sacrifices the writer’s visions.

Sometimes, though, the stars align and the perfect book cover comes along. The other day I saw such a cover for a beloved dystopian classic.

As I am apparently behind the times, I just recently came across an eye-catching design for a Fahrenheit 451 cover from 2013. This cover, designed by Elizabeth Perez, has a spine made from a matchbook striking paper surface and has a match within the front cover. It’s an incredibly potent representation of the main message of the book. Not only that, but the simplicity of the design portrays enough mystery to draw the reader’s attention, thus making it marketable.

Clearly, self-published writers have a very different experience with covers. Self-published writers don’t have publishers hijacking the book and its cover design. However, that also means the writer must track down a talented artist and create an acceptable cover themselves. This could involve countless revisions (and, often, a lot of money). Then, if readers don’t react well to the initial cover, the writer must start the process all over again. The balance between artistic vision and marketability is as tricky to maintain for self-published books as for traditional publishing; the problem is that the writers must carry most of the weight themselves.

Is it possible to find a happy compromise for covers? Of course. Many writers, publishers, and artists are so perfectly matched that the result pleases everyone. Most of them are matched well enough that they at least find the cover acceptable, even if it’s not their vision of a perfectly artistic and marketable cover. Still, some people are not so lucky. As with most things in life, someone has to give. Unfortunately for us, it’s usually the writers. Nevertheless, if we persevere and communicate with the publishers and/or artists, we can create a cover which we are proud to have on our books.

What has been your experience with book covers? For those who have been traditionally published, did you have difficulties agreeing with your publisher on a cover? Or were they willing to take your vision into account? For self-publishers, did you have a hard time communicating with your cover artist? Did you have to change the cover after release as a result of reader feedback? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!