Oh, my poor, poor book

I was poking around Amazon this morning (I'm not one of those paranoid authors who checks her Amazon stats constantly--just a couple times a week), and wondered if they'd posted the cover for the large-print edition yet.

Oh yes.

And, oh, is it BAD.

What is that?  It has to be the absolute WORST skull and crossbones I have ever seen.  I mean, it looks like I might have drawn it!  (And I have no artistic skills, believe me.)

Someone must have put all of 30 seconds of thought into this cover.

Now, compare it to the BEAUTIFUL cover that was done by the fabulous Teresa Fasolino for the paperback edition of the book.

No contest, eh?

It's a good thing that large-print editions aren't generally bought by the cover art.  As it is, large-print editions don't sell terribly well, but looking at this cover, I'd say my poor LP version of Bookplace Special is doomed.

What do you think?

Comments

[Mason]

Wow, that is different. But it does catch your eye.

[Sandra Parshall]

Oh dear.

[Lorna Barrett]

Mason: yeah, it catches your eye, all right. Yow! And it's painful.

Sandy, "Oh dear" is right. ;>

[Krista]

Oh, Lorraine! And your original cover is so lovely. What a shame.

~ Krista

[Doranna]

"Oh dear" is exactly what I was thinking...

[Donnell Bell]

Lorraine, okay, my husband (a chemical engineer) and me a lowly unpublished writer ;) will be the ones who disagree. He said he liked the shadows, the colors and the mirror image of the skull. I think it looks like something dug up, porous and eroding, which bones are. My DH said he doesn't by a book by it's cover anyway, which I disagree with. As for me I would pick it up based on your writing and that cover. Smile:)

[Lorna Barrett]

Thanks, Donnell. This is a COZY mystery, not some kind of icky thriller. I wrote to my Five Star editor, who works with the Wheeler people and asked if there wasn't something they could do. It may not be too late. (I've got my fingers crossed.) I suggested they go with a pumpkin--anything! But get rid of those skull and crossbones.

[Susie Combs]

Im so sorry Lorraine. It doesn't at all have a cozy feel or leave the message you were trying to portray. Susie C.

[Gwendolyn Nelson]

As to the actual appearance of the skull and crossbones, it looks to me like they lifted it off a gravestone -- it's not attractive, but looks quite authentic, what with the bottom of the skull looking a bit worn away.

At one point when I was visiting a friend in New England, she took me "gravestone rubbing" - you cover the headstone with strong art paper and rub away with wax, leaving an image on the paper.

I've read your book and can't for the life of me figure why they thought this image "went with" the book, I was wondering if maybe the person who chose it was a New Englander who was familiar with the whole grave-rubbing art concept. I know it may seem off-putting to you and me, but there are lots of people who really go for the stark, primitive look of that skull. I actually like that "look" better than something more slick.

Having said that, I still wonder if the person who chose it read your book? I could come up with several other ideas -- all of which at least involved the setting of the book, if not one of the actual scenes.

[Lorraine]

Gwen, I doubt if the art director at Wheeler read the book, although I do know they have a guy there who does read all the books that come in for consideration. He probably never bothered to tell the art guy what the book was about. And, honestly, all the covers are outsourced. I doubt there's much communication. It's all done on the cheap, too. And almost all the Wheeler/Thorndike large-print covers suck. I'm so lucky that the Dead In Red cover was so beautiful, but then for that, I submitted a dummy cover and the free-lance art director went hog wild. It does NOT happen often.

[Christine Hammar]

What a set back! Oh dear!

[Pat Gulley]

It isn't a attractive as the Berkley books, but as you said Large Print isn't purchased for the cover art.
Patg