So the next step in publishing my book is getting the cover underway. The graphic design firm I’ve chosen has an online application that is formidable. Not that it’s hard, but it asks me to think.
Think? Yeah, right. There’s a reason I chose that dog photo. There he is, flopped on the floor, rolling his eyes. That’s me. I’m so close to the manuscript that it’s tough to see it as a whole. (Never mind that I’ve forgotten half of what I wrote!)
Coming up with a great cover is no small feat. I’ve looked at enough of them to know. The right cover is evocative; it draws readers in and entices them. The decision to buy is an emotional one, and ‘nice’ just isn’t enough. I learned that with Mercy’s Embrace. (see right sidebar)
Fortunately for me, Robin was online yesterday. She’s been my cheerleader for the two years I’ve been working on Darcy By Any Other Name. So I borrowed her brain.
Her insights blew me away. On the application I’d described Darcy as light comedy. Robin reminded me that it’s much more than a fluff piece, it’s an intriguing character study. The humor is not slapstick but sly and clever. Also she pointed out that it’s a romance. How could I forget that?
Well. If you’ve seen as many covers as I have, you’ll know that Romance is serious business. The emotional, angst-ridden or passionate cover is what’s expected in the genre, I just never associated that kind of image with Darcy. Ha, I pity the designer who is assigned to my project because the main point-of-view character is a guy, not a girl. And a beefcake cover guy, with his clothes half ripped off, won’t cut it. Mr. Collins is rather tubby, right? Aint nobody want to see that.
I’ll be sending my request tonight. Stay tuned for developments. This is getting real. And later I’ll be borrowing your brain for feedback.
Laura Hile 
I’m to have been of help, Laura. Sometimes we get so close to our own work we miss the bigger picture it presents.
May I have my brains back now? I really need them. I thought I had just misplaced them somewhere, and I’m glad to know they’re safely in your care.
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Your brain has migrated home, and I thank you for the loan. Two are better than one, yes. Perhaps in future we should hunt as a pack? See, we need to borrow somebody’s high metabolism. That White Chocolate Raspberry Yum ice cream your brain so ardently craved went straight to my hips.
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