Pins and Needles

I was given my new cover for Whispered Words, coming out from Loose Id next week. I'm on pins and needles waiting to share it, but until it gets final approval, I have to wait.

If you ever wondered about cover art, I'll clue you in. Of course, each publisher is different, but by and large, this is what I've experienced with most of my publishers, who are small presses dealing with both electronic and print books.

I fill out a form giving details of my book and what I'd like to see on the cover. Is it part of a series? Do I have to have a wolf or moon on the cover? What's the tone? Sexy? Lighthearted? Then I give short blurb or summary so the artist has some idea of the book for which they are creating the art.

So that's my input. Then I wait. And wait. And bite my nails and wait. I kind of hate this part, because if I hate the cover, I don't have that much leeway to fix things. (And I've had a few covers that gave me serious fits!) If the guy is ugly or the woman all wrong, I have very little latitude to ask for changes. Unless she's a blond when I clearly stated she was brunette, I'm stuck.

I'm always crossing my fingers. But I have to say the artist nailed it with Whispered Words. It's terrific, and I can't wait to share it. You can bet that as soon as I can, I will. :)