Book Production Prep Begins Before You Write the First Line!

After turning in a manuscript to my editor several months ago and having it approved, I moved on to other projects while awaiting more details about the publishing schedule. When my contact from the editorial office emailed me last week requesting cover art information and other items needed for front and back matter, that book was the very last thing on my mind!

And she wanted everything returned to her within one week’s time!

Okay, I told myself. It’s not like I was in the middle of anything pressing—if you don’t count the Christmas season, having our daughter’s family of six living with us temporarily, and everyone in the house getting over colds. Not to mention I still hadn’t settled on my blog topic for today!

But deadlines are deadlines. It was time to put everything else aside, pull up the manuscript files, and start filling out all those information forms.

Then . . . 

Pleasant surprise . . . 

Brilliant person that I am, I discovered I had already gathered many of the details I would need, including representative character and setting photos, applicable scripture verses, and important bits of description. Now, all I had to do was insert everything I’d already collected into its proper place on the editorial forms and then fill in any missing pieces.

Whew!!!

The moral of this tale? Plan ahead! The very best time to begin collecting anything relevant to the production of your book is while you are writing it. 

So what are some ways to do that?

Character photos. In the earliest planning stages of a new book, I’m already getting ideas for what the central characters look like. One of my favorite sources of character inspiration (physical description, mannerisms, etc.) is the Hallmark Movie Channel. Those actors just generally seem more down-to-earth and believable. Sometimes I recall particular actors from the movies I’ve watched and can look them up on the Hallmark Channel website. Other times, I just go to the site and scroll through the movie images looking for close matches to the characters I’ve already started picturing in my head.

Once I’ve cast my characters, I create a computer folder and download several photos, looking for a variety of poses and attire that in any way fit my story. I’ve also started creating secret Pinterest boards where I save anything relevant to a particular work-in-progress. Since I write in Scrivener, I copy my favorite images into the character files there for quick reference. 

Setting details. Just as with character images, I keep an eye out for pictures that could represent the characters’ homes, workplaces, etc. These images will also be saved to Scrivener and the appropriate Pinterest board. No matter how vividly I’ve described a scene in my manuscript, when it comes to helping the art department create a cover that suits the story, a well-chosen picture is definitely worth a thousand words!

Alternate title ideas. My editors typically ask for several additional title possibilities, so as the story begins to take shape and the strongest hooks reveal themselves, I can start my alternate title list. A tool I’ve been working on to help brainstorm titles is an Excel spreadsheet with four columns of title buzzwords I’ve been collecting based on popular romance hooks. As I come across interesting new title words, I add them to the appropriate word list. Then, to create a title, just mix and match! Here’s a screenshot showing the first several rows:

Quotes and scripture references. When any meaningful quotations or Bible verses inspire an aspect of my story or are referenced in a scene, I add them to a folder in my Scrivener project. One of these quotes may be just right for front matter in the published book or as part of the back-cover blurb. My list may include scripture, verses from old favorite hymns, snippets of poetry, or quotations from famous people.

Dedication and acknowledgements. Early on, I start thinking about friends, family members, or other important people in my life who may have inspired the book in some way or otherwise contributed to its development. Perhaps someone answered research questions or supplied important information during the course of writing the book. As those names come to me, I add them to my front/back matter notes.

Author’s note. For historical novels or any story requiring extensive research, it’s helpful to include a section at the end of the book offering interesting details and deeper insights about places and events referenced in the novel. My research folder in Scrivener has all the information right there for me to sift through and refer back to as I draft my author’s note.

Back cover blurb. While the publisher doesn’t always use my version of the back cover blurb, I’m usually asked to provide a couple of paragraphs along with a short, catchy lead-in. For this, I can usually refer back to what I created for the initial proposal. Some plot and/or character details may have changed since then, but the central concept should still be intact and gives me a starting point for a more relevant tag line and blurb.

Join the conversation! What other pre-pub prep work do you consciously fit into your writing routine? Do you have a system that helps you keep everything organized and ready when you need it?

Since it’s almost Christmas, today I’m offering three giveaways! Winners can choose any one of my three Christmas stories: One Imperfect Christmas, Rancher for the Holidays, or my Christmas novella, Designs on Love (originally part of the Seekers’ Hope for the Holidays Historical Collection). Print copy OR ebook to U.S. residents; ebook only if you live outside the U.S. (but you must be able to receive a Kindle ebook gift). Please mention in your comment if you’d like to be entered in the drawing AND which book(s) and formats you would like to win.

About Myra: Award-winning author Myra Johnson writes emotionally gripping stories about love, life, and faith. Myra is a two-time finalist for the prestigious ACFW Carol Awards and winner of Christian Retailing’s Best for historical fiction. Originally from Texas but now residing in the beautiful Carolinas, Myra and her husband love the climate and scenery, but they may never get used to the pulled pork Carolinians call “barbecue”! The Johnsons share their home with with two very pampered doggies who don’t always understand the meaning of “Mom’s trying to write.” They’re also currently harboring their younger daughter and family (six in all plus a kitty!) as they transition toward their next missionary calling. With grandkids underfoot ranging in age from 14 down to nearly 3, there’s never a dull moment! 

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We've Got You Covered!

We've Got You Covered!

with Missy Tippens and Lindi Peterson

Missy Tippens, here. And I’d like to welcome my very good friend and critique partner Lindi Peterson. Lindi had books published with Belle Bridge Books and is now publishing independently as well. She just released her first indie book last week, and it has an amazing cover that fits well with her brand and her Belle Bridge covers. I thought I’d ask her to share her journey in achieving that. But first, I’m going to share about some of my fantastic Love Inspired covers.

Several years ago, I shared a post about Harlequin’s Art Fact Sheet. (Click here, but please come back!) This AFS has been invaluable in helping figure out what will make a great cover. Now that I know better how to fill out the form, I’ve found that the art department has made the covers almost exactly as I envisioned them!

For my latest release, The Guy Next Door, I sent my editor a Word document with photos of a couple sitting by a campfire. I also sent a photo of a campfire beside a lake. And I even sent a photo of s’mores!

Here’s the description I typed with the photos I sent (Spoiler Alert for the story!):

Scene #2 – Roasting marshmallows for s’mores at lakeside fire pit. A big proposal scene where they declare love. Hero and heroine sitting on logs that surround the fire. Scene actually takes place in late afternoon/ early evening with light filtering through tall pines. But night scene might make nice cover.

I think they got it just right! And the heroine looks a lot like the photo I sent them (a photo of the daughter of a friend of mine).

On my previous book, Georgia Sweethearts, one of the scenes I described as a possible choice for the cover was when the hero and heroine shared their first kiss. I sent a photo of a man and woman sitting side by side with a note to meld two photos, the first one for an example of the pose.

Then I also sent along a second photo of a picnic table with this added:

Better setting/background--in back yard under a tree. (Add tulips):

 

Photo Credit: Crestock/ simply

Well, here’s what they came up with (and note the tulips, even!). They captured the heroine’s ponytail as well as the clothes that I described in the AFS.

For A House Full of Hope, I sent photos of each of the kids. I sent photos of black labs. I sent a photo of a white wooden farmhouse, adding this note:

SCENERY

Large farmhouse for three generations of Rykers (with porch and front steps and white railing but also has rocking chairs on porch)…

I also sent along a photo of a canopied drive and wrote this:

Canopied Drive to house scene (#1) (peaceful, dappled sunlight) and add black lab trotting down road as well as kids’ bikes tossed on side of road to indicate playing…

So the editors and art department did a great job showing all that. They even captured the pink that the oldest child always wore (a description I added in the AFS).

I’ve been blessed with covers that go along with what I’ve envisioned on the stories. So I’m sharing some tips that I think help.

--Use scenes that convey the overall theme of your story—romance or family or suspense…

--Consider using scenes that include hooks that sell well such as children, brides, pets, cowboys, firefighters, holiday etc.

--Use scenes that evoke emotion. Peace, fear, love, hope, danger…

--Use places that are important to the story but that are also visually appealing.

--Consider covers with people as well as covers without (landscape). Some genres sell better with one or the other.

--Study covers of bestselling books in your same genre.

I hope this helps you when you’re working on your own covers—whether traditionally or independently published. And now, I’m going to turn over the post to Lindi…

Hi all! So great to be back in Seekerville talking covers with Missy.

In my Indie journey I knew from the start I didn’t want to design my own cover. A lot of people do, and they do it well. But knowing my strengths and weaknesses, I knew I would be hiring someone to design my cover. Missy mentioned that I have published with Belle Bridge Books. The ladies there were great in giving me permission to have my series keep the same look.

But first, who would I choose to design the cover? There are so many great individuals and companies that are designing now. Just as I was delving into this journey I saw my friend Sherri Wilson Johnson’s cover.

I said, self, find out who designed that cover. Just so happened I was with Sherri. She gave me the number of the gal, Lynnette Bonner, who has a cover design company, Indie Cover Designs. 

I looked over the covers Lynnette had done and was impressed by the diversity and the quality of the work. Her rates were reasonable. I ended up telephoning her because of the situation with keeping my covers the same as the trad pubbed book. Lynnette looked up the first book and she helped me with the questions to ask my publisher to get the correct items.

Again, the gals at Belle were helpful and sent me links to purchase the template for the background and the dove that drapes down the side

Then my search began. I love people on the covers of books. So, I searched and searched and searched. Those who have done this know how many hours can go into finding one photo.

The perfect photo.

I sent Lynnette several examples and we decided on one.

Dreamstime.com/Kguzel

Then I purchased the template and the dove images and the beach girl. Yes, in Indie pubbing you do have to put out the money for the images. But it’s money well spent in my opinion. I bought $60 worth of credits and didn’t use them all. The stock photo site I used was Dreamstime.

Then I sent all the images to Lynnette. She put everything together and we tried a couple of different background colors before settling on the final blue.

When I saw it I KNEW it was perfect.

While this process is different from the Art Fact sheet Missy spoke of, it has a lot of the same elements. Your vision in someone else’s hands. Your ideas sent through cyberspace coming back to you in the form of a beautiful cover.

I enjoyed this part of Indie publishing. (Formatting and I aren’t best friends, but that post can be written by someone else.)

Lynnette and I have already decided to work together for book 3, Rich in Faith, which is coming out in February.

I feel like I’ve found someone who understands what I want in a cover. I found I worked well with Lynnette in the fact that we could email or message on FB. She let me know when she would be able to get to my work and I tried to keep her posted on my timelines and when I would be getting certain information to her. So a comfortable relationship is very important when choosing someone or a company to make your cover.

Thank you Seekerville for having me again! I always love hanging out here.

I’m giving away 2 copies of my current release, Rich in Hope. Kindle version or print. Your choice.

Missy, here again. I'll be giving away 2 copies of The Guy Next Door (print or e-book, your choice). But we need you to LET US KNOW in your comments which book/s you want to be entered for!

 Also, let us know what you think makes a good cover.

TODAY!!! HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS RELEASES!

CLICK THE PHOTO TO PURCHASE

TODAY! RICH IN HOPE SPECIAL PRICE OF 99 CENTS!

CLICK COVER TO PURCHASE

*****

Connect with Missy and Lindi:

www.lindipeterson.com

www.missytippens.com

Lindi on Facebook

Missy on Facebook

@MissyTippens on Twitter

@LindiPeterson on Twitter

Inside Cover Design with Love Inspired Art Director Tania Pery!

What does an average day look like for an Art Director at Harlequin, and more specifically a Love Inspired Art Director? Well, the great thing is, there isn’t an average day-and that’s what I love about it!

I do, however, have a few core elements woven into my day-to-day responsibilities. These are meetings, research, creative, approvals, managing suppliers such as photographers, illustrators and retouchers, and deadlines.

Hey wait! Maybe you want to hear more about my background; how I got into design, where I studied, how long I’ve been working in the industry…. Nah, on second thought, I’ll spare you and skip ahead to the glamorous part.  

Creating The Cover (the creative)

Perhaps it’s just my nature, but I think most everything is better explained with visual accompaniment. So, I will use a cover I art directed, His Montana Sweetheart by Ruth Logan, to illustrate each step in the creative process.

Laying the groundwork.

Meeting with the vision team for the creative brief is the first step. This team includes dedicated editors, a savvy marketer, and me, a passionate Art Director (AD). 

The editor prepares an art fact sheet (AFS) for each story and leads us through character descriptions, key themes and hooks and ultimately how they are individually unique.  Collaboratively, we determine the most relevant and saleable direction for the cover art; which elements will work best visually to tell the story and capture the audience. For example, do we depict a scene of a family in a small-town, a cowboy hero, an adorable set of twins…?  Our authors also do an incredibly fabulous job outlining some pivotal scenes in the book that we draw a wealth of inspiration from.

Here is an example of one page of an AFS (typically 4-5 pages in total) with a few key points I highlighted during the brief.

After the briefing, it’s cover concept time!

Research & Creating Concepts.

I’m off to create concepts and develop the look and feel for each of the book covers. My process starts with image research. I’m very excited at this point because it’s one of my favorite aspects about my job. I can spend hours, days, weeks on this without even noticing the time pass.  I scour magazines, the online world, stock photo sites, my environment… You name it and I’m there, on the hunt for poses, styling, scenery, lighting, mood and anything that inspires me. 

Once my time-management skills get the better of me and I’m able to convince myself to move on, I create a rough sketch/concept on the computer and attach my inspiration and reference images. It looks like this:

Now it’s time to get approvals and make sure the vision team is on board with the direction. Once I get the go ahead, I’m off to create the final cover art.

Working with Suppliers.

Creating the final cover art for a Love Inspired book works a bit differently from our other product lines. I commission the art out directly to amazingly talented photo illustrators who are also accomplished photographers. Some are based here in Toronto and others are in and around the New York area.

We discuss in detail the concept brief including content, styling, wardrobe, casting models, mood and any other important details that need to come across in the cover art.

Speaking of wardrobe and styling, I often get lots of questions on this and so, here’s the quick lowdown. We have a wardrobe stylist for each cover. He/She rents items outlined in the creative brief in sizes specific to the models cast for the role. They pull everything from clothing, shoes, socks, hair clips, blankets, jewelry and the list goes on. This is awesome as it ensures we have the most current and up to date styles reflected on our covers. Besides a couple dated wedding dresses (I’m talking like from 1995 era-ish), a wig and some jewelry here and there, we sadly don’t keep a wardrobe room in the Harlequin headquarters. I think if we did, it would take up the whole 6 floors of our Toronto office!

Back to creating the final art.

I use the direct to artist approach because of the more heavily photo-illustrated art style of Love Inspired covers. To achieve a believable scene where the people are integrated seamlessly into the background, all the elements must work together, most importantly lighting and perspective. The illustrator will first create the background in order to nail down these elements, then shoot the models accordingly, and finally add them into the scene.  The background is often a compilation of several purchased stock images and/or images they have personally shot which is how we are able to get such diverse covers each and every month.

We work very closely together throughout the entire process, which typically takes about 3 to 4 weeks. They send me sketches of their work in progress for feedback to ensure the art is taking the right path. I like to say this is where they work their magic and bring the vision to life. I am so often blown away by the great detail, care and beauty of the final product. Truly amazing, amazing work.

This series of images shows the process in a nutshell. First, choosing a pose from the photo shoot (one shoot captures on average 500-600 frames!). Next, selecting stock images for the background and lastly illustrating the final cover:

Once the final art is complete and approved, I lay out the full cover (front, back and spine). It is then passed to the production department who readies the files for print. Here is what a final cover file looks like.

Credits: Artwork by Blake Morrow ,Twitter & Instagram @shootblake

I hope you enjoyed this quick glimpse into the making of a Love Inspired cover. His Montana Sweetheart is available now!!!! So be sure to pick up your copy in-store or online!

Ruthy here!!! I love this inside look at how our covers come together, and honestly, I wouldn't have believed that it was possible to make such lifelike covers by bleeding technological wonders together! I'm crazy impressed!!!!!

Hey, I had Tim Horton's bring breakfast along and the staff at Tim Horton's is building coffees and latte's for you, too! Leave a comment and I'm going to toss your name into the NEWEST cat dish for a chance to win copies of His Montana Sweetheart or (if you've already gotten His Montana Sweetheart, thank you!!!!) I'll send out some copies of Carolyne Aarsen's "Her Montana Twins" the next book in our Big Sky Centennial series!

OH MY STARS!!!! HOW STINKIN' CUTE ARE THESE BABIES???????? ♥♥♥♥♥

And here's a great shot (via debut Love Inspired Suspense author Mary Curry!!!!) of the elevator wrap they have in San Antonio right now!!!!!

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!

Covers--the Clever and the Unique. Not!

Thank you to my long-time friend, Mary Connealy, for asking me back to Seekerville so I can let you all know about my newest book from Harlequin Historicals, THE LAWMAN’S REDEMPTION, which wraps up the Wells Cattle Company trilogy.

Here’s a quick blurb:
Jack Hollister had always wanted to be a lawman, but the night he’s forced to kill his outlaw father in self-defense, he tosses aside his badge and turns cowboy. He seeks refuge at the Wells Cattle Company, but he’s haunted by his father’s dying wish – to find the man who betrayed him and his gang.

Grace Reilly nurtures a simmering hate for the lawman she believes killed her lawless mother. She vows revenge, but her respectable life in the east is shattered by scandal. First, she must travel west to find the answers she needs to save her best friend and all they’d worked for, never dreaming she’d find Jack, too . . ..

Together, Jack and Grace learn love and forgiveness as they encounter the man who’s determined to destroy them—unless they can destroy him first.

Now, I gotta tell you, writing a book is hard work. It's stressful, time-consuming and scary. And it may--or may not--be particularly profitable. Throughout the whole months-long process, we writers will bang our heads, chew our nails and agonize over every character, plot point and word choice until at last! We type "The End" and send the whole thing to our editor.
But it's all worth it when we get our covers.
Most of the time.
Covers are the icing on the cake for us. They're the final step in the process--the one thing that makes our book a real BOOK. They're the reason why many of us write in the first place--beyond telling the stories we're compelled to tell--seeing our name in bold, colorful print and knowing the rest of the world will see our name, too.
But waiting for that first glimpse often takes several months. Sometimes we have input, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we're blessed with great art departments--or not. Sometimes the models on the cover are just who we picture how our characters should look, and sometimes----well, you get the idea.
Despite all this, getting the cover is THE most exciting thing about the book for me. I get my covers in jpg format, and when I find that email in my Inbox, my heart beats a little faster, and my finger hovers over the mouse for a sweetly agonizing moment while my brain worries ... will I like it, or won't I?
Covers are often hotly debated, sometimes collected, autographed and always promoted. They usually have a story or two behind them. Here's a few of mine:

I just had to include my very first cover in today's blog. It's so darn special for that very reason. My first four books were released by Dorchester Publishing and their Leisure books line. We must not have had jpg's back then, because the Production Assistant was kind enough to print me a color copy and mail it to me. I still remember standing in my kitchen with my jaw hanging down to the floor. I didn't know that's what the envelope held, and the surprise--and awe--at seeing my precious first cover will always stay with me. I didn't put that paper down for 3 days.
I've always loved the model. He's so-o hunky and more mature than most. The look is romantic, and the heroine is realistic and beautifully coy. My one complaint? Her gown looks like a negligee--and not a dress a woman at the time would've worn.
My third book with Leisure was HANNAH'S VOW. The same production assistant from above was a huge Titanic fan. When someone from the Art Department happened to stroll through her office, she noticed a photo of Jack and Rose tacked on the assistant's bulletin board. She pointed to the picture and said--"I want a cover just like that for a book I have coming up."
Here's what I got. Cool, eh?












Now, for those of you who think that every author's book gets oodles of special attention, or that an entire department slaves away for untold hours making each cover just perfect, well, think again. In an ideal world, I suppose, but the reality is that some covers get--ahem--recycled.
In this age of computer graphics, it's easy to do, and it saves the publisher piles of money. For the author, however, it's a bit disconcerting to see that a cover she sees and loves as her own has been used for another book.
Case in point:

My Spring Brides anthology came out in June, 2005. You can't see it well here, but there's a horse and buggy parked next to the church. And of course, the chair with the hat and wedding dress in front.


This was inside the front cover. Same church, but no horse and buggy, and of course, the chair was gone, too. I really liked the black and white shot of the bride walking toward the church. It fit well with the whole book.

When the book came out in the United Kingdom in May, 2006, they used the inside cover from the first book, but in color. Note that the sky is lighter than the North American version, and so is the grass, but the church is distinctively the same.
Imagine my surprise in February, 2008, when I found Jillian Hart's cover was an exact match. Hers was the second book to launch the Love Inspired Historical line, and she got tons of promo. I suspect the cover will be laid to rest for awhile.
Below is the front and back of THE MERCENARY'S KISS, my very first book with Harlequin Historicals. I call it my infamous sausage pizza cover, and I'll let you figure out why, but I'm told the model on the front was hugely popular with the readers, even voted Number One on eharlequin the year before the book came out.












I did find it strange that on the back of the cover they used a different model. Perhaps a cost-saving measure. Note that they're both wearing the same shirt and vest, but the one on the back is older and more rugged. One of my favorites.







He's such a cutie, I'm glad they gave him his own cover on my UK and Italian versions.
Now this one had me scratching my head bigtime. This is the cover to HER LONE PROTECTOR. I fell in love with this guy from the get-go, and so did virtually all my readers.

This is UNTAMED COWBOY.

When HER LONE PROTECTOR came out in the UK, this is the cover they gave me:

They put the cover for UNTAMED COWBOY on HER LONE PROTECTOR. Why they didn't use my gorgeous cowboy from the North American version of HER LONE PROTECTOR is beyond me. I was um, dismayed, because not only were the covers switched, the cover had absolutely nothing to do with the story. Nothing, nothing. I was sure someone goofed since I've always been given my North American covers on foreign editions, but when my agent inquired, she was assured the cover chosen was a calculated decision to give the book a western look and feel.
You remember my newest cover from THE LAWMAN’S REDEMPTION, don’t you?

And UNTAMED COWBOY:

Here’s the cover for KIDNAPPED BY THE COWBOY, its sequel:
Do you notice what these 3 books have in common?
The cowboy heroes are wearing the very same shirt. Sigh . . . on KIDNAPPED, the pocket is edited out, but the fabric is the same. And oh, did you notice the belt buckle on KIDNAPPED and LAWMAN? Yep, one and the same there, too.

Let's talk covers, my friends. Those of you who are pubbed, have any cover stories to share?
Does cover mistakes bother you? Do you even notice? Or care?
Have you noticed any recycled covers lately?
Join in the discussion, and I’ll give away two copies of THE LAWMAN’S REDEMPTION!

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