Author Jane Lindskold (the Firekeeper series, many others) is writing a multipart series of blog entries over at Tor.com detailing her opinions regarding the covers created for her books.
Turns out that authors have very little control over what will be representing their work on the crowded retail bookshelves, and since an awful lot of readers make their choices based on a quick glance at the cover this can really help (or hurt) an author’s career. Covers, both their the subject matter and color palette, set an expected tone for a book and one that isn’t always accurate:
My second problem with this cover is the implied audience for the book. It looks like a kid’s book–and not a Harry Potter-type YA that might appeal to adults as well, but a solidly “kiddie” book.
This is due, in large part, to the one glaring representational error in the art. By the time this scene occurs, the children are not children any longer. The boy with the panpipes, for example, is actually a muscular young man of twenty-two.
However, I don’t know how many times I had to (reluctantly) stop an adult from buying The Pipes of Orpheus for some eager, bright-eyed, eight-year-old. Usually, I’d ask the adult to at least read the opening–which features the detailed evisceration of a small child–before they made their purchase.
Her entries on the subject include “Look at What They Wrapped Around My Baby!“, “When Right is Completely Wrong” and”Series Doesn’t Equal Set.” Be sure to read the comments as well, where other writers and artists chime in with their own experiences.