FINISHED!

And there you have it.  Two altogether exhilarating words for anyone who has ever poured months, years, lifetimes into writing a book.

Despite multiple drafts, rewrites, painful edits, etc … etc, there comes a day when THE END really is THE END. And you jump up and down, and sing, and shout, and thoroughly enjoy the delicious taste of accomplishment.  But, uh, then what?

THE EMPERORS NEW CLOTHES

There are pages and there are covers. They go together for fairly obvious reasons, the biggest being that pages without a cover aren’t really books, they’re just — well piles of paper covered with words. In other words STARK NAKED.

INTERIOR ONTO THE EXTERIOR

So, lets be honest. You really do judge the book by it’s cover, don’t you? I know I do.  Mostly because our eyes don’t tend to wait for permission from our brain to draw us toward things that appeal.

We know the importance of covers as a reader, so now amp up the volume and you have a pretty accurate idea multiplied by a gazillion of the angst a writer experiences when the time comes time to outfit their newborn.

Because it isn’t just about what will make our pages look their knockout-best in a vastly crowded room, it’s the quest for that which will best represent our stories and characters. Especially when one considers that the wrong party dress can spoil not only an evening, but quite possibly the entire social season.

WORDS INTO PICTURES

If it’s true (and, of course it is) that “a picture is worth a thousand words” eighty thousand words,   this additional pressure can potentially generate emotions bordering on hysteria. Considering that this little truth now elevates the importance of an intriguing cover to include the goal that this aforementioned window dressing effectively conveys something of what is lying there in wait between the covers.  

IT’S A BOY … GIRL … BOOK!

I can’t help but feel wildly excited for any author who succeeds in landing  the *Perfect* cover for their book.  Oftentimes it’s something that lands with the force of a miracle, particularly when several variations have come and gone without igniting the necessary spark.

My own search for the Holy Grail *Perfect* cover to outfit my impending release (September 18 … Woo Woo!!!), a literary novel titled Asleep Without Dreaming, was a pins and needles quest at best.  But at long last the ballgown has arrived from the seamstress and the tailoring feels just right.

AND SO … TA DA

My book has now done the decent thing and put on a cover!

Would surely love if you care to share your thoughts

Do you–have you–ever bought a book simply because you loved the cover? Or likewise left one on the shelf because you didn’t?