rgz

readergirlz is a literacy and social media project for teens, awarded the National Book Foundation's Innovations in Reading Prize. The rgz blog serves as a depot for news and YA reviews from industry professionals and teens. As volunteers return full force to their own YA writing, the organization continues to hold one initiative a year to impact teen literacy. All are welcome to "like" us on Facebook!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Cover Stories: What Would Emma Do? by Eileen Cook

Eileen Cook stopped by my blog to share the cover story behind her new release, What Would Emma Do?, and I had to share it with readergirlz! Here's Eileen:

"I believe there are few things more scarier than the first time you open the jpeg of your cover. While the saying might be 'don't judge a book by its cover,' I am well aware that is exactly what we tend to do. I wasn't sure what I wanted the cover to look like, but I was certain that I wanted to grab the reader's interest by raising some questions in their mind. If it could raise a question then hopefully the reader would pick up the book.

Emma%20first%20cover "My editor and the cover designer involved me in the discussion for the cover and even sent some candid photos from the day they did the photo shoot. It was a freezing cold day and they used a hair dryer to heat up the model between shots. There were concerns that because the model was so cold it came across in her expression. When I saw the first draft overall (left) I was fairly happy. I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. I've known a lot of writers who had covers that they detested so I felt like the situation was a win. A few weeks later they emailed me again saying they had decided the cover wasn't bang on and they were doing a different version. I chewed down a few fingernails until it arrived.

"As soon as I saw the final cover it was love. I love the awkwardness of her sneaking a kiss in the bushes and that she's stepping on his foot. I was thrilled that they went from what was a good cover to one that felt like a great cover."

WWEDfront.jpg

Thanks, Eileen! I love the final cover because I think it conveys the "being bad" side of the story more. What do you guys think?


6 comments:

Alyson Noel said...

Both covers are good, but the final one really shines!
LOVE it!!!
:-D

Unknown said...

I agree, the second and final one is waaaay better. I can't wait to read it!

hunter1001 said...

I like both covers, but I like the final one a lot better! I think that in the first one, the boy looks really big compared to the girl. The last one is adorable though! Thanks for the story :)

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.