Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

 

 When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls. What is to happen next will take place within the four walls of the story. And this is possible because the story’s voice makes everything its own.– John Berger

 

 

Here it is, finally…

The Story Behind My Cover

We all know the importance of  choosing the right cover for our books. According to Hobie Hobart in this article, ” 8 Mistakes That Will Absolutely Kill Your Book!”:

“Bookstore browsers spend an average of 8 seconds looking at the front cover and 15 seconds studying the back cover before making a buying decision.”

Furthermore,

“Online bookstore reduce the decision time even further… in a matter of seconds your book cover either sings or  is ignored among the other small thumbnail covers in the search genre.”

A book cover is supposed to hook the reader into wanting to know more, set a tone, be attractive, meet standard guidelines related to color, fonts, eye-appeal,etc.

A job for a professional graphic designer in my book. Yet, the cover has to resonate with you, the author as well.

I was fortunate to work with my publisher, Paul Burt of Pen & Publish Press and his  graphic designer who offered expert services while allowing me the creative control over the final product.

 

The Story Behind the Book Cover Decision:

And there is story behind this book cover decision; more like a saga worthy of it’s own book.

It was not an easy path.

First, I found an image that captured the message of hope, courage and resilience I wanted to convey in my memoir. Then I envisioned a specific scene that highlighted the dance metaphor I had woven throughout the narrative. When the first graphic artist failed to replicate my vision, Paul hired another designer whom he trusted.

But this designer fell down a hill while hiking with his grandson and was hospitalized for a few weeks. Life has a way of happening when you least expect it  or want it to happen. But I digress.

With great expectation, I awaited his rendition. On the day it arrived in my Dropbox, I opened it, my heart pounding. I wanted to love it.

And I didn’t. Not quite.

So I conferred with my friend and memoir colleague, Susan Weidener who happened to be my real-life guest in my home when I opened the image. We looked through some old photos, scanned Amazon memoirs and I decided…

a memoir is a slice  of life and the photos before me offered a window into a specific slice of my life. I will use a photo.

After going back and forth with the graphic designer, getting input from family and friends, experimenting with fonts, I found the photo that I feel captures the heart of my story…a young single parent who fights for her children and has yet to learn that the best way to take care of them is to take care of herself.

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Ever Faithful to His Lead Synopsis

A loving family, a solid nursing career and a strong faith cannot rescue her until she decides to rescue herself.

 

A young woman who loses sight of the faith she has been brought up with attempts to find her way in the world, rejecting her stable roots in lieu of finding adventure and romance. Despite periods of spiritual renewal in which she receives a prophecy, she slides back, taking several self-defeating detours that take her through a series of heartbreaking events. 

When Kathy’s second husband, Dan’s verbal abuse escalates, Kathy finally realizes she must move on before she and her children become a statistic. 



How does a young woman who came from a stable, loving family make so many wise choices when it came to career, but so many wrong choices when it came to love, so that she ended up sacrificing career and having to flee in broad daylight with her children from an abusive marriage? What is getting in her way and why does she keep taking so many self-defeating detours?



The story opens up the day Kathy feels physically threatened for the first time in her three-year marriage to her second husband. This sends her on a journey to make sense of her life and discern what part she has played in these vulnerable circumstance. She must make a decision–face her self-defeating patterns that have led to this situation and move on or repeat her mistakes. Her life and the lives of her two children are dependent upon the choices she makes and the chances she takes from this point forward.

 

***

How about you? How did you decide on your book cover?

 

I’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

 

This Week:

Thursday, 7/17/14: “ Five Principles I Learned in Writing My Memoir by Linda Brendle”, her blog tour and book giveaway for her new memoir, A Long and Winding Road : A Caregiver’s Tale of Life , Love and Chaos.

 

Next Week:

Monday, 7/21/14: 

“Finding Forgiveness While Writing Memoir by Joan Z. Rough”

Tracy Lee Karner is featuring me on her blog. Tracy is a Food, Travel and  Creative Writer who is the author of Toward the Light, becoming a writer despite everything.