Less than one month from now, it will be official: I will be a published book author! As promised in the post where I announced I sold my first book, I will be writing posts about the experience of going from a wanna be published author to a published author, including the step-by-step process from acceptance to publication. Today is the first such post and it’s all about the book cover and how it came to be.

But, before I do that, let me show it to you.

Front Book Cover

Back Book Cover

First Things First…Where’s the Black Lab?

After I signed the contract, I received a long document with questions to answer. It included questions regarding the looks of the main characters, what I wanted and didn’t what on my cover. My one “must have” on the cover was a black Lab. I mentioned this in the post about selling the book. If you remember that, the first thing you are going to notice is that there is no dog.

Since the book takes place during the month of December, I wanted it to look and feel cold. On the form I filled out, I indicated that there were three main locations in the book–Rescued Paws (a nonprofit dog and cat rescue in Anchorage), a cabin in the woods and the town of Whittier. I knew I didn’t want a cityscape or the rescue’s building on the cover. The book cover artist found this cabin which I thought was perfect both in looks and feel.

But using the cabin with the surrounding grass, trees and snow didn’t really leave a place for a dog. Plus, if we are going for accuracy, the dog in book is never at the cabin. So, while I was initially disappointed, I’m okay with it now.

Woman on Book Cover

This is an interesting one. The novel’s point of view alternates chapters between the male main character and the female main character. Typically, in the romance genre, both characters are on the cover.

On my cover, I expected the same. However, one typical aspect about the couple on the cover I was clear about was the visual relationship between the pair. On the form I explained it this way:

I wouldn’t want a cover that portrays the man as saving the woman (women don’t need saved by men!) I want both characters competent and equal and strong.

I’m not sure why the artist only ended up putting a woman on the cover but I liked it. At first I was a bit indifferent and unsure but the more I looked at it, the more it felt right (especially when you consider women are the predominate buyers of romance novels). The most distinct physical feature about my main female character is her blue eyes. In the first draft of the cover, the woman had brown eyes so that was a change I insisted on.

What do you think about the cover? Does it say Alaska? Does it say mystery? Last, and maybe the least likely to be true, does it say romance?

Font and Placement of Text

When they asked my opinion about the font of the text on the book cover, I said I wanted it to be solid, strong. Nothing flowery, loopy or cursive. And that’s what they delivered.

The first draft of the book cover included the series, Cooper Brothers of Alaska, placement where it is now. But I wondered if it would look better at the bottom. I hoped by placing it at the bottom it would be easier to read rather than at the top where the white text lay against a cloudy white-ish sky. I used the bottom half of that version as the feature image so you get the idea. But, while I was sure I’d prefer it, I didn’t end up liking it.

First, it brought the title up too much and the cabin got a little lost. Second, it gave the cover a bottom-heavy feel which I didn’t like either.

Unsure About One Thing

I have until January 10 to make any last changes before the book is prepared for the various e-platforms and for POD (Print on Demand, more on that in a future post). I have one last issue I keep going back and forth on…and as I put this post up on the website, I still haven’t made a final decision.

I’m doubting the wisdom of including the series name on the book cover. The reason? Because I’m doubting the series itself. And, by that, I mean I’m doubting whether or not I want to write the rest of what I originally envisioned. My vision has been that there are four Cooper brothers and each would get his own book. I like the “hook” I came up with which is to introduce the next brother in the previous brother’s story.

So, in Alaska Shelter, you meet the main character’s younger brother, Rusty. Book 2 is Rusty’s story. And in Rusty’s story, you meet Brody, the youngest Cooper brother. Book 3 would then be Brody’s story where the oldest brother, William, makes an appearance. Thus leaving the fourth and final book in the series as William’s story.

The other hook I planned–though this has nothing to do with whether to put the series on the cover–is that each book will take the characters to a unique Alaska location. Alaska Shelter‘s the main characters go to Whittier, a town only accessible by car through a one-way tunnel which is not opened 24/7. In Book 2, Rusty and the female main character go up to Utqiagvik, Alaska (formerly called Barrow, Alaska), the most northern town in the US. In case you are wondering, they are flown there by youngest brother and pilot, Brody.

I think working on a stand-alone book for NaNoWriMo 2021 is what has gotten my head out of the Cooper Brothers of Alaska game. However, it should be noted, Book 2 in the series is 95% written because it was my project for NaNoWriMo 2020. You’d think that would make this decision easy but it doesn’t. I reread the 95% a couple months ago. I don’t know. The idea of it, I liked, but realized how much of a rough draft it is. It needs a lot of work.

RV Life to Author Life

I know this blog has predominantly been about all things related to RV life but since one of the reasons I embarked on this journey was to create more time to write, it seems like posts about this new chapter in my life are appropriate. So watch for more posts about the process in the upcoming months and, in the meantime…

Mark your calendars…Alaska Shelter drops 2.2.22

Links to Relevant Posts:

• I Sold My First Book!
• NaNoWriMo: Writing a Novel in 30 Days
• NaNoWriMo and Stargazing: Two Bucket List Items

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