The making of The Wood Burn Book was not always so pretty. Let me tell you about one part of the book making process; the making of the cover.
The cover that I created for my book proposal, and my original title.
We had 3 photos shoots, and many brainstorming sessions, lots of mocked-up designs, and meetings specifically for the cover of the book. I didn’t realize how many eyes, how many opinions, all the different things that people think about when coming up with a book cover design. I had my vision, my aesthetic, and my desired look. I went to several book stores to look at different book covers, to see what stood out to me. I worked with a photographer and a product stylist who also had their aesthetic and preferences. My publishing house had many voices within it with differing opinions about what works, what sells, what gives the best glimpse into what the reader gets. There were multiple meetings specifically about the cover of my book. Then, there were surprising inserted opinions from buyers (think large retail stores) that had requests based on how they stock their shelves, and what their customers prefer to buy. I don’t know if you have heard the expression, “too many cooks in the kitchen,” but that was exactly what happened. The cover photo ended up being the very last thing to get done for the book, even though it was one of the first things we ever shot.
After much discussion, many rejected layouts by myself and them, and learning what my publisher wanted, plus what I wanted, plus what the buyers wanted, I sat down on the floor of my office, and laid out options for a cover. I took a photo, and then rearranged. Took another photo. Made adjustments. Took another photo. And another. And another. By the end, I had carpet burns on my knees, but I ended up with the layout for the cover of my book! Something we all could agree on. FINALLY!
At this point, Coronavirus had hit the United States, and my photography team could no longer safely shoot the cover, so I shipped off all of the pieces to my publisher’s in-house photographer to get the final shot.
I am pretty pleased with the final look, and was glad that I stood up for myself throughout the process. It was nice to be able to come up with a compromise that worked for everyone, even if the process was a bit painful.
