Covers

Posted by Simon on 25th, August 2010 at 06:48:13

A very flattering question has arrived, and it's this - do I come up with the ideas for the covers of the tvdetective books myself?

I wish I could say yes and take the credit - and indeed I'm tempted to do so - but the answer is a simple no.  They're the work of some very fine graphic artists, who are so creative and talented  as to be well outside of the Hall thinking range.

All they get is a summary of the book - some read the whole thing, but not many - and from that comes the idea.  They produce a draft cover, it's batted over to the publishers who add their comments, then me, then back and forth a few more times until we reach some kind of agreement.  This can take a considerable time...

Which is not surprising, as the cover is so very important in drawing the eye and getting a potential reader interested.  It's often one of the most hotly debated parts of the publishing process.

I think I'm lucky in that the jackets of all the tvdetective books have been eye catching, which is a testament to the skill of the designers.  But I'm particularly impressed with the cover for The Balance of Guilt.  For me, it conveys in one glance the horror and pathos of the atrocity at the heart of the book.

If you want to have a look at the jacket, it's now up on the books page - www.thetvdetective.com/books.html

Just 12 days until it comes out...  Not that I'm counting, or anything!

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