Don't judge a book by its e-cover...
Since I have two books out this month (the first in my new Pendragon Legacy series and the reissue of my debut novel), and both have interesting cover treatments that do not translate well into e-format, I couldn't resist taking this photo of the real thing to show you what these books might actually look like on your shelf:
(Muse: It took me ages to get the light from my horn shining just right on the covers, and even so the picture doesn't tell the whole story!)
Sword of Light (Templar) on the left is a small, chunky hardcover with a subtle pearly sheen. It does not have a jacket like most hardcovers, so Scott Altmann's artwork is printed straight on to the cover. Inside the flaps, you'll find the maps for the book printed in blue and white. It was going to have a fancy acetate jacket with the artwork showing underneath looking more like this, but that didn't work out for the actual book:
 |
| shimmery "Sword of Light" and golden "Song Quest" |
(Muse: It took me ages to get the light from my horn shining just right on the covers, and even so the picture doesn't tell the whole story!)
Sword of Light (Templar) on the left is a small, chunky hardcover with a subtle pearly sheen. It does not have a jacket like most hardcovers, so Scott Altmann's artwork is printed straight on to the cover. Inside the flaps, you'll find the maps for the book printed in blue and white. It was going to have a fancy acetate jacket with the artwork showing underneath looking more like this, but that didn't work out for the actual book:
 |
| draft cover |
Song Quest (Catnip) is a paperback with gold foil on the cover. The cover illustration is by Johanna Basford. It's not as thick as Sword of Light, even though it is a longer book, because the typeface is smaller and the pages slightly taller. If you've seen the e-cover for this one, you'll probably realise that it doesn't do the book many favours:
 |
| e-cover |
So here's another shiny picture of the paperback:
I think both finished books look beautiful, and are good examples of the real thing winning over the e-version. So next time you log on, don't be tempted to judge a book by its e-cover!