By Linda Lovely
On Sunday, I was delighted to have Dru’s Book
Musings schedule a cover reveal for Bones
To Pick, my new Brie Hooker Mystery from Henery Press. In response, I
received a variety of comments. Most—but not all people—really liked the cover.
(I love it.) A couple of people also advised me to change the title of my book because
other authors had already published book with the same (or similar) titles,
e.g. A Bone to Pick by Charlaine
Harris and Bones to Pick by Carolyn
Haines. So it seemed a good time to talk
about how the publishing world deals with book cover creation and the selection
of book titles.
Book Titles
The folks who pointed out that other books
carry the same or similar titles to my Bones
To Pick are absolutely right. Is this a problem? No. For starters, book
titles can’t be copyrighted. Searching
for Bones To Pick on Amazon calls up
a list of 11 novels with the same/similar title, and mine hadn’t yet joined the
list. This isn’t unusual. I searched for Fatal
Flaw and found about 40 books with that title or a similar one before I
stopped counting.
Why is there so much overlap? Book titles need
to be short, easy-to-remember and relate to the story. Bones To Pick was a no-brainer for my book since (a) a skull is dug
up early in the book, and (b) many of the potential villains have “bones to
pick” with the victim and/or the person accused of murder.
There’s really no danger of confusing readers
as long as the cover of the book and the back cover description don’t mimic
other books that carry the same title. The cover created by Henery Press
certainly fills the bill here. There’s no chance of it being confused with
another book when doing an online search. The fact that my name appears in
large print on the cover also ensures that anyone buying my book won’t mistake
it for another.
Book Covers
I’ve heard authors complain about their
covers. Understandable, given that cover design decisions are ultimately made
by publishers, not authors. However, most publishers do seek input from their
authors to guide cover design and ensure they’re satisfied.
That was certainly the case with Henery Press,
and it’s why I’m delighted with my cover. Before the cover artist, Stephanie
Savage, started design, I completed a form that allowed me to share key
information about the characters and plot, the book’s tone, and location. I
also was able to list covers I liked as reference points as well as the types
of covers I disliked.
The Bones
To Pick cover is eye-catching, uses bright colors, and communicates setting
(a goat dairy). It also suggests the reader can expect a light-hearted read
with a side of humor. I hope people who pick up the book based on the
delightful cover won’t be disappointed.
