Book covers and bears

Wherever I appear to talk about Look Me in the Eye, the cover draws praise. People liken it to a Norman Rockwell print, and they tell me how it fits the book perfectly, how they love the squinty child, and how it stands out.

Many folks assume I created the cover. I didn’t. The cover is the creation of Whitney Cookman, who heads the art department at Crown Publishers.

Like all commercial artists, Whitney’s work is focused on a task; in this case, selling books. Some people will walk into a bookstore hot on the trail of my book. A snappy cover ensures they find it fast. Other people come into a bookstore to browse, and a book that shouts “pick me up” is a lot more likely to be bought that a book whose cover has nothing at all to say. The successful cover artist has to create cover designs that grab readers from twenty feet away in a crowded store. Everyone agrees – Look Me in the Eye has a cover that’s up to the job.

When I talked with Whitney a few weeks ago, I realized something interesting. Cover artists – to be successful – must have an “invisible style.” That seems strange, because a “style” is considered essential to many other creative people in the arts. For example, successful writers all have recognizable styles. Many readers could pick out a book by King or Grisham, for example, without ever seeing the cover. Once I've written a few more books, I hope the same will be true for me. Many art enthusiasts can recognize a Picasso, an Andy Warhol, or a Dali by the style, too. And the same is true of photographers, like Diane Arbus or Ansel Adams.

My own concert and circus photography has a unique, recognizable style.

But if a cover artist’s books all had the same style, how would they stand out? They’d all look similar. And that would never work. Each book cover must be totally unique. Look at some of the other big books from Crown . . . . can you see any pattern in the covers? I can’t. They all emerged from Whitney’s art department, and all are unique. That is a remarkable accomplishment.



That’s an interesting point to ponder . . . Whitney's a successful artist whose style must remain invisible to ensure success. Each book has to be unique, unless it’s part of a series, in which case the series as a whole must be unique and each title within must appear as a part.

I never thought about that before, but now that I see it, it’s obvious. I wonder what he’ll come up with for my next book?

Yesterday, my publisher, Tina Constable, was happy to send him more work. Here’s Tina at her desk, one Monday morning. Note how fresh and enthusiastic she looks, and this at 9 on a Monday morning. And that’s typical of this industry. Most all the people I’ve met in publishing seem to have a great love for the work. The only place I’ve seem similar enthusiasm in business is at music publishers, whom I visited back in my rock'n'roll days.





















I can’t quite imagine looking like that when faced with a pile of 500 insurance claims to be administered, or 300 loan requests to approve or deny. Creating and publishing books is truly a fun thing to do, and it shows.

Getting back to the book and cover design . . . When a book becomes a New York Times bestseller, the Times allows publishers to add a colored stamp to the cover. In my case, it says, “Instant New York Times Bestseller.” So as soon as they heard the news about Look Me in the Eye, the cover went back to Whitney for modification, adding a red star to the lower right side.

You’ll see the modified cover in stores in the next few weeks.

Before I go, I’d like to offer this vignette into the secret life of authors.

I was gone all last week, doing appearances in Washington DC and the Midwest. I arrived home late Thursday, and I went to Robison Service first thing Friday to see how the shop was doing in my absence. An hour after I arrived, Martha (my wife, who you’ll meet in the book) called.

“There’s a bear in the yard. A big black one. By the bird bath.”

She had not asked a question. She had merely stated the facts. Thinking for a moment, I felt some response other than “Neat!” was called for. So I said, “Maybe he’s thirsty, or likes poultry.”

Ignoring my response, she continued, “The dog was out there too but I brought him inside.”

Trying to be helpful, I said, “So we know he wasn’t hungry. Wonder what he wants?”

She squealed. Now, at this point, some guys would just abandon their mates and return to work. Not me. I always try and offer workable, constructive suggestions.

“There’s a shotgun in the closet. Shoot him twice if he breaks down the door. The bears at Yellowstone know how to work doorknobs but the ones here probably haven’t figured them out yet.”

I knew that was a good answer. Practical advice is always welcome.

Secure with my advice, she stood at the window and watched as the bear lumbered back into the woods. This time last year, we had a six-foot-tall moose in the yard. He wandered off too. Neither one of them tried the door.

* * *

And a few more tidbits before I go . . . .

I just found out that Look Me in the Eye is now Random House Australia's #1 non fiction title.


And in the United States, Look Me in the Eye has also debuted at #11 on the BookSense bestseller list. All of this is far beyond my wildest expectations. It's hard to believe now, but just twelve months ago, I sat at this same computer wondering if my book would ever see the light of day. And look at it now!

And that’s all for this Sunday night . . . . .