Acacia French Style!
Okay, it's official. I've got the cover for the French version of Acacia: La guerre du Mein. Let me know what you think. Oh, and below the cover there's some other promotional info. I particularly like the last image. I've never had one of those stand up display units for any publication anywhere. Very cool...
Labels: Acacia, Covers, Foreign Editions, Links
posted by David Anthony Durham at
4:35 PM
8 Comments:
Hey, I like that cover. Sort of runs with the theme of the other covers and adds in an element of traditional fantasy covers (and does it in a tasteful and non-garish way). Sort of interesting to see how the different publishers/artists are riffing on the central image of the acacia tree.
And the display is cool. Always thought it would be neat to have one of those portable bookshelves devoted entirely to my own work. It's like you have your own little section in the bookstore just for you. Congrats.
My best,
Bryan Russell
Congratulations, David. It is now officially un succès mondial.
David, digging that cover. Congrats, too, on the personal display, like inkling said above, it's like your own personal bookstore. Very cool.
best
drew
Nice cover!
Thanks all! Yeah, I like it, too.
Inklings, I forgot to mention that in answer to your earlier question on another post... Well, I think it's ideal if the artist reads the book, but I'm sure that varies quite a bit. I've no doubt that some artists read a synopsis or just enough to come up with an image, or maybe even just go with rendering what's described to them by the publisher.
I would note, though, that my French editor made a point of saying two things about this cover. 1) the artist didn't look at any of the other covers, and 2) he did read the entire book in the French translation. Kinda cool, then, that he came up with something that used the Acacia tree as central.
That is interesting. And I definitely think it's fabulous when the artist has actually read the book. I get annoyed by those covers where it's clear that the picture on the cover has absolutely nothing to do with anything in the story. It's nice if they at least make an attempt at relevance and resonance...
As for your covers specifically, I think part of it might be the attraction of the acacia tree itself. I admit, I'm a bit of a tree nut (one of my unconscious doodling things is to always draw trees), but the acacia is very striking. Especially in the western world, where the interesting lines of the tree are are enhanced by the fact that it's exotic. And layout-wise it's sort of interesting, too, as the long and spindly trunk allows an artist to use it as close foreground while allowing lots of space to do something interesting with the background (as with the new french cover).
I'm not sure what the industry people are saying about the covers, but I really think they're great. What first brought you to my attention was the out-turned cover of the hardcover Acacia in the bookstore. It was both striking and different, and that difference worked as an interesting singpost in reflecting that this was not a typical take on epic fantasy. So, for me, it was the perfect sort of cover, both for its aesthetic and its "message".
Must be gratifying that the people involved have actually put some thought and effort into the process, rather than slapping on the standard sort of image. I'm guessing that the "cover issue" is probably a frustrating one for lots of writers, seeing as how little input they often have in the decisions.
My best, as always,
Bryan Russell
I like it. It's moodier than the original, kinda "Germinal"-like, but still tasty eye-candy. I will chime in and say that the fire-tones of the first cover was a big selling feature for me, too. I'd heard about Acacia from two of my favorite sff writers (Ysabeau Wilce and John Scalzi), but it was the cover that spurred me to click that button at Amazon!
I've been lucky the whole way through with Doubleday. Nothing's perfect, of course, and I've wished some things had been done differently with each book. But overall they've been very... respectful of my work and how they present it to the world. You bet covers can be really frustrating for authors, especially when the publisher seems intent on cashing in on some immediate craze that has nothing to do with the book itself. Doubleday has always given me the impression that they didn't want to screw up anything with one book because they kinda figured they'd be around for the next book as well...
Germinal is a good comparison. Which is... cool, because it is a French audience they're hoping to appeal to.
Hey, Ysabeau Wilce said nice things about me? That's cool. I just grabbed a copy of her book at BEA a few weeks back. I'll have to take a closer look!
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