Babel Clash

Going back to covers for a minute…

Although it’s mostly out of my hands, I have to admit that I take a lot of joy in seeing every new cover of one of my books. I go all tingly as I wait for the usually scanned and emailed image to pop up on my computer screen. I want so badly to like it – and I’m hopeful that I will – but there’s always a bit of fear mixed in as well. I’m usually pleased by what shows up. I liked Doubleday’s cover for Acacia: The War With The Mein well enough.

No swords, wizards, elves or unicorns even hinted at! I heard from some folks saying they particularly liked it because it wasn’t overtly and obviously fantasy, but I also heard others grumbling that it wasn’t fantasy enough. Can’t please everyone, clearly. I wish we could, but I’ve never seen it happen yet.

I lived in Scotland for a few years. My wife’s Scottish and we go back across a lot, so I do have some connection with the UK market, but I don’t feel like I can make judgments as readily about what works and doesn’t in other countries. This one is certainly closer to the genre norms. I could argue that the Akarans don’t look quite like I picture them, but that’s not what Transworld is trying to produce, is it? What message is this sending? I’m not entirely sure…

It’s the foreign language covers that are really like gravy, though. You write for your home market, I think, so whenever a publisher in a foreign land buys, translates and publishes your stuff it’s an extra treat. I don’t feel any of the fear I do when looking at a US cover, because the foreign markets are… well, foreign.

So, when my Swedish publisher comes up with this I say, “Hurrah for the guys with swords in the snow!” True enough, there are invading hordes that come through the snow in Acacia. So, a cover like this seems legit. It wouldn’t be the image I’d pick to represent that book, but… well, Sweden is cold. They’ve snow. Mountains. Tall guys. Maybe this is just the right approach. Who am I to say?

The next image on offer here is the German edition. Fantasy castle? Check.

The French cover is more like the US version than any other. I find that interesting, but I draw no conclusions from it.

The Italians… well, judging by these two covers they’re rather a subtle group of readers. Italian being an expansive language, they divided the book in two.

I love the brooding, cliff side landscape of the first one. I know exactly where I think it is in Acacian world, but again it’s not an image I’d have expected. I like the aged feel of it, though. The weathering on the parchment. The forlorn look. That’s definitely representative of some aspects of the book, but it’s a very different vibe than any of the other publishers went for.

As for the second one… Well, it’s beautiful in its way. Again, though, it’s so very different than most fantasy covers. It’s really interesting to consider what appeals in what market and why. It also features a title that translates roughly to “The Silver Lake Warrior”. That’s interesting, but I’m not sure who that guy is…

I’ve still got a few to come, and I’ll be thrilled to see them. What will the Polish cover look like? The Portuguese? The Spanish? What, pray tell, will the Russians do? I’ve no idea, but very much look forward to finding out.

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