Thursday 24 January 2008

Cover copy

The proposed cover copy for Café au Lait arrived in the mail today. I wrote my own copy quite awhile ago, and I think both my version and the publisher's have merit. Theirs is much more succinct and direct, while mine is truer to the spirit of the novel. So, what to do?

My first impulse was to go with theirs; after all, they're the ones with the experience and the marketing expertise. Since I'm so close to the project I decided I couldn't make an objective assessment, so I passed it by a friend who's not only a writer, but also my reader: he's the only one I know personally who has read the manuscript. The others are agents and editors and members of their staff.

I'm glad I passed it by him before deciding what to do. His observations dovetailed with my own feelings on the issue. So - I decided that I'll try for a fusion of the two: the style of theirs and the essence of mine.

Hope I end up with a fabulous hybrid and not a monstrous miscegenation! Will let you know how it turns out.

3 comments:

kim said...

Is this one of the coolest problems you've ever had?

Zinnia Cyclamen said...

Fusion sounds like a great plan. Best of luck.

Liane Spicer said...

Kim, nyc/caribbean and zinnia - I was feeling a bit stressed about this. You know what it's like when it's your first time! You so want to do everything right.

Well, reading your comments made me remember to chill and enjoy the process. Thanks!