All About The Cover Of THE SHADOW SISTER
I am overjoyed to share the cover reveal of my debut novel THE SHADOW SISTER, publishing Summer 2023 with Sourcebooks Fire. You can preorder it right now!
Transcript:
Hi! My name is Lily Meade. I’m the author of THE SHADOW SISTER, publishing with Sourcebooks Fire in Summer 2023! And today I’m here to talk about the cover of my book!
Yesterday, the cover of THE SHADOW SISTER was exclusively revealed in the Buzzfeed Books newsletter along with an excerpt from the book! I told you about it last week, but if you missed it or are watching this in the future or if you just want to hear what I think about my cover, the embargo is over and you can see it everywhere right… now.
Isn’t it breathtaking? I literally screamed when I first saw the final version. I couldn’t stop smiling for a whole day. Couldn’t write. Couldn’t work. I just kept stopping every ten minutes and opening the image back up on my phone to stare at it. I made it my wallpaper immediately.
There is so much I love about this cover, but to talk about that I first need to talk about how this cover came to be. After we sold my book to my amazing editor Annette Pollert-Morgan, I had to wait a full weekend from my offer until we could actually speak on the phone for the first time. I am a planner girl, so I obviously had a list of topics to discuss and things to mention when we spoke. After our call, I emailed her about what we discussed and just for fun linked to an Etsy shop that had an art print that reminded me of THE SHADOW SISTER.
We did not discuss cover ideas on the call. I didn’t mention any thoughts or ideas about how it may look. I only included the link to the art print because I liked it and thought she would too. I didn’t even have a copy of the print myself, because I actually couldn’t afford to buy one.
So imagine my suprise months later, when Annette emailed me that they had picked a cover artist with an attached PDF of their portfolio and the caption “It may look familar to you…”
They picked the artist I recommended! She not only looked at that Etsy link, but found the artist’s details and pitched her to the design team and they all decided she was the best fit! I had heard millions of horror stories about lack of consultation for covers, especially as a debut, but my publisher not only involved me in the process—they picked an artist I introduced them to!
My novel about Black sisters and heritage and legacy has a cover by a fellow Black woman! Shaylin Wallace has an incredible portfolio and a unique talent for this particular kind of art and the duality and grip of her work is perfect for THE SHADOW SISTER. It’s surreal to me to have her art on my cover.
The whole process of this cover design has been incredible. They asked for my input and feedback when they chose the model (to make sure she fit my vision of my character), when they prepared a concept design (with stock images and placeholder text), and even on the final round of edits! And they listened when I had concerns!
During the concept stage, the lighting on the model’s face was more greenish and I said I felt it kind of made her look sick. I also asked if we could thread some purple in because the blue/green palette was a little monochromatic to me. And they listened, they agreed! Look at it! It’s perfect!
I’m completely flabbergasted that this cover is on my book. A little intimidated honestly. This is the prettiest cover I’ve ever seen. I’m honored. I’m blessed. I smile whenever I look at it. I can’t wait to hold it in my hands. I can’t wait for you to hold it in *your* hands.
The cover art is by artist Shaylin Wallace, as mentioned earlier, but thanks go out to Liz Dressner and the whole Sourcebooks design team. You won’t believe the stuff they have planned for the full jacket and interior pages. I feel like I’ve won the lottery.
The girl featured on the book is supposed to represent my main character’s sister, Sutton. She goes missing and comes back changed. The tagline sums it up best: SHE CAME BACK… IS IT A MIRACLE OR A CURSE? You can read the full blurb on my website or Goodreads or wherever you prefer to preorder your books, but ahhh!
I love her so much! Her gaze is so striking and mysterious and it’s amazing how much she grabs your attention even surrounded by so many beautiful plants and butterflies! So much thought went into this design, much more than I ever imagined. The florals are all either local Pacific Northwestern plants or ones specifically mentioned in the book and the butterflies were made to match the coloring in the story too!
There are so many cool details and Easter eggs that double in meaning as you read the book that they actually couldn’t fit them all on the front cover! You’ll have to buy the hardcover to see the other cool surprises.
I’ve spent my entire life working to be published, but I still never imagined it would feel like this. I never thought anyone would ever love my words and stories enough to put this much care and dedication to showcase my book. I could talk about this cover all day, but the rest of you have lives to get back to, so we’ll cut it out here.
If you love this cover as much as I do, please click the link below to read the blurb and see if you’d like to preorder. Preorders are crucial for early career authors like me and if you save your receipt there may even be some free gifts headed your way closer to release.
Thank you so much for watching! If you liked this video, please subscribe and like it. Tell me in a comment, what’s your favorite thing about this cover?
