I have been working with an artist in Portland on a cover for LIFTERS. I was surprised at how blank my mind went when I tried to think about covers. I could remember only a few from recently read novels. Some are photos, some are drawings ranging from semi-realistic to abstract. I would be interested in talking with a publisher about "what sells" if you're lucky enough to have a copy of your book facing forward on the shelf.
Apart from graphics, the question is how closely the images reflect the events of the novel. I decided I wanted fashionable gloves, which are the key item stolen by the lifters from department stores, and an image suggesting mountaineering, another major theme. The artist found a good image, a silhouette of a climber in a vaguely threatening posture, an ice pick overhead ready to be swung down into the ice or into someone's head. I added a third thematic element, a poker hand. Several of the covers I looked at picked up two thematic elements from the novel; I've gone for three. Is the cover too busy? Does anyone look at it that closely? I'll wait for feedback.
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