How many of you think an author’s job is finished when they’re done writing their book? For the most part, I would’ve raised my hand on this one, but I’ve learned that’s not the case. There are lots of things behind the scenes of publishing a book that authors still need to do. Every day, I work on to-do lists I’ve categorized into 13 different spreadsheets—things my publisher expects me to do like public relations, marketing, soliciting book reviews, arranging book signings, getting book blurbs, and setting up my author website. It’s a never-ending list, and my book launch isn’t until next May 2025. At the same time, I went against the sage advice of my agent and two of my New York Times bestselling author friends.
I told my publisher we needed to start over with my book cover.
I’ve heard stories of publishers who’ve canceled the contract of authors they deemed to be “too much trouble,” so after three requests to have major changes made to my book cover, I swallowed my dislike for it and said, “Thank you. It’s beautiful,” but it wasn’t. It didn’t reflect the nature of my memoir, but I stayed silent because I didn’t want to rock the boat.
Since it’s not time to reveal my cover, I’m showing you only the things I can at the moment. You can’t see the upper part of the cover. It was a washed-out baby blue, but you can see the girly, handwritten script font that made it look like a book you’d find in an elementary school library.
After weeks of thinking about little else, I knew I couldn’t live with this cover as a representative of my story. A cover that would follow me around for the rest of my life. I wanted to love it and be proud of it.
I think my publisher/editor is amazing, and I would follow her to the ends of the Earth, but I had to speak up and say something.
I emailed her and wrote:
“I’ve told myself the cover is beautiful and it’s fine, but the truth is, there’s a giant disconnect between the manuscript and the cover. My memoir is dark and arresting, strong and bold, and the meaning behind the title is synonymous with survival. The current cover doesn’t reflect any of these things. It’s light blue skies, playful swirls, and has a girly font. What if we start from scratch and approach the redesign without the picture of me? I’m happy to pay the kill fee.”
When she said, “Okay,” I was relieved and ready with fresh suggestions for a new cover.
My cover idea included a photograph I’d taken during the time my memoir took place, plus it’s in keeping with the book title. Then I studied the covers of other memoirs and found one with a complementary background color we could use as a beginning reference.
It was pure coincidence the book with a complementary background color turned out to be one by Cheryl Strayed. One of my top favorite authors.
Since Cheryl’s book was already on my bookshelf, I placed my photograph on top, took a picture of it, and emailed it to my publisher.
Also, I included a picture of fonts I liked from my bookshelf–serious ones, nothing frilly or gimmicky.
I’m thrilled to say the publisher used every suggestion I gave her! My new cover is beautiful. And, they didn’t cancel my contract. LOL!
I don’t know how this incredible woman juggles the sheer number of books she publishes in one season, much less all year, along with the authors and their individual problems and questions. At the same time, she’s been coming up the curve on Simon & Schuster’s new distribution system. And if that isn’t enough, she holds weekly Zoom meetings with her unpublished authors, writes a Substack post, and recently, got engaged. I would be a madwoman, running down the hall with tiki torches, threatening to set fire to anyone who added one more thing to my already massive duty roster. Compared to her, I feel like a sloth!
48 thoughts on “BEHIND THE SCENES OF PUBLISHING A BOOK”
Love you trusting your gut. You were specific in dislikes and ready with specifics you’d like. Smart! Completely agree the girly font off target. Love your book stack font examples. Clearly, you know your style. Best wishes on next steps?
Hi Carol, We should all trust our gut. This one took me almost a month to speak up. I’d drafted another email, but something told me it wasn’t right and not to send it. Then when I couldn’t wait any longer, I wrote an entirely different email. Feeling a huge sigh of relief here! Next step is to keep working on my 13 to do lists. xoxox, Brenda
Just from the little bit you’ve shown us, I like the top cover best. The one you designed. It’s a beautiful color. Can’t wait to see the rest of it! When can we see it?
Thanks for weighing in about the covers, Arlo. I can do a cover reveal in November!!! I’m getting excited. xoxox, Brenda
So exciting! You have a cover! And you’re making things happen! You? A sloth? Haha. The time will fly by and the next thing you know we’re all reading it. You’re such a good writer. I know it’s going to be amazing! Xo, Barb
Thanks, Barb! I’ll be on pins and needles, wondering what all of you think about it. xoxox, Brenda
Bravo Brenda, for speaking your mind. You will have a finished product that will reflect who you are. Authentic to the bitter end, that’s you Brenda, and that’s why I love you and your blog. Can’t wait to read your book. Blood, sweat and tears, would you say? Well, maybe not the blood LOL. All the best!!!
Hi Yvonne, Oh, yes!! There’s lots of blood. More than once. And it’s mine! Thank you. xoxox, Brenda
Ah -ha!! GREAT. I’m over the moon to hear this and was one of the ones urging you to speak up, too. I cannot wait to see the new and improved cover, Brenda xo
Thank you, Treena. Yes, you helped me draft the first email about the cover, but my little voice told me not to send it. It was almost two months later when I wrote the one I quoted in my blog. Waiting to hear back was nail-biting, but all is well. You’re going to like it. xoxox, Brenda
Cant wait to read it Brenda! And good for you for trusting your gut! I am releasing my sixth album this Fall, and I understand how each painstaking detail is important to the overall success.
XO Lesley
Lesley, you understand. You are the consummate artist and performer and you wouldn’t still be performing and recording if you ignored the details and didn’t find a way to do what was in your best interest and work with others when it’s not. Thank you!! xoxox, Brenda
Brenda, I just saw your Instagram post and your choice of music surprised me. Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit. Did you have a drug problem?
Cassie, No. I have never had a drug and/or alcohol problem of any kind, but someone close to me did, and it dominates a lot of the book and the person I’ve become. On Instagram, I’m just dropping clues along the way until I can tell you more. BTW, there will be more clues. Thanks for asking, Brenda
Hi Brenda,
I’m so glad you voiced your concerns regardless of what could have been a negative outcome. No one knows better than you what is right in what you want to portray. I admire and respect the time, effort, and energy you have put into your book so far. It’s a gigantic undertaking. You have gone this far and it has to be done right or not at all.
My forever friend of 51 years, Tina Martin wrote her memoir, “Everything I Should Have Learned I Could Have Learned in Tonga.” The copyright was 2021. Her cover showed her full photograph taken I believe in 1969 or 1970 and on the back cover a current pic. My home town is San Francisco, that is where I met Tina, and where she still lives. I’m now living in Arizona, I will always be a Northern California girl. If you want to check out her book out you can find it on Amazon.
My thoughts are with you as you wade through the endless tasks in front of you. I think your middle name is “MOXIE.”
On a personal note, I hope you are feeling well, and regaining your strength back.
Katherine, You’re a good friend to put in a plug for Tina’s book. Very sweet. And thank you for the well wishes. I feel great. Thanks for asking. Think I have the heart failure diet down pat. xoxox, Moxie
I also saw your Instagram post and want to read your book now! You must be so excited.
Thank you, Regina. Yes, I’m excited to experience a book launch like this and get feedback from all of you. I’m counting the days, but I’ll be filling them with my to-do lists. xoxox, Brenda
Publishing a book is like climbing a mountain. I’ve watched my husband do both and I admire that you went a step further and were prepared to lose it all for a cover you believed in. You’ve got guts girl. Looking forward to your memoir.
Thank you, Jan, but I think we all have guts. The fact that we’re still here, interested in the world, and seeking better ways to stay connected and healthy is a tribute to all of us because as you know, it’s not always easy. Your husband climbs mountains… That can’t always be easy for you. I imagine you worry about him, so yes… You’ve got guts, too! xoxox, Brenda
You’ve done what you always do ~ stood up for yourself and what you believe in. Bravo!! But I would expect nothing less, my friend. Kudos for reaching this level with hard work. Can’t wait to read your book!!/
Love you, my darling! Thank you! I’m so glad you work hard as well, healing and getting back on track after losing your precious dog. That’s not easy. I know. xoxox, Brenda
Brenda, I had no idea the author needed to do all of that. Do you have anyone helping you? I’ve been looking forward to reading your memoir since you first mentioned it several years ago.
Kim, When it wasn’t so expensive to print and distribute books, the publishing houses did more for their authors. Now, they only do marketing, etc., for their celebrity authors and those who write bestsellers, but that’s okay. Except for the expense, I’m enjoying the behind-the-scenes. I’ve hired a publicist and a social media marketing expert, but I still have to write the word-for-word “requests” I want them to send out and what I want done. Essentially, I’m paying for their Rolodex: Who they know. Hope all is well with you! xoxox, Brenda
I can’t imagine you doing a book with anything less than an authentically YOU cover, no matter the cost. Thank you for the inside peek at an author’s full job … I’ll appreciate the books I read a bit more for sure! I loved Wild Game, thank you!
Thanks for the encouragement, Linda. I can always count on all of you to have my back, and I’m grateful. Wasn’t Wild Game the best? I hear it’s going to be made into a film. Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. xoxox, Brenda
You’re an incredible lady, survivor and task slayer!! I’m so excited about your book and I can’t wait to read it. Congratulations on standing firm on the cover you felt the book needed…that’s amazing!! Love you my friend!!!
…says one incredible lady, survivor and task slayer! You wrote the book on that one the day Jonathan was born. You, Jonathan and Mike are in my prayers every day. Love you special friend!! Brenda
Oh that nagging feeling of it “just not being right” and having to compromise while your whole being is screaming NO!!! Cheers Brenda, for following your gut. What’s the point of going through all that effort to tell your story only to have the cover tell a different story? Can’t wait to read it! Keep fighting the right fight! xx
That’s exactly how I felt, Cheryl. I had to fix it, and I’m so relieved and grateful I did, and it worked out well. That’s what women do! We keep fighting the right fight for ourselves and those we love. It’s programmed into our DNA. Thank you! xoxox, Brenda
You are right to trust your gut. Agree totally with you. Needs to be strong and gritty.
Thank you, Hilda. It’s a gritty book and needs a cover to match. xoxox, Brenda
Brenda, you amaze me! With your next book, tell me how to make things happen like you do. You always seem to land on your feet no matter what. Is that luck, karma or skill?
LOL! That’s sweet, Wanda, although sometimes my feet are hobbling, but I keep moving forward. It beats the alternative of succumbing to whatever took you down. Even if we know we’re not going to survive, I think we need to live, not wait to die. Thank you! xoxox, Brenda
Hi there
I know it will be a book one will not put down – we will be doing a marathon read!
It will be good if there are interviews on ZOOM since the west coast of Canada may not be on your book tour.
Glad you stuck with what you wanted for a cover. I’m waiting for the big reveal.
Rosemarie! Love seeing you here! Thank you! It’s a memoir that reads like a thriller. I’ll be doing zoom readings and Q&A for my blog readers and their book clubs. I need to check the small print about zoom’s to Canada and times, so thanks for the reminder. I’ll add it to be of my 13 spreadsheets. xoxox, Brenda
You are well organized!
I’m a Type A, what can I say?
Rosemarie, Do you belong to a book club? Email me at bcoffee@1010parkplace.com and we can figure out how many people you might be able to bring to a zoom with me. xoxox, B
From the minute you said you were writing a memoir, I knew it would be a great read. Waiting patiently/impatiently in Seattle.
Hi Gordon! Welcome! I haven’t seen you here before, but happy to know you’re out there, and you’re looking forward to my book. Thanks, Brenda
I am so happy you spoke up! I know first-hand how awful it is to live with a lousy cover, editing mistakes, agent choice, ad publisher choice mistakes!
Always trust your gut. May will be here before you know.
I adore you, Doreen! Thank you, as always, for your support and encouragement. You have no idea how much I appreciate them and you. Love, Brenda
LOVE STANLEY TUCCI’s cookbook and his STORY!
YES, you took THE BULL by the HORNS and said NOPE this willNOT DO!
Look what happened!YOU Are A HAPPY LADY NOW who spent over a year writing your LIFE STORY!I look forward to reading it very much!
Always go with your GUT FEELINGS!
It does pay off in the end.
XOXO
Thank you, Elizabeth. FYI, it’s not an autobiography, my life story. It’s a memoir, a slice of time in my life. xoxox, Brenda
Can you tell us the title? Did I miss a post? I am so proud of you Brenda…you’ve been talking/working on this for years. Bravo for speaking up! It’s your story/your life/your legacy.. reflecting it all should be an agents first thought imo. Am I on your email list? I don’t do SM much as I’m writing on Substack now. Are you there? I will do better keeping in touch my friend! ❤️
Hi Joan! It’s not time to reveal the title or the book cover. That will come in a month or so, and the publishing date is May 2025. Just keep following my blog, and when it’s time, I’ll share everything you need to know. Thank you, sweet lady! xoxox, Brenda
Can you tell us the title? Did I miss a post? I am so proud of you Brenda…you’ve been talking/working on this for years. Bravo for speaking up! It’s your story/your life/your legacy.. reflecting it all should be an agents first thought imo. Am I on your email list? I don’t do SM much as I’m writing on Substack now…changed my title to Accept Adapt Applaud. Are you there? I will do better keeping in touch my friend! ❤️