Judge my book by its cover!

Marve Micheal
Aug 8
4 min read

I’ve always wanted to say this because we all know you’ll do it anyway. A book’s cover is your first introduction to the world within the pages. It’s supposed to say, look at me, and keep thinking about me until you have me in your hand.

Working on the book cover for FIRSTBORN OF THE SUN was one of the most exciting milestones on my journey to publication.

Timeline

Book Deal Offer: October 2023

Author Cover Brief: July 2024

First cover draft: October 2024

Final cover: January 2025

Cover Artist: Juliet Nneka @nkjuls on Instagram

Cover Brief:

These were some of the notes in my cover brief to the d4esign team/cover artist. The full document had about thirty pages of inspo images which are intentionally not included in this summary.

A portrait of Lore centred on the page. A bust image featuring accurate African features, set against a dramatic background that reflects the sun. Aesthetics: sun magic, gold accessories, patterned clothes, coral beads, ice/cold magic, one single cowrie in hair, crescent swords, desert vibes. The idea is a bust image with expressive painting styles that show in a mix of traditional attire and warrior kit. These should help inspire the final image.

I love bright, bold and rich colours. Whatever the background, I love details or bold, colourful statements/vibes that fit with the fantasy world/characters. See themes for ideas on colour palette. If there’s a character, I want them to be front and center or slightly tilted for a bust image. Otherwise, a smaller figure with a larger intricate background works brilliantly.

Draft One

While this was the very first draft, it was also the first time I realised that I was going to have an incredibly exceptional cover. I loved the messy bun, her dark skin, her confident look, everything. I preferred the meteor-looking orb behind her, but the majority of the team preferred something that filled out the background a bit more.

Character Art

The next version came with a full character design with a more vibrant, rich brown skin and culturally designed ornaments and jewels that made our girl look like the main character she is. I loved Juliet's research, which involved merging tribal elements from the Yoruba culture, including offshoots like the Benin and Itsekiri kingdoms.

This was the moment I cried because Juls had perfectly captured this character that had only lived in my head, and I knew we'd chosen the right artist, and my heart was so happy.

Draft Two

Character approval meant a new cover draft. This black background made me miss the orb from the first draft and I wanted it back. My love for drama meant this version looked a bit too simple for what I had imagined- a cover that could not be ignored. The feedback here was more fire, more ice.

I preferred this version and would go on to be absolutely in love with the final version of the palace background. (The final version is not in this blog, in case we use it in the future, but it's so much better than I can describe with words alone.) Oh, I did not like the fonts for these at all. They were cute, but reminded me too much of a different book in the market.

So it came down to the left vs. the right. I must say it was only at this point that I started to see the potential of what would become the final cover. But it still didn't feel quite right and preferred the left. I was in the minority when the team voted on this.

I asked to see what a white background would look like compared to the black one. I thought I would prefer it, but when it came through, the black background seemed to have more depth and intensity, which I preferred. When you read FOTS, you'll realise that this image, this cover, is everything Lore is. I could not be happier!!!

The team and I agreed that the black background with fire and ice swirls would be our final version. We just needed the right font. And this was PERFECT. I ran a poll asking everyone from the design team to my grandma. My agents, editorial team, mum, brothers, friends, cousins, lol, too many people. In the end, I loved v1, but wanted elements from v3, which was the long 'F' in particular. v4 was a contender for a min there but did not make it to the finals.

And then there were two. This was probably the easiest decision so far. Took a little mixing still.

v1 plus the second star from the long 'F' in v2 = Final cover.

If you think this sounds confusing, it was to my team too, ha! But we got there in the end.

And there we have it! Our brilliant cover by our extraordinarily brilliant artist!

And when we thought it was over, Juls blew us away with this final_final version. The 3D effect that makes the swirl of fire and ice feel like they are leaping off the page was all I needed to cry some more. We had a cover! We have a cover that could not be ignored. A cover that we would be proud to ask the world to judge.

10/10 no notes. 5 stars across the board! Thank you, Juls! Here's to book two!