Book cover art is crucial, says children’s book agent and art rep Christy Ewers of the CAT Agency.
More important than an irresistible title or the author’s eager fan base. Especially for a middle-grade novel, where it’s often the only image to beckon a young reader into formidable gray pages of dialogue and prose. (Christy shows some examples here.)A mock cover can be physically sent as a promotional postcard, posted on Instagram or emailed to editors and art directors who might then forward it to the rest of the editorial team.
More important than an irresistible title or the author’s eager fan base. Especially for a middle-grade novel, where it’s often the only image to beckon a young reader into formidable gray pages of dialogue and prose. (Christy shows some examples here.)A mock cover can be physically sent as a promotional postcard, posted on Instagram or emailed to editors and art directors who might then forward it to the rest of the editorial team.
Not only does the right cover sell books. It can sell an editor on an unknown artist or an entire book proposal, Christy says. It can also land you an agent.
So she suggests you get busy illustrating a mock cover for a children’s chapter book right away.
She gives plenty of tips on how to do that, make it strong and use it in next week’s online workshop with her in this video.
You can learn more about the workshop here.
