Mary's Minute: Cover Changes and an Apology

Today's Mary's Minute is going to be a long one because I have a lot of ground to cover. 

What happened

ICYMI, last week, the cover to Renee Ahdieh's Smoke in the Sun was released, along with a redesigned cover for book 1, Flame in the Mist. The colors of Smoke are compatible with those of the original Flame and Smoke also continues the phoenix theme, although other design details—the face, the cherry blossoms, the font—more closely resemble the new new Flame design. Renee worked closely with the designer (who also designed the original Flame) to make sure the cover of Smoke would.

  

Frustrated by yet another mid-series change, I tweeted several times (1, 2, 3) about how annoyed I was. My rant was liked and retweeted by a lot of readers, but most replies were critical of my position. I was somewhat pressed for time and taken aback by an unexpected response that I perceived as an attack on my character (there were a lot of subtweets about racism, although no one called me racist directly) so even though I attempted to reply calmly, to have an actual dialogue about my position, I was defensive and not really receptive to responses opposing mine. It was not a good look. And so, I must apologize.

An apology

I am sorry. I am not sorry for hating cover changes (more on that in a minute), but I am sorry for speaking out of turn. I am sorry for not listening to the primarily teen (or at least younger than I) women of color telling me their perspective. I am sorry for not responding well. I am sorry for putting you guys in the position of having to tell me I was wrong, which took an immense amount of courage. I am so sorry for the hurt I caused with my rash words. I am so sorry for disappointing all of you. I am sorry to everyone whose opinion of me was lessened by my ill-timed tantrum. I am especially sorry to Renee for causing an uproar, for raining on what should have been an exciting day celebrating brand new covers. While the cover conversation is one that readers should be able to have, that day was not the appropriate time for it. Renee should have had a wonderful, joyful day, and then later this conversation could have been had, when not in direct response to her beautiful covers. And although I did not participate in the discussion then, the same goes for Sabaa Tahir when the entire Ember in the Ashes series got a makeover a few months ago. Neither of you deserved this criticism, and I am sorry for my part in this awful, hurtful situation.

Two clarifications

For my part, my frustration truly stems from disliking changes in the middle of a series. I do not have OCD and won't claim mental illness as a shield, but I have always abhorred books being repackaged mid-series. I saw a lot of comments mentioning how it's a privilege to worry about such a seemingly small thing as my books matching. IT IS. I am well aware. But it still rankles. I have hated redesigns for years. They really, truly bother me, for various reasons (but that's a conversation for another day). And so, while I am sorry for so so much, I wish to defend myself on two charges.

First, I would like to counter claims that this conversation *only* comes up when an author of color, usually a woman, has a redesign to have a character of color on the cover. Because I literally wrote this post about cover changes 5 years ago as a baby blogger (lol @ naive baby me, who knew nothing about publishing and was only coming at the convo from a consumer pov). The big one for me then was Across the Universe. The spaceshippy theme of the redesigns was cool, but man, I loved the galactic silhouettes of ACU and AMS, and I really do get a bit sad looking at my green odd-one-out copy of SOE. 

Additionally, there have been several instances of uproar regarding a few notable redesigns, and here are a few that I remember being especially contentious and/or a notable response from the publisher: 

• Even though the repackage was a good one, readers were so upset over their copies of Anna/Lola/Isla not matching that Penguin (Penguin, SERIOUSLY, what is your fucking deal with redesigns mid-series???) rereleased Anna & Lola in hardcover with the new covers AND hosted a giveaway for nothing other than sets of the dustjackets so anyone who had the old people covers could have matching jackets without buying new copies. Not kidding. That was the prize.

• Sourcebooks originally designed the cover of Breathe, Annie, Breathe, book 5 of the Hundred Oaks series, as a cartoony style, a departure from the photographic covers of books 1-4, but readers were so lackluster about the new style (and possibly a bookstore vetoed it. Yes, that happens), they redesigned it before publication to look more similar and then redesigned again for the paperback to more closely match the original style. Also, it was the only book in the series that even had a hardcover release. That's why there are three or four different arc covers, one hardcover cover, and one paperback. The final three books in the series went back to the original style.

• Bloomsbury stopped selling the original cover of Throne of Glass, and now only sells the repackaged version (I have so little info about this situation because I've never read ToG so I didn't pay attention to fan reaction. A quick Twitter search of "throne of glass + matching" shows a lot of happy fans in the fall of 2014 though, when the repackaged design was made available for purchase in hardcover, and fans could have a fully matched set). 

• Readers demanded a change when Macmillan announced a matching cover for The Winner's Kiss in May of 2015, then announced a complete repackage in December that included new covers for the paperbacks of TWC & TWC2 and the hardcover of TWK. In my five years in this community, this was the loudest and angriest readers have been about changes because, though badass and beautiful, the new covers were not representative of Kestral's character (I also started another post about cover changes but never posted it). This IS the only time *I've* seen people state they'd rather not buy a book (or that they'd rather buy the matching UK edition) than buy the repackaged hardcover (YMMV). About 10 days after the new cover reveal, Macmillan compromised by  announcing they'd release the original dress cover of TWK in hardcover and only use the new covers for the whole series in paperback. 

• With Tahereh Mafi, Harper is listening to readers' years-long requests (if you search Twitter with "shatter me + matching" you'll find requests from as far back as 2013) by finally releasing the redesigned eye cover of Shatter Me in hardcover today. 

• And although Little, Brown has not made any changes in response to reader criticism, I saw a TON of people who had Things To Say about the many designs of The Diviners. Mostly how laughably bad each new direction is (I saw a hilarious tweet yesterday about someone wanting a 4th design for book 4 so at least the books would share a complete lack of continuity).

All of these examples do prove, at least to me, that this IS a long-term ongoing conversation.

What boycott???

That brings me to my second small defense. I saw a lot of tweets using the word boycott a lot that day and the day after in the context of "if you boycott a book because of a cover change, you are stupid, etc etc". I don't know if that was in response to me or if someone really did say the word boycott, but I surely did not. Someone pointed out to me that I DID say I wouldn't buy a repackaged book. I did. But I said I'd specifically never buy a repackaged *paperback*. I prefer hardcovers, but also, if I already have the hardcover, I'm not going to get a paperback just to match the second book (unless I'm collecting, and there's literally three series I've done that for. And no, none of them are by SJM). As twitchy as non-matching series makes me, I'd still rather have them in one format, especially because I shelve my books by format. Also, I may be privileged to have disposable income enough to buy a lot of books, but it's not disposable enough to have multiples of everything, even books I like a lot (which is why multiple special editions piss me the fuck off, but THAT is another entire conversation best saved for another day). And I live in a one bedroom apartment with limited storage. But I digress.

I am not boycotting covers with people of color. I am especially not boycotting Renee Ahdieh or Smoke in the Sun. The Wrath and the Dawn is a lovely series, a favorite, and I'd read Renee's grocery lists if that weren't weird (it's weird). Truth be told, I haven't decided if I'll buy Smoke for myself. But even if I don't, yes, OF COURSE I'll check it out from the library! Hell, I'm gonna personally buy two copies for the library where I work because I purchase the ebooks and digital audio. And you guys know I always host a crapton of giveaways. I'll be at two festivals this spring where Renee will be speaking, and I love doing signed giveaways best of all so who knows? I may have some of her books up for grabs in a couple months. So no boycott. Maybe stop throwing around that word unless you literally saw someone say the ACTUAL word "boycott."

I still made a mistake

But. But. Despite this long history of community opposition to cover changes (on books by white authors and PoC authors both), despite very much not actually boycotting this book, I chose, erroneously, to complain very publicly in a situation where it DID involve an author of color and an Asian model. While my intention was to express a personal frustration and discomfort at one aspect of publishing I don't like, intentions are meaningless when people are hurt. I chose the wrong time to speak, and I did not speak well. I hurt people, which is a devastating thing to admit. I don't like people to be hurt, and I especially don't like being the cause. Again I wish to offer my apologies to everyone who read my rant, but especially to Asian readers, particularly teens, and any other PoC who I hurt with my careless words. Instead of allowing you to celebrate a momentous occasion at having a character accurately represented on the cover, I stepped in and crashed the conversation with a petty complaint. It truly is a first world problem to have matching covers. I know that. I should have held my tongue and saved this convo for another time when it wouldn't have directly affected an author and marginalized readers, and again, I'm so so sorry.

I am not deleting my ill-timed tweets. I'm not a fan of tweeting and deleting because I want to keep them as a reminder of a mistake I made that I have to own up to. I hope that those of you who are reading this (and bless you if you have made it this far because DANG this is a long post!) can accept my apology and forgive me. And to anyone who doesn't, who can't, I understand. I hope I may one day regain your trust and respect. I get it. One more white woman speaking out of turn, speaking over people who deserved better. All I can do is admit I messed up, apologize, and work to do better. While I believe in my heart of hearts that my words weren't caused by discomfort with a PoC model, I clearly need to learn more and do more work to confront a life steeped in privilege in so many ways, including and especially regarding my race. I thought I was doing okay, but I have messed up royally and so I must do better. I will do better.

Some threads to consider

I was encouraged to look up threads in which PoC readers talked about the positive change of redesigns in which PoC faces are centered so I did some research so I found a few, and I'm linking them here (with permission). Highly recommend you take a look, and also give these incredible people with powerful voices a follow.

Shenwei of READING (AS)(I)AN (AM)ERICAN
Alexa @ahnyoo_
Lila of Hardcover Haven
Sandhya Menon

A list of PoC covers

Finally, I'd like to leave you with a list of YA books by PoC authors that have put PoC characters front and center on the cover.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie
Akata Witch - Nnedi Okorafor
Allegedly - Tiffany D. Jackson
American Panda - Gloria Chao
American Street - Ibi Zoboi
The Belles - Dhonielle Clayton
The Blazing Star - Imani Josey
The Bone Witch - Rin Chupeco
Born Confused duology - Tanuja Desai Hidier
The Boy in the Black Suit - Jason Reynolds
Bronxwood- Coe Booth
Calling My Name - Liara Tamani
Children of Blood & Bone - Tomi Adeyemi
Dear Martin - Nic Stone
Dread Nation - Justina Ireland
The Education of Margot Sanchez - Lilliam Rivera
An Ember in the Ashes series - Sabaa Tahir

   

Emergency Contact - Mary Choi
Empress of a Thousand Skies duology - Rhoda Belleza
Endangered - Lamar Giles
Everyone We've Been - Sarah Everett
Eye Candy - ReShonda Tate Billingsly
Flygirl - Sherri L. Smith
From Twinkle, With Love - Sandhya Menon
A Girl Like That - Tanaz Bhathena
Huntress - Malinda Lo
I Believe in a Thing Called Love - Maurene Goo
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Erika L. Sanchez
Iron Cast - Destiny Soria
Juba - Walter Dean Myers
Keep Me in Mind - Jaime Reed
Labyrinth Lost - Zoraida Cordova
Let's Talk About Love - Claire Kann
Little White Lies - Brianna Baker
Long Way Down - Jason Reynolds

   

Love, Hate & Other Filters - Samira Ahmed
Lovely, Dark, and Deep - Justina Chen
Monday's Not Coming - Tiffany D. Jackson
Monster - Walter Dean Myers
Not the Girls You're Looking For - Aminah Mae Safi
Perfect Liars - Kimberly Reid
Piecing Me Together- Renee Watson
The Place Between Breaths - An Na
The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo
#Prettyboy Must Die - Kimberly Reid
The Reader series - Traci Chee
The Secret of a Heart Note - Stacey Lee
Serpentine - Cindy Pon
Shadowshaper series - Daniel Jose Older
Silver Phoenix - Cindy Pon (sequel does NOT have a PoC on the cover, thanks to a terrible redesign)
A Step From Heaven - An Na
The Summer Prince - Alaya Dawn Johnson

   

That Thing We Call a Heart - Sheba Karim
The Hate You Give - Angie Thomas
This Side of Home - Renee Watson
To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy - Jenny Han
The Truth of Right Now - Kara Lee Corthran
Tyler Johnson Was Here - Jay Coles
Want - Cindy Pon
The Way You Make Me Feel - Maurene Goo
When Dimple Met Rishi- Sandhya Menon
The Wrath & the Dawn duology - Renee Ahdieh
You Don't Know Me But I Know You - Rebecca Barrow

I still want to have a discussion about series cover changes, but for today, that's not the point. That discussion can wait.

Cover Reveal: There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

Every year there are a handful of books that everyone seems to be dying to get their hands on. This year, one of these books is also one people will be dying in! Stephanie Perkins, queen of contemporary swoons, will become scream queen with her hotly anticipated fourth novel There's Someone Inside Your House. I love that Steph always participates in #31HorrorFilms31Days (see her hilarious 2014 blog post about it here) and recaps her scary movie adventures, and of course I'll always read everything she writes, so I'm THRILLED (and chilled. Haha, see what I did there?) that we finally get to have this amazing Stephanie Perkins slasher book that she first told us about FIVE WHOLE YEARS AGO. 

Stephanie teased us with this manip when she announced the title but assured readers we'd get to see the real cover soon. Honestly, I'd read a book with this cover too, but I was definitely also excited to see what the cover designers would come up with. Scroll down for info about the book, add it to your TBR, and then check out the official, newly-revealed cover!

Release Date: September 12, 2017

Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers

Genre: young adult contemporary horror

(aka a SLASHER. But it's Steph so also kissing)

Status: standalone

Summary: 

Scream meets YA in this hotly-anticipated new novel from the bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss.

One-by-one, the students of Osborne High are dying in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, the dark secrets among them must finally be confronted.

International bestselling author Stephanie Perkins returns with a fresh take on the classic teen slasher story that’s fun, quick-witted, and completely impossible to put down.

Pink! Scary broken up words! Something about that E in the corner being long and the broken R reeaaally freaks me out. But it's also pretty and will fit in nicely with my copies of Anna, Lola, and Isla! Check out EW's article about the cover reveal with behind-the-scenes info from Steph and designers Lindsey Andrews and Sean Freeman about the design process and how the got this cover juuust right!

What do you think of that cover? Will you be ordering There's Someone Inside Your House? If so, preorder links are right here. And check out B&N and Amazon. Both have it for preorder for only $10!

Preorder Links:

   

About the Author:

Stephanie Perkins is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author. She has always worked with books--first as a bookseller, then as a librarian, and now as a novelist. She and her husband live in the mountains of North Carolina. Every room of their house is painted a different color of the rainbow. She is best known for her novels Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and Isla and the Happily Ever After. 

Author Links:

   

Cover Reveal: Inflict by Cora Carmack

Today I'm really excited to share some new covers for one of my favorite people, Cora Carmack. Last year Cora published her first paranormal new adult, Inspire, the story of immortal muse Kallipe. Inspire released with a gorgeous cover, which you can see here, but when Cora was working on the sequel, she decided she wanted to update the covers, and that's what I'm sharing today! These beautiful covers were designed by Regina Wamba of Mae I Design.

Inspire
Muse Series #1

by Cora Carmack

December 15, 2014

 

Summary:

Kalliope lives with one purpose.

To inspire.

As an immortal muse, she doesn’t have any other choice. It’s part of how she was made. Musicians, artists, actors—they use her to advance their art, and she uses them to survive. She moves from one artist to the next, never staying long enough to get attached. But all she wants is a different life— a normal one. She’s spent thousands of years living lie after lie, and now she’s ready for something real.

Sweet, sexy, and steady, Wilder Bell feels more real than anything else in her long existence. And most importantly… he’s not an artist. He doesn’t want her for her ability. But she can’t turn off the way she influences people, not even to save a man she might love. Because in small doses, she can help make something beautiful, but her ability has just as much capacity to destroy as it does to create. The longer she stays, the more obsessed Wilder will become. It’s happened before, and it never turns out well for the mortal.

Her presence may inspire genius.

But it breeds madness, too.

Book Links:

   

And now, the cover of Inflict!

(if you don't have Thoughts about Wilder,

I don't think we can be friends)

Inflict
Muse Series #2

by Cora Carmack

January 2016

 

Summary:

Wilder Bell made a dangerous bargain...

For a chance at love, he gave up his life.

History knew Kalliope as an ancient Greek muse, but to Wilder, she was simply the woman he wanted to fall asleep with every night and wake up next to every morning. He made a deal with Hades, but the only thing the Lord of the Underworld deals in is death. Now Wilder is wasting away in a cold and wretched afterlife, waiting for Kalli to come for him. She will come. He has to believe that. Because the alternative is worse than death.

Kalliope lived her entire existence knowing that she was both a blessing and a curse to anyone she encountered. Wilder was no different. She loved him, and she got him killed. Now to get him back, she’ll have to face a scheming god, a perilous task, and death itself. But before it’s done, the Underworld will take more from her than she ever thought possible.

To be made whole, all must first be lost.

Check out the full cover copies for both books!

About the Author

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, Losing It, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Author Links:

  

Cover reveal organized by:

Cover Love: Camp Forget-Me-Not by J.K. Rock

Due to some timing issues, I wasn't able to officially participate in the cover reveal for Camp Forget-Me-Not, the third novel in J.K. Rock's Camp Boyfriend series, but as a member of the Rock Stars street team and a fan of the books, I wanted to make sure you guys saw this stunning new cover! Seriously, this is one of the most beautiful covers I've seen this season. This cover makes me need this book in my hands ASAP

Camp Forget-Me-Not

Camp Boyfriend #3
by J.K. Rock

Coming: October 7, 2013

from Spencer Hill Contemporary

 

Summary:

Playing it safe and fitting in may have rocketed Kayla West into the “In” crowd at Camp Juniper Point, but it’s left her lonely. The only person she’s ever been herself with was her former best friend, Nick, an outsider that pushed her to join the most popular girls cabin two years ago. Too bad being a Diva meant pressure to break up with Nick. Of course, Kayla had her reasons, but Nick can never know the real one.

She always thought she'd forget him one day and move on. Until he returns to camp a super-hot Olympian snowboarder. Now, every girl wants him and Nick seems determined to show her what a mistake she made. Or at least, she thought that's what he wanted. But when Nick starts sending her private notes--just like he used to--she wonders what kind of game he's playing. Nick's attention is making it tougher to stay in the background and play in safe, forcing Kayla to make a decision--stay on the sidelines and get overlooked? Or take a chance on trusting Nick and, maybe... herself.

Catch up with the series

"Camp Kiss" (#0.5)

Lauren Carlson, a fourteen-year-old expert on the cosmos, superheroes, and science fiction trivia has a crush on her longtime camp friend, Seth. Last summer she’d dreamed about upgrading their relationship to BF/GF status and this year she has a plan… if only her well-meaning cabin mates wouldn’t interfere before she’s ready. She hasn’t even adjusted to her new braces yet, let alone imagined kissing Seth with them. When a dare pushes her out of her comfort zone, will she and Seth rocket out of the friendzone at last? There’s only one way to find out…

 

Camp Boyfriend (#1)

The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.

They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.

But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

 

"Camp Christmas" (#1.5)

Hannah never meant to be a mean girl – at Camp Juniper Point or at her high school. It just sort of happened during one painful year when her parents split and her life fell apart. Who knew being mad at the world would catapult her to popularity? But since changing the status quo would make her some serious enemies, she’s prepared to ride out her time until graduation. That is, until a camp friend calls her on the act during their school ski trip. Will Julian out her to her friends? Or will the guy she once accused of being King of the Nerds make her wish she was a whole lot more like him?

 

Camp Payback (#2)

Alex has big plans for camp this year, starting with making it the best summer ever. Having fun and breaking some rules will get her the payback she wants against her parents and her ex-boyfriend. Because of his disgusting texts, she's headed to a super strict all-girls school in the fall. Then she meets Javier and revenge doesn't seem nearly as important as getting to know the troubled loner determined to keep a low profile at camp. But Alex's trouble-magnet personality and Javier's need to stay in the background don't mix nearly as well as their irresistible chemistry. With her home life eroding under her feet and her last year of summer camp speeding to a close, Alex wants to make her mark on the world and squeeze every bit of fun out of her time with Javier. Too bad her old plans for revenge turn back on her just in time to ruin everything. Will she lose Javier too? 

About the Author

J. K. Rock is the pseudonym for YA writing partners - and sisters-in-law - Joanne & Karen Rock. After years of comparing notes on their favorites books and films, often dreaming up new endings to suit them, they decided to write their own stories. Their first Young Adult book, CAMP BOYFRIEND, is the first in a three-book series. CAMP PAYBACK will be a Spring 2014 release, and CAMP FORGET-ME-NOT arrives in Summer 2014. Visit the Camp Boyfriend website at http://campboyfriend.net to learn more about the free novellas they are offering readers prior to each full length book. Individually, Joanne Rock is an award winning Harlequin author published in 26 countries and translated into 20 languages. Karen Rock's first Harlequin Heartwarming release, WISH ME TOMORROW, is a deeply emotional story of enduring love

Author Links:
   

Camp Forget-Me-Not is not yet available for pre-order, but I promise I'll be posting excerpts and bonus material closer to the release date, and I'll have links then. If you have not yet read any books in the Camp Boyfriend series, I really recommend them. You can read my reviews for Camp Boyfriend here (it's slightly spoilery, but I marked it so you can skip over that part) and "Camp Christmas" here. What do you think of the new cover? Leave your thoughts in the comments!