Unless you’re really big, I don’t think you get a lot of say so, and even if you are really big, you still end up making concessions (remember marketing and sometimes big chain stores get cover –and sometimes title– input too). Tess Geritsen blogged recently about the title for her latest book.

Same thing, no?

And as for where I got my information, it was on an eHarlequin board when somebody asked an author how cover art was done.

I figure standard for Harlequin means standard for NY too.

Not making excuses–yes, a LOT of the covers are AWFUL. I would like to see big improvements there.

Because more than half of the ecovers out there sucks ass.

Sadly I have to agree.

I have often heard, be it with print publishers, that the final product didn’t have anything to do with the cover sheet that was sent in. And that it wasn’t changed.

To be fair though, I have heard some authors recently getting hair color and such changed to match the characters (I hate it when they don’t match!).

So more control over title and cover would be a fair comment regarding ebooks? Than what the hell are you eauthors thinking? Because more than half of the ecovers out there sucks ass. I just assumed you guys didn’t have control over it.

Most publishers and even Epublishers (EC, LSB, Loose ID) the author doesn’t have a say in title or cover for the most part.

I’m with Jaci–not true! I’ve never known LSB to change a title. That’s not to say they haven’t ever done it, but they didn’t do it to me and I’ve never heard of it happening. And just like at Samhain we get to fill out cover request forms, we give the art dept as much info as possible and can even request who does our cover. They do the best they can based on what WE give them.

Raine was asked to change one characters name, out of four ebooks and two publishers, because they’d just published a book with a similiar storyline and same character’s name.

Now, Jayne will never buy AA but it’s not due to any reader/author animosity but rather the fact that Jayne despised the one book that she did read of AA’s.

Keishon made a good point when she said that author’s have to sell their books to us and not the other way around (am paraphrasing here). Any public figure has to be careful of the way in which they are perceived because it can impact them financially. Readers, as readers, don’t have that concern. I’ll tell you that I am constantly aware when I am in public that any one individual may be a potential juror of mine. I am not going to act like an ass because they may hold it against me/my client. It’s not fair, but that’s business.

As far as edits, I have always had final say The buck stops with me. I see and approve the final line edits on the book and unless something technologically wonky happens to the book when it’s formatted, if there are typos or grammatical errors then I missed them and it’s my bad.

I’m just now going through my first experience with NY publishing edits. So far so good. I’ll keep you posted since I have two publishers I’m working with ;-)

hmmm that isn’t what I hear from authors but to be honest, not as many are as big a seller as you are…

Do you think that plays into it at all?

Very interesting though, hee shall add question to epublisher interviews! I have heard nothing regarding edits and have always assumed the author had last say on that but no idea what is correct.

Angie I think it is fair to say Samhain is the exception there not the rule. Most publishers and even Epublishers (EC, LSB, Loose ID) the author doesn’t have a say in title or cover for the most part. So really that is a fair statement, unless things are changing.

Sybil, that’s not true. I can only speak to Ellora’s Cave since I’m an author for them. The only time I had one of my titles changed was because it too closely resembled an already published title, and I have 26 books published with EC. All authors are given detailed cover art requests to fill out for their books and the covers that are produced are a direct result of our own vision of what we’d like to see there, with the input from the cover art department.

I don’t know what to think of the whole thing. After all the crap with DoS(in) and the way Adele was treated it does almost seem people are gleefully going after her and her books.

At the same time to say don’t expect quaility because it is romance is the stupidest thing. But people really… the get a rope thing is a little much.

Yes whoever the author is said a stupid thing. You as a reader will say a stupid thing at some point. I will say stupid things (often). I wouldn’t look at a readers and decide to write you off as worth listening too because of a couple of stupid remarks.

Agree with PC Cast or not, I admire the fact she blogged what she thought. Can’t we just agree or not with her and she still be an ok person? I don’t look at the anon author on AAR and think gee at least they were smart enough to keep themselves hidden. I think it is sad they have to worry about being lynched.

If we start shooting every author for saying something dumb, we will soon have no others left and lots really smart readers who never make mistakes, or write books.

Adele Ashworth has never struck me as the type to hide behind a anon name but with the way people are behaving I am surprised she hasn’t. I am surprised any authors bothers to talk to oh so smart readers.

Sam’s situation excepting, I still think the author is the bottom line. Maybe that comes from administrating for my husband’s business? No matter how many subcontractors we have come through or inspectors inspecting, our company name is the bottom line. And whether you’re paying $4.50 for my book or $8000 to have your new house wired, any mistakes belong the person who contracted to get the job done. Thankfully, we both have people in our lives who help us put out the best product possible.

Fiona said: I am not liking the overall theme that is coming to light this week that readers are not being respected for their intelligence. Starting to irk me.

I feel that way as well, Fiona. It’s as if some authors are saying that as authors they are superior for being able to write. I know that I couldn’t write a book but I suspect that each person has a skill that other people (including authors) can’t replicate. I am sure anyone who has been online before has heard authors arguing against readers giving reviews as the readers have no “credentials”.

I also feel that while on the one hand romance authors are clamouring for respect there are quite a few who believe that romance readers should simply accept poorly edited, poorly researched books because it is just a romance book.

Outside of the e-publishing world, authors do have very little say in the cover. But, with all due respect, your experience doesn’t justify saying the bottom line is rarely the author because they have no say in edits.

I’m sorry Sam, but I have to disagree with you. This is a publisher by publisher thing you’re talking about. You can say that with authority for that particular publisher you worked with. But you cannot possibly know what each publishers contract–whether NY or epub reads.

To be clear, at Samhain, authors have a say in both edits and covers. The cover art is produced from a request they fill out. It is up to the author to make the requested changes for edits. Your statement is not only sweeping, but untrue and paints an unfair picture for readers of the entire publishing industry.

I agree there are some publishers out there who operate like that. But please don’t lump us all in with them. It hurts ;)