A New Cover

[I. J. Parker]

I take covers for my books very seriously. It's not just that I think covers sell books, at least in the sense that they will make a browsing customer take a second look, but I've always had strong feelings about art and design and am often seriously turned off by book covers (and any number of other things in my surroundings).

Now the new cover for THE HELL SCREEN in the Penguin edition (release June 24) is up on amazon, and this one is even better than the other designs Julius Ohta has produced for my series. It is beautiful, in gorgeous colors, and totally appropriate to title and content. It's also different from the earlier ones, but that is suitable because the cover depicts a painted screen instead of a character.

I'm reminded once again that I'm very lucky that my publisher thought enough of the series to use a commissioned artist to do the covers. While my hard covers from St. Martin's Press are not repulsive, they are generic and to me the difference is immense. The one cover I don't like at all is that on the Large Print edition of ISLAND OF EXILES. Someone clearly thought to appeal simultaneously to martial arts afficionados and retired servicemen with an interest in WW II literature about the Asian theater.

[I. J. Parker]

Thanks. I can't take credit. The fact is that I get a sneak preview of the design and try to convince myself that I'm being consulted. Last summer I exchanged some e-mails with the artist about HELL SCREEN and promptly got a severe reprimand from my (then) editor about meddling in affairs that are none of my business since the publisher was paying for the cover. It's at moments like these that a publisher/editor especially endears him/herself to the author.

[Daniel Hatadi]

Looks great!