Eye Candy

[rolanni]

The cover art for Fledgling is in:

...no, I don't know why "Liaden" is trademarked.

Comments

[robotech-master.livejournal.com]

Might it not be because it's trademarked on your website?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Actually - Liaden Universe (r) seems to be the mark. And I seem to recollect from Trademarking 101 that such marks are quite specific.

[robotech-master.livejournal.com]

Still, it's easy to imagine someone seeing it on the site, not knowing much about trademarks, and getting the wrong idea. I don't know that many authors who go so far as to trademark the name of their series, after all.

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Probably - or even more likely, the original text was "A New Liaden Universe (r) Novel" but the layout artist couldn't fit it on with the desired font size -- so snipped one little word, but saved the TM symbol (it's small, right). And . . . voila!

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Still, it's easy to imagine someone seeing it on the site, not knowing much about trademarks, and getting the wrong idea.

True enough, which is why we were very specific on the author info sheet that Baen foresightfully sends to its authors about what, exactly is the Registered Mark, which is: Liaden Universe®

Notice the R-inna-circle, which indicates the Mark is Registered; not a TM, which indicates that the Trade Mark is pending.

And! we can get in a Whole Buncha Trouble if we fail to mark the right thing with the right mark.

[zola.livejournal.com]

That looks great! I can't wait to get my copy. :)

[papersky.livejournal.com]

That's a great cover.

[lornastutz.livejournal.com]

Great cover...even though it's not near a ship restaurant, it really captures the felling of Theo playing with gravity.
Lorna

[robotech-master.livejournal.com]

I also like the cat reaching out to bat at a planet. Even though I can't think of when or where Theo had a cat with her in outer space, it is kind of evocative of the general attitude of Coyster, who probably would bat at a planet if he could.

Coyster

[bobbie-monster.livejournal.com]

I think it is Theo's room with the floor art, at the house in the country.

Re: Coyster

[amm-me.livejournal.com]

I think you're right, though actually, the planets Coyster kept an eye on were in the mobile, as I recall. My main caveat is that this person looks MUCH older and ... developed ... than a fourteen-year-old. Oh, well, nothing's perfect. (Althought actually, the original cover of Agent of Change, with Val Con, Miri, and Edger, just about WAS perfect.)

Re: Coyster

[(Anonymous)]

Unfortunately, I have to partially agree with Amm_me. I like the setting with Theo showing either exuberance or getting ready to dance, and Coyster swatting at a planet. IMHO, on the cover Theo looks about as developed as a 14 or 15 y.o. girl would be - a Terran girl, that is. However, Theo looks like "that Liaden girl", described or referred to as such to a greater or lesser extent in several places, and is ever thought of as younger than her actual age by strangers. We have seen blond Liadens (Er Thom), so the blond hair and dark eyes is not an issue, but Liadens in general are very often mistaken to be children to unfamiliar Terrans. Female Liadens are slender and have slight, almost boyish figures, what a Terran male might think of as pre-pubescent. (Yes, I imprinted on the originally BB AoC cover with Val Con, Miri and Edger as well..)

I think this artist may have been told that the primary character was a 14/15 y.o. girl, but may not have realized that her physical appearance should be akin to that of an 11 or 12 y.o. Terran female.

Brom

Re: Coyster

[(Anonymous)]

An addition - IMHO, Theo would also have a touch of the golden skin tint ..

Brom

Re: Coyster

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I think this artist may have been told that the primary character was a 14/15 y.o. girl,

Ahem. This is a Baen book; the cover artist got the rough draft to read. I know that he did so, twice, because he then wrote to us with questions.

but may not have realized that her physical appearance should be akin to that of an 11 or 12 y.o. Terran female.

He may well have realized this. However. Artists must convey the reality of the eye. If he painted a portrait of Theo as she "actually" looks, several things would happen:

(1) Readers would assume it was a children's book, because of the "little girl" on the cover (not all potential readers have ever heard of a Liaden or read a Liaden book. We hope.)

(2) We might very well find ourselves in a similar position (http://ursulav.livejournal.com/833981.html), which is a place we'd rather not be.

There have certainly been plenty of conversations over on the Theo_Waitley community about how thus-and-so is Not How It's Done Here, as if that justified it being "wrong" everywhere and for all reasons, to remind us that people -- even SF readers, sometimes (and, yes, even SF authors) -- have a hard time leaving their preconceptions at home.

It's our job, as writers, to try to shake up preconceptions, yours, ours, and theirs. It's the artist's job to get people to pick that book up off the shelf so that it can stick to their fingers and they have to buy it to get out of the store.

I think that cover's going to do really well for Theo.

[klingonguy.livejournal.com]

oooh, shiny!

[katmoonshaker.livejournal.com]

Shiny! Even if, as usual, certain things are... interesting as covers are messed up!!

[elbales]

Ooh, shiny! Congrats!

Cover Artist?

[(Anonymous)]

I went to a library workshop where the presenter, a children's picture book author, said she didn't get to pick the illustrator for her book. Is this true for novels as well? Do you have any choice/say so about who does the covers?

Cathy

Re: Cover Artist?

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

The cover artist is chosen by the art department of the publishing house. We can, and have, suggested artists, but that doesn't mean the art department has to listen to us, or that the artist will be interested in/have time for the project.

That said, from the first, we've been extraordinarily fortunate in our cover artists: Steve Hickman, Michael Herring, Donato, Tom Kidd, and now Alan Pollack.

[(Anonymous)]

I certainly never imagined theo as blond-haired and pale skinned. I thought liadens have dark hair and golden skin, and are generally slight in stature. I agree with other comments in that the picture is a good composition otherwise.

-mac

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Huh. And here's Theo described as a blond with dark eyes at the end of I Dare. *Le Sigh*

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

It's the sunshine! After all, kids who spend a lot of time on beaches get blonded, right? So perhaps courier pilots, spending so much time flipping through the jump, also get blonded by the Light?

The dark eyes are most likely contacts -- again, protection from the Light encountered in Jump. Also cool, almost like sunglasses :-)

Blonded by the Light? I'm going to be humming that for a while now . . . who sang that, anyway?

[vanye.livejournal.com]

Manfredd Mann

[laurajunderwood.livejournal.com]

Neat

[sraun]

Neat!