Cover Reveal: Body in a Barrel

Drum roll please . . .

After a month working with a professional designer, I'm thrilled (!) to reveal the cover for my soon-to-be-published crime novella, Body in a Barrel.

Initially, I suggested to the designer that the cover should show my main character, Lenny, trawling the waters of Lake Mead in his boat, looking for an underwater barrel. But my direction wasn't very good: the cover concepts he sent back made it look like Lenny was puttering out for a peaceful day of fishing. Not the feel of the story.

I then suggested the cover needed to reflect Lenny's dark inner turmoil, along with some indication of the Las Vegas setting. What he came back with was basically what you see.

And I love it. The churning water captures Lenny's inner struggle, and somehow the close-up from above gives just the right anxious vibe. With no land in sight, it feels like Lenny's out there on his own, isolated, which is perfect for the story. The title lettering is also glorious: flashy, neon, and, if you look closely, a bit old and decayed—nailing the culture of the Las Vegas Strip and Lenny's state of being.

But a cover isn't just a pretty face; it's also a marketing tool. (Contrary to your mother's wisdom, people do judge books by their covers.) Here, again, I think the design excels. A book with this cover looks right at home alongside others in the crime genre, and the large lettering size is ideal for online sales pages: you can read it even on a thumbnail graphic.

What do you think? Let me know in a comment below!