Thursday, April 26, 2012

Cover Reveal for Monstrous Beauty

Elizabeth Fama here! It's with immense pleasure that I unveil the new cover for Monstrous Beauty (Farrar, Straus and Giroux BFYR, September 4, 2012).


I love everything about this. It captures the book perfectly, hinting at the considerable darkness of the story, while showing just how genuinely lovely a mermaid could be to a man—how he and she both might be fooled into risking everything for each other. I especially love the way it almost looks like a painting, and that it suggests historical fiction; I appreciate the fact that an adult reader or a boy reader might be willing to carry this book on a subway or to school; I adore Franny Billingsley's prominent blurb. In fact, it's difficult to convey to you just how happy the whole package makes me feel, other than to say that I find it so compelling it makes me want to read my own book.My sincerest thanks to everyone at MacKids, to Joy Peskin, and to Anne Diebel, the designer. And to Sara, for being such a champion of Monstrous Beauty at every stage.

(Fun trivia: the background of the Monstrous Beauty font is an image of seaweed.)

26 comments:

  1. The cover is beautiful! As you say, dark but alluring. And I love it when the typography is clear and uncluttered like this. Does the gold type get special treatment?

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    1. Hi, Carol! (It's not gold, really, it's an image of seaweed back there.) I don't think an embossing decision has been made, but there will likely be some sort of faint wash over the entire cover that will look like water, with an verrrry faint almost holographic hue.

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  2. Wonderful!
    Can't wait to get a finished pretty up on the shelf come release day =)

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  3. It's BEAUTIFUL! I love it! Congrats on getting such a fabulous cover!

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  4. The new cover is absolutely beautiful! I love the pattern of colors and the delicate muscles in her back. I think it does set the tone for the book very nicely. Congratulations!

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

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    1. What I love about this Syrenka is that to me she looks like a substantial, serious, real person (or creature)--someone you could grow to know and love.

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  5. This is so gorgeous--I love the simplicity. And I'm with Wendy, the delicate scales over the muscles on her back convey so much of the power and beauty in this book. The designer did an amazing job!

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    1. Ah! The artist's eye. Those shadows of scales on her back are such a nice touch, I agree, Kendall.

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  6. Pretty darn awesome. I've seen both covers, and I love the tone this one evokes.

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    1. Thanks so much, Jenny! And agreed: this feels like my book to me.

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  7. Really pretty cover! Cool detail with the seaweed behind the title font. I'm looking forward to reading Monstrous Beauty soon. Great blurb from Franny Billingsley too.

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    1. If only there had been room for the whole blurb, which still gives me tingles: "Dark and sensuous as the sea itself, this fiercely intelligent page-turner explores love, loss, and new beginnings."

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  8. I can't wait for this book (Especially seeing it releases on my birthday)!! I really loved the old cover but this one is beautiful and eye catching.

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  9. Absolutely gorgeous! Breathtaking, really. Cheers!

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  10. Oh, it's stunning, Beth. Gorgeous and dark and mysterious. I especially love how we can't see her face. Huge congrats :)

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  11. I really like this. The Cover is simple but perfectly displays what the book is about.

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  12. Hi, Beth,

    What an inviting cover! It certainly makes me want to read the book. Congratulations!

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  13. It's haunting and mysterious. I echo one of the earlier posts in particularly liking the suggestion of scales and strength of her back. I can see why you're so happy.

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  14. Thanks to everyone for your good wishes! This has been so much fun, revealing the new cover on Sara's blog. Thank you, Sara!

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