I’ve come to a decision that I’m going to request that authors that I’m currently working with don’t post rough mockups and work in progress to various groups, Facebook or otherwise.
Previously I’ve allowed it as long as the author stated that it was a rough mockup. I’ve always said that I prefer showing more options for a cover with less finished work, rather than two or three choices that are more like finished images. I think of them a bit like storyboards, where you can get a good idea of what the finished cover might look like, but you have to use your imagination a bit.
And then came Facebook groups. I’m a member of several, and many authors have their own private groups. Cover designers cringe and wince when talking about them (yeah, we have our own groups as well), not because we’re not up for honest criticism, but because the advice given in these groups is mostly terrible.
I used to treat it as one of the downsides of an otherwise rewarding trade – I mean, we always had to deal with the “My mother thinks…” kind of uninformed feedback, and this is similar but taken to the nth degree.
You know the saying about opinions being like a certain body part, and of course everyone has one. The trouble is that what you get from them is usually hot air or crap. Design by committee is never easy or productive, and when the people contributing have no actual knowledge of design or genre it gets worse.
Currently I’m at version, what, thirteen or fourteen of a cover that has steadily gotten worse. We’ve gone through several incarnations that I loved, but the current one is going to be one of those covers that I don’t want to put my name to. And this kills me.
So, please for the love of fluffy kittens and all that is right and good in the world, please please please don’t post mockups in these groups. I’m going to start weeding out authors who do this and not working with them again.
I’m begging you. :)