Cover reveal for Albatross
Posted April 28, 2019 by Terry Fallis
As promised, here is the cover design for my seventh novel, Albatross, to be released on August 13th. The goal of any cover is to reach out from bookstore shelves, grab readers by the lapels as they walk past, and force them to take a closer look. I think this cover scores very well on the old “eye-catching” meter. Breaking up the word Albatross using the hyphen is unusual and I hope makes the cover a little more arresting than if the word had been displayed in the usual fashion.
As for symbolism, the cover leans on the “gilded cage” metaphor. My narrator, Adam Coryell, is blessed or cursed, depending on your perspective, with unmatched natural ability at golf. This grants him fame and fortune beyond any sane person’s wildest imagination. Yet he is not happy in his life. Not to put too fine a point on it, Adam’s golf prowess “imprisons” him in a gilded cage. The novel tells the story of how he found himself in the cage, and how he escaped.
I’m very happy with the cover, though I know it will not appeal to everyone. Here’s hoping it does its job and catches bookstore browsers’ eyes starting in mid-August. My thanks to my editor, Bhavna Chauhan, and the design team at McClelland & Stewart (Penguin Random House) for coming up with this. It was not a straightforward design challenge.
Eye-catching indeed. The first thing that catches my eye is “A Novel” seemingly appended to “Alba-“, and then I see the full word. Also, the stylized picture of the gilded cage nicely sets forward the letters with the curious font. The design team did a great job. I look forward to buying your next book.
It’s definitely eye catching. I look forward to seeing it not only in bookstores but also on my bedside table as I’m reading it!
I can’t wait to get a copy! I would buy it for the cover alone, although knowing who wrote the book, I’m laughing already.