The Many Covers of a Book

It's been just over a year since I published my debut memoir, I'm Not the Manager Here. If you're interested in the story, here's the book's back blurb (also not easy to bring to fruition).

I’m Not the Manager Here is the whimsical account of one woman’s journey to find balance between her creative and corporate self.

Lindsay Rae Brown is afraid of everything.

Since she was a small girl, concocting potions in her mother’s well-kept garden, she has been keenly aware of the many things that frighten her. The anxiety she lives with during the day-to-day holds her back in life, stopping her from going out and getting what she truly wants.

Through humorous introspection and the magic of memoir, Lindsay looks back over the many blue-collar jobs she’s worked. From chores on the farm to customer service to living in a northern Alberta oilfield camp, Brown finds more questions than comfort as she contemplates moving up the corporate ladder in her present-day life as a laundry attendant.

This story isn't about that story, though.

Writing a book is hard. It takes perseverance, determination and a shit ton of coffee.

Editing a book was even more difficult. That took pushing my ego to the side and allowing my talented editor to take the lead. So many times, I found myself saying, "Wait. She didn't get that joke? Why didn't she get that joke?" only to realize, after looking at said joke from an outsider's view, that the joke in question definitely needed some work.

Also, my technical wordsmithing skills are shit, so the sheer amount of time I spent fixing all my grammatical errors was truly demoralizing.

Eventually we made it through, and the manuscript was complete.

Then it was time to craft a book cover.

When researching book covers, the general consensus is: HIRE A GRAPHIC DESIGNER TO DO THE JOB.

After going at it alone (how many of us have experienced that on a lonely Friday night), I can now confidently tell you that there is a reason why this is the general consensus.

I spent hours researching book covers in the nonfiction/memoir genre. I scoured my personal bookshelves and went on expeditions to the local bookstores, creepily eyeballing the covers of all my favourite memoirists.

I looked at bestselling books and also at the stories that I loved, but the book tanked in sales--probably because of the cover.

The sad truth is, people do judge a book by its cover.

So I knew I had to get it right.

Here were my first few attempts:

Although I liked the concept of this one, my incredibly ashen face on this puke-green background wasn't doing anything for the old public image.

Do I think I'm God or something? Why the star frame? What is even happening here? What the hell is this book even about?

This was one of the very first prototypes when I still thought my book was an essay compilation. Then my editor took one look at it and was all like, "This is a memoir, Lindsay."

And I felt like a doofus.

Although I like the font on this one, I'm not an angry person, so this cover didn't accurately portray me or the book at all.

It was clear that I was going to need some help with this whole book cover thing.

But rather than going out and hiring a professional, I did what all poor writers do.

I turned to Facebook.

If you are somebody on my Facebook page and have been for a while, I apologize for this time in our collective lives.

I went a little nutso bananas.

I posted book cover ideas daily. I endlessly asked for people's opinions. I obsessed over the small details and forced friends and family to mull over everything with me.

I ignored well-meaning pals who gently suggested I look at their friend's website who was a graphic designer.

After much moaning and brainwork, I had a few more solid concepts.

This last one was the runner-up when I finally put all of them to a vote with close friends and family.

After much deliberation and a few little breakdowns where I found myself curled in the fetal position under my desk, blubbering into a bucket of Ben & Jerry's Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake, I finally found our champion.

With its simplicity and bold lettering, I reckoned it would be easy to spot on a shelf while also standing out in a sea of Amazon scrolling. The coffee stain indicates a workplace theme, and I like the off-white background colour.

All in all, finding the perfect book cover for I'm Not the Manager Here was a long and daunting road. I can safely say that for the next book, I will most certainly hire a professional to do the leg work.

Have you ever crafted a book cover? On a scale of 1 to I May As Well Just Bin the Book Because I'm Never Going to Find the Right Cover, how difficult did you find the process?

Bonus Pics: Before finding the perfect cover, in a last-ditch effort to get ideas, I Tom Sawyered my pal Susie (who I write at length about in the book) to take a million pictures of me at work for possible book cover material.

Here are the best of the best.