Mundie Moms

Monday, December 15, 2014

THIS SHATTERED WORLD by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner; Blog Tour: Making The Cover, A Behind The Scenes Look and ENTER TO WIN



Hello & welcome to today's THIS SHATTERED WORLD blog tour stop. I'm so thrilled to be apart of the tour, hosted by Midnight Gardens. Today's stop is a behind on the scenes / making of the cover. First, here's a little bit about the book. 


By: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Published by: Disney Hyperion 
To Be Released On: December 23rd, 2014
Series: Starbound Trilogy Book #2
Purchase the Book: Autographed copies IndieBound B&N BAM Amazon


Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.
Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet’s rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.
Rebellion is in Flynn’s blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.
Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.
The stunning second novel in the Starbound trilogy is an unforgettable story of love and forgiveness in a world torn apart by war.

I love book covers, and I'm always fascinated with finding out how covers are created. Today I'm so thrilled to share with you a behind the scenes look at how they created the cover for This Shattered World. Before I share today's Q&A with the cover designer, I've got pictures!!! *Click on each image to enlarge*





Behind the Scenes with TSW Cover
Designer Whitney Manger!


Hi Whitney! So excited to chat with you again, this time about the cover design of This Shattered World. We can’t wait to hear about your creative process for the design of this book, and thank you so much for sharing these awesome behind-the-scenes pictures! (Readers, do not miss the ab-tastic close-up of Flynn!)


Q: When a new book comes across your desk, how do you begin to dream up potential covers?


A: The process always starts with reading the manuscript. While I’m reading, I note passages that I find inspiring -- either visually or ones that capture the tone of the story. Then I meet with the editor to talk about what we what we want to convey on the cover -- is it a thriller? Romance? Sci-fi? Does it have humor, or is it very serious and dark? Who is the audience? What other books will it be shelved with?


We discuss what we want to convey on the cover, and specific cover concepts we want to explore. Then, I get to work, and really let myself explore lots of directions. Some covers begin with a thumbnail sketch. Others are born out of imagery exploration or a second read through the manuscript. Or further discussion with the editor and my art director. When I design, I need several house of solo time to really focus! Sometimes it’s really intense, but when you reach a break-through it’s thrilling. Some covers just come to me within the initial designs -- but that’s rare! I find design inspiration everywhere -- movies, movie posters, Anthropologie catalogs, magazines, book covers, trips to museums and bookstores.


Q: Is this process any different for a sequel when you’ve already designed the cover for the first book?


A: It’s different in that you already have a formula established, so you don’t go through the process of coming up with lots of cover ideas. You need to make sure the sequel cover is different from the first book, but complementary so they can create a strong look together. So it needs to be beautiful on its own and next to its companion.


Q: We were so thrilled when we saw the models for Flynn and Jubilee. How does the design and photography team at Hyperion find such picture-perfect (pardon our pun!) people to represent the characters?


A: Once we have a tight cover comp that has been approved by everyone in-house (and by authors), we do a casting for models, working directly with the photographer. The photographer usually coordinates with the model agencies to find models that match the physical descriptions of the characters (with some leeway). At the casting, we meet several models and discuss their experience (it often helps if they’ve done book covers), and we select the models that have the right look. It’s also really important that the model is open-minded and easy to work with, especially for The Starbound covers, which are very physical!


Q: Were you on-set for the photo shoot? What was that like? How closely did you work with photographer Tom Corbett?


A: Always. In tandem with the photographer, I set up and manage the photoshoot as well as work with the stylist to create the look -- clothing, hair, and makeup. For This Shattered World, the jumpsuit was custom-made. The green dress on the cover of These Broken Stars was also custom-made. On set, we work with the photographer in terms of getting the right kinds of shots, poses and lighting we want, but it’s the photographer is works his/her genius to capture the perfect shot. We look at the shots on screen several times throughout the shoot to make sure we’re on the right track. It’s such a great and energized collaboration. Tom is an incredible photographer to work with.

Thank you so much, Whitney! The covers of these books always draw so many compliments, and it’s such great fun to share what you do with the world!

*Thank you to Midnight Gardens Blog Tours for the guest post questions & answers

About The Authors


Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are longtime friends and sometime flatmates who have traveled the world (but not yet the galaxy), covering every continent between them. They are sure outer space is only a matter of time. Meagan, who is also the author of the Skylark trilogy, currently lives in Asheville, NC, while Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia. Although they currently live apart, they are united by their love of space opera, road trips, and second breakfasts.
Visit the These Broken Stars website for the latest news on the series and follow the authors on Twitter at @AmieKaufmanand @MeaganSpoonerThis Shattered World is available for pre-order (with fun swag!) and will be released in North America on December 23, 2014.

The Pre-Order Campaign 


Check it out! Pre-Order your signed copy from Books of Wonder & find out what else you'll receive with your book, HERE

ENTER TO WIN

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Tour Schedule:
Monday, December 8          The Midnight Garden    Secrets of Starbound: Characters       
Tuesday, December 9         The Book Smugglers    Making an Audiobook
Wednesday, December 10  Ivy Book Bindings        Secrets of Starbound: Science and Settings
Thursday, December 11       Cuddlebuggery             How Amie & Meagan Met
Friday, December 12            Little Book Owl             Video Interview
Monday, December 15         Mundie Moms               Shooting the Cover
Tuesday, December 16        Xpresso Reads             Starbound Inspirations
Wednesday, December 17   A Book Utopia               Video: Your New Book Boyfriend
Thursday, December 18       Supernatural Snark       Q & A
Friday, December 19            Love is Not a Triangle   Gender in Science Fiction

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