The Seal Cove Theoretical Society is set to launch in two weeks. I have no idea how, or even if, it will fly. It will depend on whether or not readers form an attachment to any of the characters. I have no feeling for how others may see them. Will readers be sympathetic? Will they want more plot? Will they miss the lack of a villain?
Instead of external villains, characters are kept from realizing their dreams by their own internal shortcomings and will have to change and grow if they’re to move on. Will that be enough to keep readers engaged? I have no idea. But I do believe that every book has an audience, and it’s left up to me to find it.
More than any other element, the cover design is paramount. It’s the first thing that potential readers see, and it will either turn them off, or inspire them to open to the first page.
For this book I turned to a professional artist. Years ago I bought my wife a print dress with a fabric design by Debbie Mumm. You’ve most likely seen some of her work, as her designs can be found on a variety of products, including fabric, greeting cards, and calendars. This particular design featured lighthouses. The Seal Cove Theoretial Society is set in a fictionalized version of Moss Beach, where I’ve lived for 40 years. Appropriately, at the end of my street is the Point Montara Lighthouse, which looks like this:
Debbie’s lighthouses are more whimsical or fanciful. If I did my job, the atmosphere of the book also conveys a sense of whimsy and fancy. The cover, then, will attract the right kind of reader.
The art I’ve employed for the cover is entitled The Celestial Ocean. The original painting is square, so it took some photoshopping to get it to fit an ebook cover, as well as a wrap-around paperback cover. Here is the result:
If you’re of like mind, you can buy it on pre-order at Amazon; Barnes & Noble; Kobo; Apple, etc.
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