The cover illustration for SERVANT is finished!
(and there was much rejoicing.)
yea.
Actually, there was DANCING. Because I think the final piece rocks. The artist is Victor Minguez. Here are two of his pieces that I really enjoy.
The first is “Angel.” I love the bright contrast, the face, and the fact that there’s so much rich detail.
The next is “Champagne Havoc.” Again, a wonderful face, but also an awesome idea (a robot carrying a woman in the palm of its hand), and then the lines and chopper give the whole piece a lot of energy.
Click here to see other works in his portfolio.
So we kicked the project off by me sharing the goals I had for the cover and tons of reference on everything from color scheme to character costume. I asked Victor to develop some concepts for an ensemble of Hunger, Sugar, and Talen as well as some for the cave scene towards the end of the book. He came back with these sketches.
I liked the first because it would allow us to see the figure’s faces more clearly. And there was a lot of interesting detail with the cave. Look at the roots by the entrance. I also liked the structure. I liked the third because it included Hunger, and Victor was taking Hunger in a new direction. I also thought we could do some neat things with the energy of Sugar on the horse and that long sash. The fourth one, however, just felt right. It had so much potential energy. I was immediately drawn to the body language. And so this is the one we decided to develop. Then one of my beta art viewers suggested moving closer and putting in more strong diagonals. It was a perfect idea. Victor agreed and came back with this.
I liked the lines of her stance but wondered if she needed something stronger with her legs. Victor adjusted, but my idea just wasn’t an improvement.
So we decided to stick with the previous version. However, this was all too dark. Way too much gray. When looking at things in thumbnail, the cover has to pop. I shared more reference images. And Victor went back and delivered this.
Boom! That was exactly what I was looking for. Bright, dynamic. However, we needed a more neutral bit at the top for the title and author’s name. And the brightest spot had to be behind Sugar to draw the eye to her. Here was the next version.
At this point I started to dance. This was IT! There was a lot going on here. We had the high contrast I wanted. We had the energy. The wind with the hair and leaves and sash and torch all add kinetic energy. As do all the diagonals. Notice as well the cave details–we have hints at previous habitation, runes, and some interesting contrast with the dark foreground. I had shared a number of N.C. Wyeth and Tim and Greg Hildebrandt pieces as reference, and I think this captured elements of those and gave them a new twist. Note as well the sharp projections on Sugar’s behind. Victor put them in there purely for aesthetic reasons. He had no idea what they were. I loved them. He loved them. They worked. We would just have to make them make sense.
After a few more iterations, he delivered the final.
I think it’s gorgeous. And will advertise the book perfectly. In a few days I will reveal the final cover with title etc. Shortly after that, SERVANT will be available again to please English readers worldwide.
I’m excited about this. That progress bar over there has had me wondering!
Every time I finish a book my eyes start straying to my two copies of Servant of a Dark God. “Is it time to reread it yet?” I’m hoping soon I can say yes.
Hooray! I can hardly wait! 😀
Two copies? I believe that’s a sign of exceptional taste.
Oh, I can’t wait to hear the news! Been waiting for CURSE. SERVANT was awesome!
-Matt
Glad to hear it, Matt
I’m working my way through “A Song of Ice and Fire” and Bernard Cornwell’s “Grail Quest” series right now, but I’d put them both down to read Curse. I hope it’s good news!
Well, you know it’s coming out. The question is how and when and will the goats be involved 🙂
Going on two weeks and still no announcement. Eek!
We’re working on publishing time frames. Expect something in March
Hi. I hope this finds you well. I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask, but, is there an audiobook version of your novel? I’ve looked everywhere and cannot find one.
Absolutely loved Servant! I really NEED the next book NOW! I’ll be checking here often for news on the release….Please make it soon. 🙂
Hi John.
I was wondering if there is going to be an audiobook version of your novel Servant of a Dark God?
Cheers,
David
David, sorry about the slow response approving. There is nothing in the works right now for an audio version of SODG. But that is something I hope to have at some time in the future.
I have been on Tor Books’ back about your much anticipated sequel! I get regular updates from them on my Facebook page, and when I do I automatically ask about “Curse”. All I can say is, I hope it is not too much longer, because I will keep after them until the announcement.
Best wishes to you.
I have been after Tor books about “Curse” since my last note, and today I received an e-mail message that they would not be publishing anymore books by John Brown! Is this true?
You need to give your fans an update as of March 13, 2013, please!
[EDIT: This was submitted 3/13/2013. I removed it because I was still in talks with Tor at the time. I’ve restored it now that the deal is done. Here’s to a dedicated reader! Thanks, Tim.]
Wow, I was late to the party, looks like! I’m super excited to hear more about Curse, John!
With your other novels, do you plan to shop them all through agents to publishers, or are you considering doing any self-publishing? Just curious, since it seems like things are really changing quickly in the publishing world these days.
Bryce! Hope all is well back East. Nice to hear from you, bud. Was just thinking about you the other day and wondering what was up. My goal is to get product out the door and into the hands of readers. I don’t care what the method or distribution channel is. So self-publishing is a totally viable option for that now. In fact, I’m currently taking a class on cover design just for this purpose.
Sounds awesome! I’ve been reading lately about “hybrid authors,” that have some titles published traditionally and some self-published, and how they seem to be the most successful type of self-published authors because they know the business and have that stamp of approval from a traditional publisher in the past, which makes people a little more likely to take a chance on their self-published work.
Things back East are awesome. Nice people, good weather. It’s going to be hard to get me to leave if we decide to move back West in a few years.:)
So, should we still expect some news in March? Only a few hours left…
April 5th now, is there any new news on the release date?
Very excited about the news… How much longer are you gonna keep us hanging on John?! 😉